Before your first meeting with me, I wanted to share some thoughts with you. These are my beliefs and it’s important for you to know a little bit of who I am as a Financial Advisor.

Every day I see the modern consumer wanting quality and value, they want to be engaged, asking tough questions and demanding accountability. To me, it’s people taking ownership of their lives and I encourage it.

When it comes to managing your hard-earned money, it shouldn’t be any different and I believe in an approach to financial management that reflects those same values.

I want to support your involvement. That doesn’t mean you have to be the investing expert, but it does mean you’re encouraged to ask the questions that matter to you and get straightforward, honest answers. I believe you deserve a comprehensive explanation of the recommendations you receive, the rationale for them, the risks involved and why one solution may be more appropriate than another for you. You also deserve to have a clear and complete picture of what you’re paying.

I also believe in having access to world-class investment insights and commentary from leading asset managers across the industry. It is my role to lay out an investment strategy designed to meet your goals which reflect your comfort with market volatility. I want to provide all of that without sacrificing value, because with investing I know costs matter.

The result? It’s a partnership, you have a deeper sense of involvement with your money. You fully understand what you are doing in an effort to grow and protect it. Ultimately, you’re more confident in your financial future and I am there to help you along the way.

For the past 20 years, I have grown to love what I do and my clients are like my family. I share in their happiness, their life events and their sorrow. I look forward to our first meeting and I share with you a passion on starting a new journey by creating a new partnership.

Sincerely,

Mark Sharifi
President & Founder

Mr. Binger is the President of Gradient Investments. He has been with Gradient Investments since 2012 and has more than 30 years of total investment management experience. Mr. Binger’s prior roles include managing multi-billion dollar investment products for a large institutional asset manager. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and is a CFA® charterholder. We believe that he brings a depth of market experience that is rare within the industry and has been a featured contributor with several media outlets including CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Schmidt is the Chief Investment Officer of Gradient Investments. He has been with Gradient Investments since 2008 and has more than 30 years of total investment experience primarily within fixed income markets. His prior roles include a lead portfolio manager position at an institutional firm where he managed a multi-billion dollar bond portfolio. He has been a contributor to such media outlets as Fox Business, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Schmidt earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, his MBA from the University of Minnesota, and is a CFA® charterholder.

Mr. Bryan is a Senior Portfolio Manager for Gradient Investments. He has been with Gradient Investments since 2016 and has over 15 years of total investment management experience. Mr. Bryan’s job history includes equity research and portfolio management roles for institutional asset managers in Minneapolis and New York. He has been a frequent contributor to media outlets including CNBC, Fox Business, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Bryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University, earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and is a CFA® charterholder.

Ms. Montagne is a Portfolio Manager for Gradient Investments. She has been with Gradient Investments since 2014 and has more than 25 years of total investment management experience. Ms. Montagne’s prior roles include equity analysis for institutional fund managers as well as a senior investment analyst position for a $500M registered investment advisor. She is a frequent contributor to media outlets, including CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg, and Barron’s. Ms. Montagne graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Detroit and is a CFA® charterholder.