Client Spotlight - July 2025
At Christopher Street Financial, we create opportunities, through relationships, helping people lead fulfilling lives. “Fulfilling lives” means something unique for each of our clients. We recognize all of our clients are individuals, having different goals and needs, a topic addressed in this blog written by Senior Advisor Shannon Clark.
With that in mind, we’re shining the client spotlight this month on a dream vacation, a retirement, and the publication of a new book.
Clients, Cruises, and Castles
Clients Margaret and Chris recently returned from a Viking River Cruise on the Rhine, that started in Basel, Switzerland and ended in Amsterdam, with a few days pre- and post- cruise in Baden and Basel, Switzerland and Amsterdam. Here they are on the Middle Rhine surrounded by hilltop castles:
They say they are “grateful for the advice they have received over the past two decades as CSF clients making trips such as this possible in their retirement.” *
We’re so happy you both had a great trip!
Retiring After Years of Service to the Community
Client Michael Sabatino recently retired from the City of Yonkers after 13 years of service. Michael made history in 2011 when he was elected to the Yonkers City Council as the city's first openly gay council member. During his tenure, he served as both Minority Leader and Majority Leader, chaired important committees, and was instrumental in initiatives such as establishing the Yonkers Pride festival and the Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Board. In 2020, he was appointed to the Westchester County LGBTQ Advisory Board.
Michael and his husband Robert Voorheis are known for their decades long advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality. Their marriage later became one of the first same-sex marriages legally recognized by the State of New York after the landmark ruling in 2009. Sabatino and Voorheis were founding members of Marriage Equality New York, an organization central to the push for same-sex marriage rights. Voorheis served as co-executive director, and together, they played a key role in shaping public opinion and policy on LGBTQ+ issues in the state.
Michael Sabatino and Robert Voorheis stand as pioneers in the struggle for equal rights, leaving a lasting impact on their community and beyond through courage, advocacy, and love. In his retirement, Michael looks forward to working with the city of Yonkers as a part-time consultant on human rights.
Congratulations on your retirement, Michael, and thank you to you and Robert for all of your advocacy for the community!
Your Summer Beach Read
Client John Kenney’s latest book, I See You Called in Dead, recently hit the shelves. John is the author of two novels and four books of poetry. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American humor. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Love Poems for Married People and is a long-time contributor to The New Yorker.
In I See You Called In Dead, Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.
As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live.
John Kenney tells a funny, touching story about life and death, about the search for meaning, about finding and never letting go of the preciousness of life. You can purchase the book here.
Congratulations John!
If you are a client and are interested in the spotlight shining on you, please reach out to Director of Employee and Client Experience, Mark Lingenfelter. If you are not a client and feel inspired to get help to live your fulfilling life, set up a time to talk to us here.
*The testimonial presented is made by an individual who is a client of Christopher Street Financial and is applicable only to the individuals depicted and may not be representative of the experience of others. The testimonials are not paid nor have the participants received any non-cash compensation and are not indicative of future performance or success.