Because of his passion
for small business and as a way to promote small business in the
community Michael co-founded the Santa Cruz Small Business Monthly www.scsmallbiz.com,
a monthly magazine, and is host of the Small Business Café www.smallbusinesscafe.net,
a weekly radio show. Michael works with a network of small business
advisors and professionals to help small business owners make
smarter choices and build personal wealth.
Michael began his career in financial
services in 1984 at American Express Financial Advisors, the largest
financial planning company in the world. In 1993 Michael earned
his Certified Financial Planner designation from the College of
Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado. That same year Michael
was appointed to the Guardian Advisory Council for the Missouri-National
Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the largest association
in the country representing the concerns of small business owners.
Michael remains an active member of NFIB www.nfib.com and continues to serve the needs of small business.
In 1994 Michael served
as President of the St. Louis Chapter of the Financial Planning
Association, the industry's largest professional association.
During his tenure as President of the St. Louis FPA chapter Michael
formed an alliance with the FPA and the University of Missouri
to promote financial literacy to elementary and high school students.
In the spring of 2000 Michael co-founded Kidocracy.com,
a web portal and browser system designed to provide a fun, safe
and educational internet experience for children under the age
of 12 and to promote their financial literacy. Michael has continued
his advocacy of financial literacy for young people by offering
educational programs to area schools.
In 1995 Michael joined
Renaissance Financial, Inc. in St. Louis, MO as a partner and
co-owner where he helped build the fastest growing privately owned
financial planning firm in the state. After helping grow Renaissance
to over 50 employees and over $400 million of client assets under
management Michael sold his interest in the firm and he and his
family relocated to Santa Cruz County.
Michael is a former member of the board of The Institute for HeartMath www.heartmath.org and currently sits on the board and serves on the finance comittee of the Community Advisors Network, a program of
the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County www.cfscc.org. Michael is also on the credit committee for the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union http://www.scruzccu.org/ . |
