Christopher Beste is a Certified Financial Planner™ and joined PFA in October 2020 while opening the
first PFA office in St. Louis.
Raised in a blue-collar family in the small town of Washington Missouri, Chris learned from an early age
that working hard and simply showing up when people expect you were valued character traits.
Christopher developed an interest in personal finance when he began working as a teen and wished
he’d had a broker to advise him about smart ways to grow his earnings. He also noticed many people
took a skeptical view of financial advisors, seeing them as salespeople. “He just wants to sell me
something,” was a common refrain. Growing up, Chris was often labeled the “nice, quiet kid,” so he
knew his personality was much better suited to a career building relationships rather than making sales.
In addition to his faith and Catholic upbringing that shaped his life, Christopher gives credit to the
handful of financial professionals who guided him through his career. They offered invaluable lessons
and provided real-life examples of the way he wanted to operate his own business in the future. They
taught him it’s not only acceptable, but actually advantageous to see clients as people and not just
dollar signs. They showed him it’s okay to be a “nice guy.”
These are the values that drive Christopher to build extraordinary client-advisor relationships, the
foundation of which are trust and professionalism. These are not mere words but show in everyday
actions. One simple example: clients know they can call Chris directly and not rely on staff to get
answers or schedule time to get answers because he’s too busy or away from the office.
Chris truly believes in making a meaningful impact in people’s lives, and it often takes simple steps to do
that, whether in business or in personal relationships. When working with clients, Christopher stresses
simplicity in a world of complexity. Taking a comprehensive financial planning approach, Chris helps
clients tune out the noise of the stock market, empowers them to take control of what they can and
collaborates on plans to reach their specific goals.
Christopher graduated from The University of Missouri-St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in business
Administration with an emphasis on Finance. He currently volunteers on the PSR Advisory Board for The
Holy Spirit Parish in Maryland Heights, Mo. An avid but still struggling golfer, proves time and time again
that he spends his time at the office and not at the golf course. His greatest joy in life is watching his son
Cooper play and excel at baseball and soccer, but also seeing him growing to become a nice, fun,
respectful young man.
