Mario exudes enthusiasm and drive. He’s a self starter, savvy, and highly intelligent. He’s a veteran, serving in the U.S. Army as a financial sergeant to help his follow soldiers reach their financial goals.

He holds a degree in financial planning from the College of Financial Planning, a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Tennessee State University and has his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) credentials. Less than 2% of all licensed African American financial advisors are a CFP®. His firm TOAMS Financial, is one of a select few SEC registered INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRMS that is African American owned in the United States. Mario made history in February 2022. The company he co-owns, launched the first African American owned AI ETF on the New York Stock Exchange. The symbol is LETB. The goal of this fund is to limit investment losses while maximizing gains.

Mario has several board mandates, including serving as an Executive Board Member at Knots4Kids, a non-profit organization, and was also selected as the Financial Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Jacksonville Public Library, and a Tennessee State College of Business Alumni Board Member, among others.

We had a wonderful time listening to his stories of triumph as he powered through stigmas and racial stereotypes. This man is a winner.

Please join us as we follow the journey of Mario J. Payne on the next episode of Journey: The Financial Advisor Experience.

Tune in to Journey: The Financial Advisor Experience with your hosts Garland Scott, CIMA®, Grier Rubeling, and ED Dudley.

You can find our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube here https://youtu.be/Z_pwUugxP2s

If you know someone in and around finance with an exciting story, don't hesitate to contact ED Dudley.

#thejourney #thefinancialadvisorexperience #garlandscott #grierrubeling #eddudley #financialadvisors #stockmarket #stories #storytelling #IamtheBRIChampion

Welcome to season 2 of Journey The Financial Advisor experience.

To kick off our new season, we had a chance to chat with Natalie Bergsma. Natalie is the founder of BeyondFA. As a consulting firm, BeyondFA, provides leadership and business coaching, plus hands-on implementation consulting to progressive firms and financial services leaders committed to creating an impact, breaking the mold, and doing more.

Natalie’s journey has taken her down some interesting paths and locations. Her story is very intriguing, you not only hear about her starting BeyondFA, but also her work to empower mothers.

Please tune in to Journey: The Financial Advisor Experience with your hosts Garland Scott, Grier Rubeling & ED Dudley to hear the journey of Natalie Bergsma.

You can find our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/C7lPNUUfjxI

If you know someone in and around finance with an exciting story, don't hesitate to contact ED Dudley.

#thejourney #thefinancialadvisorexperience #garlandscott #grierrubeling #eddudley #financialadvisors #stockmarket #stories #storytelling #IamtheBRIChampion

Alex David is one of the few African American CEO’s in the financial advisory and investment arena. His meteoric rise is movie worthy. His humble start was as a bicycle messenger delivering paper and packages to Wall Street. His ferocious appetite for reading and learning led to a successful college career and literally landed him his first job in financial services.

Earlier in his career, Alex was an institutional wholesaler with Lord Abbett, Federated Investors, and Oppenheimer Funds. He has worked on a number of financial services industry initiatives in Washington, D.C., including representing Wells Fargo on Capitol Hill in discussions with the House Ways and Means Committee regarding the tax status of 1099 independent contractors. He holds a doctorate in business with major concentrations in economics and marketing and a master’s degree in economics from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University.

Alex joined Stifel after spending nearly 13 years at Wells Fargo Advisors, where he was Head of Branch Development and Marketing for the firm’s independent brokerage arm, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (FiNet). In this role, he guided FiNet’s business development and market strategy and led a team responsible for recruiting, consulting, coaching, and managing independent financial advisors. Prior to that, as a Managing Director from 2008-2014, he helped bring in more than $55 billion in assets through recruiting and M&A activity.

Now he is President and CEO of Stifel Independent Advisor and the Incoming Chair Emeritus for the Association of African American Financial Advisors (Quad A). In April, he was awarded the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from Investment News. He’s had a lifetime of achievement award, but he’s just getting started.

Please tune in to Journey: The Financial Advisor Experience with your hosts Garland Scott, CIMA®, Grier Rubeling & ED Dudley to hear the journey of Alex David. You can find our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/X8EyMamdbUk If you know someone in and around finance with an exciting story, don't hesitate to contact ED Dudley. #thejourney #thefinancialadvisorexperience #garlandscott #grierrubeling #eddudley #financialadvisors #stockmarket #stories #storytelling #IamtheBRIChampion