Phil Ratcliff
AIF®, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
rebel Financial
President and CIO
Phil Ratcliff
AIF®, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
rebel Financial
President and CIO
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. - Phil Ratcliff, AIF®, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
Fee-Only Financial Planner Serving the Columbus, OH area
Phil Ratcliff is a Columbus, OH fee-only financial planner. rebel Financial provides comprehensive financial planning including investment management, college planning and retirement planning to help clients organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Phil Ratcliff is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Phil Ratcliff is a Certified Financial Planner Professional (CFP) and the founder of rebel Financial, a financial firm that he started in 2013 that has grown into one of the largest Fee-Only RIAs in the Midwest and fastest organically growing in the country. Phil’s hard work, charisma, and true passion for his business has helped him build rebel from the ground up with the unique objective (at least in the financial world) to put “People before profits.” He specializes in advanced planning (such as executive benefits, stock options, charitable giving, and complex estate/tax planning) and building the business processes that are continuing to drive the firm forward to new heights to deliver ever more value to our clients. Even though Phil helps in all facets of financial planning/advising, rebel has grown to a point that most of the day-to-day activities and new client relationships are primarily driven by our other great Advisors, Financial Coaches, and/or professional staff.
Previously, Phil attended USMA at West Point and served in the United States Army for 8 years before settling down into finance in 2003 at American Express Financial Advisors. Phil is an active member in the Financial Planning Association, NAPFA, and NorthStar BNI as well as serving on numerous Boards of Directors and running our two non-profits: rebel Financial Foundation and 4Advisors. Phil has an extensive background with his Bachelors in History, studies towards his MBA, professional certifications (AIF®,ChFC®, CFP®, and CLU®), voracious reading appetite, and his enthusiasm for mastering new technology.
Outside of working diligently at rebel, Phil is happily married to Stephanie Ratcliff who is an RN at Nationwide Children’s hospital and is kept on his toes by his 5 children: Ellie, William, Josie, Gwen, and Teddy. Phil’s primary hobby/obsession is building things: from beekeeping, to DIY construction projects, to building computers, crypto miners, trading strategies, solar generation systems, smart home/business systems, 3d Printers, and hopefully many more things to come. You will generally find Phil during waking hours, outside of his 9-5 at rebel, working early, late or weekends on one or more of these projects or even maybe something new…
Phil’s professional education and certifications include:
- Investment Advisor Representative for rebel Financial LLC
- Insurance licenses with many states in the country
- B.A. in History from The Ohio State University
- Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®)
- Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®)
- RIADAC Certified in Blockchain and Digital Assets®
Phil Ratcliff is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
rebel Financial is a Registered Investment Advisor and we are in the business of providing investment and planning advice for compensation. However, we do things differently and we are not afraid to stand up and fight for what is right for our clients, and for the advisory industry in general.
Why we Named our Company rebel Financial:
rebel Financial was founded to do things differently from how most financial firms operate. We organized the company to serve our clients first, comply with all applicable regulatory requirements next, and then worry about how to make a profit last. This is totally opposite of the traditional financial firm and it is our fundamental rebellion: That we work for you, first.
Organization and Structure:
We pride ourselves on transparency and in the spirit of that, we fully disclose all aspects of our organizational structure. We are a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) in the States of Ohio and West Virginia, although, we do have the ability to work with anyone, in any state, in the U.S. Our company is also a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) Incorporated in the State of Ohio. All shares of rebel Financial LLC are owned by its founder, W Phil Ratcliff.
Why Small is Better:
We protect you from most of the risks associated in working with a small firm so that you may benefit from the agility and freedom that being small affords us.
- We can reduce bureaucracy and inefficiencies.
- We can pass saving on to customers more quickly.
- We can quickly adapt to industry and market changes for our clients.
- We can implement technological solutions more quickly and efficiently.
- We can more easily provide our clients with transparency.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Retirement Income Planning
- Investment Management
- College Education Planning
- Tax Planning
Ideal Clients
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Growing Families
- Business Owners and Executives
- Sudden Money Situations
- Novice Investors
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Phil Ratcliff is a NAPFA-Registered Financial AdvisorThe National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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Phil Ratcliff is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for VerificationCFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Phil Ratcliff is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF)Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) training empowers investment professionals with the fiduciary knowledge and tools they need to serve their clients’ best interests. Advisors who have earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation have gone through training, met the qualifications, and passed the exam allowing use of the AIF designation and they are immediately able to demonstrate the added value that they can bring to both existing and prospective clients.
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Phil Ratcliff is a member of The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®)FPA® is the largest membership organization for CFP® professionals in the U.S. and supports high standards of professional competence, ethical conduct, and clear, complete disclosure when serving clients.
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Phil Ratcliff is a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®)Chartered Financial Consultant® designations are granted upon completion of seven required courses and two elective courses. Those who earn the designation are understood to be knowledgeable in financial matters and to have the ability to provide sound advice.
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Phil Ratcliff is a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®)A Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) is a professional designation for individuals specializing in life insurance and estate planning. Individuals must complete five core courses and three elective courses, and successfully pass all eight two-hour, 100-question examinations in order to receive the CLU® designation.
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Phil Ratcliff earned the Certificate in Blockchain and Digital Assets℠Financial professionals who hold the Certificate in Blockchain and Assets℠ issued by Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals (DACFP) have earned the essential knowledge and skills they need to provide their clients accurate, relevant, timely and valuable advice about blockchain and digital asset management. Graduates of the Certificate program have taken the only course of its kind about this emerging ecosystem created for financial advisors by leading financial advisors.
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rebel Financial is Accredited with the Better Business Bureau
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Learn More About Phil Ratcliff
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Phil Ratcliff Presents "Crypto, Blockchain, Why it Matters, and Things to Know as a Financial Advisor" for the Financial Planning Association of Northeast Ohio
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Phil Ratcliff Participates in Ohio Advocacy Day with the Financial Planning Association of Northeast Ohio
Contact Phil Ratcliff
Office Locations:
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5940 Clyde Moore Dr
Suite C
Groveport, OH 43125
