Meet Rafi Rodriguez of Rodriguez Financial Strategies, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rafi Rodriguez.

Hi Rafi, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Force ROTC program, Rafi Rodriguez obtained his commission as a Second Lieutenant in February in 1978. He served 26 years in the Air Force working on Ballistic Missile Operations, Military Weapon Systems Acquisition, Research and Development, Military Intelligence, Foreign Military Sales with U.S. Allies worldwide, and Command & Staff Assignments. He participated in Desert Shield and Restore Hope military operations.
After culminating his successful military career in March 2004, Rafi Rodriguez retired with the rank of Colonel and then pursued a career as a Financial Advisor and now presides over “Rodríguez Financial Strategies, Limited Liability Company”. He holds the Retirement Income Certified Professional® designation. He holds a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and an MS in Systems Analysis from the University of West Florida.
Rafi Rodriguez continued his legacy of service and engaged in the community with the highest degree of energy and enthusiasm to make his community a better place to live, work, and raise our families. Rafi has served as Chair of the Board with the United Way of Grater Dayton, as member on the boards of Air Camp USA and the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. Rafi is Past-President of the Dayton Hispanic Chamber, the Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Past-President of the Dayton Chapter of National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and Past-President of the Puerto Rican Cultural Society of Dayton. He currently serves on the board of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.

For his support of Veterans causes and the Hispanic community, he was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2014 and in the Greene County Veterans Hall of Fame in 2022. He is also a recipient of The President’s Bronze Volunteer Award—signed by President George W. Bush, 2007.
For the last several years, Rafi has hosted Rafi Amigos Golf Outing as a fundraiser for an exclusive 1-day Air Camp for selected Junior ROTC from participating local high schools in the Dayton area. During the 1-day Air Camp, cadets undergo training in four Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM) modules, including flying with an instructor.

Rafi has two adult children: Giselle and Gabriel and resides with his wife Nidy in Beavercreek, Ohio.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a Hispanic from Puerto Rico (U.S. citizen by birth since 1917), I came to the U.S. on May 31, 1978 to start my career in the U.S. Air Force. I had to adapt to the U.S. culture, especially the way Americans speak English. After a while, I learned the local customs and colloquialisms. In addition, I met many people with unfounded prejudices about Hispanics, especially about my accent. Instead of confronting these people, I stayed focused on my goals and what I value most in my life. Furthermore, I used my bi-cultural and bi-lingual background as an asset since I could communicate with twice as many people. At the end, what some people thought about it as a liability, it became by asset thought-out my military career and then as a business owner.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Rodríguez Financial Strategies is an independent financial services firm focused on serving our clients’ best interests above all else – we are not tied to any specific product or investment.

Our Fiduciary Approach:

– We always put our clients’ best interests first

– We provide comprehensive financial planning services to assist our clients in making smart financial decisions, for the reasons that are important to them

– The advice and recommendations we provide are what we believe to be in our clients’ best interests and appropriate for their personal situation

– Our focus is to select cost-efficient products to help our clients pursue their goals, and we conduct our own independent due-diligence when building and selecting investment portfolios

– We will always be transparent in the compensation we receive for advising, managing and/or selecting investments for our clients’ accounts

– We will always disclose any conflict of interest

At our firm, we have the client—and only the client—in mind.
Our reasons for becoming financial professionals are deeply personal. We repeatedly saw many friends and family struggling to find the help they needed to map out their financial future. We are confident that with our understanding of personal finance, coupled with our training as financial professionals, we can help people better prepare for the future. After years in the business, we have developed a reputation for educating individuals in an easy-to-understand manner so they can grasp personal finance and use those concepts to pursue their financial objectives. We feel a commitment to our community.

At our firm, we have client’s best interest in mind, first and foremost.
Over the years, we have found that a team approach can be an effective method to help clients who have a wide variety of needs as they maneuver through a complex financial-services world. We invite you to discover and experience the power of our services. We believe it has far-reaching benefits for our clients to get opinions from several sources with diverse backgrounds, education, and experience.

No one strategy fits everyone, which is why every client gets our undivided attention—from planning to execution to follow-up. We take a proactive approach to helping you develop a strategy to address your financial goals and objectives, using the most efficient methods available.

With our 4-step DPIR (Discover, Plan, Implement and Review) Process, we help you INVEST in your future so you don’t have to worry about having to work when you should be enjoying retirement. As a client, you benefit from a tailored, action-driven financial plan designed to achieve YOUR financial goals.

We Provide Our Individual Clients “Comprehensive Financial Planning And Portfolio Management Services”. We Also Provide Benefit Services To Our Business Clients. As An Independent Financial Services Firm, We Are Focused On Your Best Interest Above All Else. We Are Not Tied To Any Specific Product Or Investment.

What matters most to you? Why?
Taking care of my family is the most important thing. I was instilled strong family values from my parents. By taking care of my family, I mean being a provider, a protector, give guidance and direction to my children, taking care of my parents and siblings when they needed me, taking care of my wife in times of sickness, all with unconditional love.

In addition, I believe in using my God-Given talent for the benefit of others.

Pricing:

• Financial Planning Consultation: $150 per hour
• Comprehensive Financial Planning: $600-$1000 one time fee plus $150 per hour follow-up
• Retirement Income Planning: $1500 one time plus $250 folllow up
• Portfolio Management: starts at 1.5% of Assets Under Management for up to $250K, then the fee comes down with additional assets

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.askrafi.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodriguezFinancialStrategiesLlc
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafirodriguez/