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Brett is the original founder of Investors Alley Corp (the sister company of Student Savvy Inc) and currently leads the company forward. Brett primarily handles site maintenance and layout, administrative issues, and media relations, as well as overseeing daily operations. E-mail Brett at brett@studentsavvy.com.
Bio:
Brett founded Investors Alley Corporation at the age of 14 when he was still in middle school. Since then, Brett formed Phinaz Media Group, which is the parent company of Investors Alley and two other subsidiaries Brett began. Phinaz Media has grown to post four consecutive profitable years, develop relationships with companies such as TD Ameritrade, Forbes, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and retain over 25 of the brightest minds in finance and the Internet as employees and contributors. Brett has shared his insightful perceptions of financial literacy, student entrepreneurship, and investing as an expert commentator and interviewee for The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, Newsweek, The New York Post, Dow Jones Newswires, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and various other publications on multiple occasions. Brett speaks around the country about the issue of financial literacy, most recently at the Investment Expo in New York City. Brett has also written articles for several major media organizations, such as About.com and Screaming Media.
A graduate of Emory University's Goizueta Business School, Brett has worked with the Philadelphia Eagles and Morgan Stanley in marketing roles. Brett was the President of the Goizueta Business School Investment Club, which aims to improve students’ understanding of the financial markets and personal finance matters.
Brett won first place in the State of New Jersey for two years in a row and finished in the top 10 in the country for presenting the Investors Alley business plan to a panel of judges in a DECA (Marketing Education Clubs of America) event. Who’s Who In Executives and Professionals (2000-2001) and Who’s Who Among American High School Students (1998-1999) recognized Brett’s achievements by including him in their prestigious directories. In addition, Brett was invited to attend the National Student Leadership Conference, National Young Leader’s Conference, and the Global Young Leaders' Summit in Sydney, Australia.
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Brett's interests outside the company include playing baseball, football, and hockey, water/snow skiing, trading stocks, and reading. Brett donates his time and money to several community affairs and charities, including animal shelters, children’s hospitals, disaster relief efforts, and his high school. Brett’s interest in financial literacy stems from seeing many of his friends struggle to manage personal finance matters, including credit cards, checkbooks, and savings. The need for increased money education for students of all ages is increasingly evident to Brett, which is why he dedicates much of his time toward improving young adults' knowledge of everyday money issues.
Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
I presently live in Atlanta, which is where I went to school. I’m originally from the great State of New Jersey.
Have a personal quote?
Two actually: "If you aren’t the lead dog, the view never changes." & "It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up." - Vince Lombardi.
Pick one word to describe yourself and tell why it describes you so well.
Resourceful. No matter what the circumstances, I use whatever resources I have or can find to accomplish whatever it is that I’m trying to do. In other words, if something needs to get done, I’ll find a way to get it done.
What do you like most about Student Savvy? (be honest)
I have been with the company since I started it 9 years ago. When you’re an entrepreneur, every day is a new adventure -- every day is do or die. I live for that.
What is the best advice you've ever received?
Don’t burn bridges. You never know who you’re going to cross paths with again.
What is your best money saving secret/technique? (c'mon, everyone has at least one)
Drink other people’s alcohol and don’t gamble. If you gamble often, keep a log of the amount of money you make or lose each time and the amount of time you spend playing. Even if you make some money, consider how much more you could get done if you spent time doing something else.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My ultimate goal is to become the owner of a professional football or baseball team. That would be a real nice treat if I could make it happen in 10 years.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Slow drivers and drivers who don’t use turn signals. Basically, Atlanta drivers.
What is your greatest athletic achievement?
Winning the Emory intramural hockey championship as a goalie.
You have 2 hours to kill. What are you going to do?
Either play a game of football or baseball or just relax and listen to some music.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Australia. Everyone who visits or lives there seems to love it.
Name one person you'd most like to meet and why.
It was Mark Cuban, though I met him recently at a speech at Emory. I admire what he’s done in life and business and how he’s accomplished his goals.
You're stuck on a deserted island. What is one possession you couldn't live without?
My iPod. I put on my headphones, play my music, and I’m in a completely different world.
Ever do something wrong or out of the ordinary? Make a confession and be honest.
My alarm clock is set 20 minutes ahead. If it wasn’t, I’d never wake up in time. For some reason, I keep fooling myself in the morning.
If you could go back in time and witness one event in history, what would you go back and see?
Game 6 of the 1980 World Series. Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to give the Phillies their first and only World Series championship.
What is your favorite sport and favorite team?
Football and baseball are my favorite sports and the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies are my favorite teams. I make special trips back home for a weekend just to see the Eagles game (and, of course, visit the family).
What is your best investment to date? (doesn't have to be finance-related)
Buying Cisco Systems and Microsoft at the beginning of the tech heyday produced some great returns. I used these profits to help fund the beginning of the company in 1997.
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