Without realizing it, my mother influenced me to become a financial advisor. She worked and saved hard but kept her savings in cash. While she was doing all the work, her money wasn't working at all, and she couldn't afford to retire until her late 70s.

When I moved to Dubai from Egypt for a career in futures trading, I learned more about the impact of money and of making wrong decisions. So when I came to Canada in 2004, I became a financial advisor to make a difference in people's lives, and I chose Edward Jones because their investment philosophy matched my own – quality investments with a long-term focus.

With a nod to my mother's influence, I've built my practice helping professionals and small business owners prepare for and live comfortably in retirement. Together, we create investment strategies to generate income, prepare for life’s unexpected events and transfer wealth to the next generation most effectively.

None of it is guesswork. I follow a proven 5-step Process with every client, starting with gaining an understanding of what they find most important. We discuss options available, pros and cons of each decision and the impact on the long-term picture.

I decided to move from Toronto to Niagara Falls to be closer to family. My team includes two branch office administrators, Marilena Vitaterna and Christine Smatana. And I have a network of accountants and attorneys (many of whom are clients) available to help with tax and estate strategies.

I'm a family man at heart. My wife Sam and I adore our 10-year-old daughter, Veronica, whose artistic streak keeps us painting, drawing and holding dance competitions (which I never win). Hard as I try, I can't convince them to share my love of professional soccer.

It's important to me to help those not fortunate enough to have savings. In addition to volunteering with local charities, I'm active with Niagara Falls Rotary fundraising and philanthropic efforts locally and globally, including a microfinance project in Honduras and a weekly breakfast for the homeless.