A 40-year veteran of the financial markets and financial planning, and an entrepreneur in financial services, Tim brings a wealth of experience to any conversations about personal finance, entrepreneurship, innovation, mindset and mental toughness, perseverance, and overcoming adversity.

Tim started what today are the Aurora Companies in 1997, and built it into the second largest company in the country in the fee-friendly broker-dealer space.  His major innovations were key to his growth:  1) switching from commission-based business to fee-based in 1988, becoming an early leader in the burgeoning independent broker-dealer/RIA space of US financial services; 2) starting a database in 1998, recognizing that a financial services company is to a large degree an information processing, retention and retrieval entity; 3) putting that database online in 2011, becoming an early adopter of the “remote work” concept (the company was fully remote when COVID hit, making this trying time seamless for his employees/salespeople); 4) offering the use of multiple platforms for RIA custodian work to both his direct IAR population and his broker-dealer representatives; and 5) offering an RIA “back-office service” before the service became popular.

Whether a success or a failure, each of these innovations taught him more about how to envision the future, plan strategically, and execute on a daily level.

Tim’s success has not been without extraordinary challenges, however.  In addition to dynamics that have affected the entire financial services space (e.g., ever-growing compliance responsibilities that continually pressure profit margins), his company experienced near bankruptcy when a rogue financial advisor stole millions of dollars from clients and non-clients alike.  Surviving this took a seven-figure settlement, three years of systems upgrades, and years of tremendous anxiety—all of which small- to mid-sized company owners can appreciate.  To be thriving today is one of his greatest accomplishments, but many lessons were learned during that time of trial.

A creative as well as an analytical, Tim is the author of “Risk Management in Stock Market Investing”, which details how an investor can multiply the returns of the S&P 500 at lower risk than the market overall.

Tim also authored “50 Ways to Avoid Investment Fraud”, to protect investors against becoming victims of a $40 billion per year problem.

Tim started life as an actor-singer, and has performed for three US presidents and on stages in the US and Europe.  With those years of stage and life experience, great stage presence and energy, and his Irish charm, Tim is an engaging speaker with great stories to tell and actionable information for his audiences.