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Growing up my Dad would say, “With your expensive taste son, you better get a good job.”
At the time, nor he or I knew it wasn’t a “good job” that set a person financially free, it was a different paradigm.
We were a typical middle-class, blue-collar family living in St. Louis. My father came to the USA from Croatia. He worked as a lab engineer at a heating and cooling manufacturing company for over 50 years.
My mom was a stay-at-home mom for much of my childhood. She raised us kids and managed the household.
I didn’t see my dad all that much growing up because he was always working. But I admired his work ethic and his ability to figure anything out. He was a hard worker and always produced positive results.
As a teen, I dreamed of having upscale things, cars, and homes and such, but I had no example to follow for how this is actually done.
While my dad worked hard, he always traded time for money. If he wanted something he would do extra work to create the money to go buy it. The challenge is that he always had to rely on his ability to work to create the cash flow to do the things he wanted to do.
I always respected his dedication and work ethic. So as a young man in my twenties, I mistakenly chased material things and found myself having to work harder to keep up with my lifestyle. I learned the hard way that the status quo for achieving wealth was broken.
After doing it wrong for years, I finally had an epiphany. I realized I needed to create assets that are income-producing and that would pay for my lifestyle. I set a goal to have all my bills paid by passive income, and I accomplished it! And that’s when my focus for what I’m really trying to do for clients came became clear.
Today, I am 30+ years into my profession and 30 years into my marriage with my awesome wife, Kari. We have three children that make us so proud. Our son is married with three children, our oldest daughter is married with three children and our youngest daughter is engaged with a planned 2025 wedding.
Throughout their lives, my wife and I have taught our children two things:
The same thing I want for my children is the same thing I want for my clients and the reason I love my work.
Brian Skrobonja, ChFC®, CPWA®, is a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Certified Private Wealth Advisor professional, an author, blogger, podcaster, speaker, and prolific producer of content on topics related to wealth creation, preservation and utilization. He is the founder and president of a wealth management firm based out of St Louis, Missouri dedicated to helping people make smart choices with their money.
He has spent years challenging his audiences to think differently about money, debunking common financial myths and helping people identify the purpose for their money. He’s often contrarian, sharing messages not heard elsewhere, encouraging people to let go of limiting beliefs and challenging them to seek the truth about what it takes to build wealth.
Brian embarked on this mission in 1993, entering the financial services industry and quickly realizing that the information that’s widely believed to be true about money was actually false or based on half-truths. He also concluded that the advice being distributed by advisors, the financial media and entertainers were all rooted in these misperceptions.
His goal as a professional is to help his audience discover the root of their beliefs about money as the pathway to reaching their goals. It is this unique approach that has allowed for Skrobonja Financial Group’s growth in recent Years.
Brian is passionate about educating his audience by writing books, producing a podcast, writing blogs, and speaking on topics related to wealth creation, preservation and utilization.
Brian Skrobonja, ChFC®, CPWA®, is a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Certified Private Wealth Advisor professional, an author of three books: “Common Sense,” “Generational Planning” and “Retirement Planning,” and is the host of FORBES Top 10 Podcasts by Financial Advisors, the Common-Sense Financial podcast. He has been featured on KMOX radio and 97.1 FM Talk in St. Louis, The Dave Ramsey Show, and has been interviewed by Advisors Magazine.
In 2018 he received the Future 50 Company award and in 2021 received Best in business by St. Louis Small Business Monthly, a publication which named Brian among the Best Wealth Managers in St. Louis in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. He is a contributor for Kiplinger magazine, Medium and Advisor magazine.
Securities offered only by duly registered individuals through Madison Avenue Securities, LLC. (MAS), Member FINRA & SIPC. Advisory services offered only by duly registered individuals through Skrobonja Wealth Management (SWM), a registered investment advisor. Tax services offered only through Skrobonja Tax Consulting. MAS does not offer Build Banking or tax advice. Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC, Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC, Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC, Skrobonja Tax Consulting, and Build Banking are not affiliated with MAS.
The firm is a registered investment adviser with the state of Missouri, and may only transact business with residents of those states, or residents of other states where otherwise legally permitted subject to exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.
This website is solely for informational purposes. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital. No advice may be rendered by Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC unless a client service agreement is in place.
Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC provides links for your convenience to websites produced by other providers of industry related material. Accessing websites through links directs you away from our website. Users who gain access to third party websites may be subject to the copyright and other restrictions on use imposed by those providers and assume responsibility and risk from use of those websites. Any references to protection, safety or lifetime income, generally refer to fixed insurance products, never securities or investments. Insurance guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims paying abilities of the issuing carrier.
This is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the particular needs of an individual’s situation. Our firm is not permitted to offer, and no statement made on this site shall constitute tax or legal advice. Our firm is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or any governmental agency. The information and opinions contained here in provided by third parties have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed by our firm. Any media logos and/or trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners and no endorsement by those owners of Brian Skrobonja is stated or implied. The awards, accolades and appearances are not representative of any one client’s experience and is not indicative of future performance. Each of these awards have set criteria for their nominations and eligibility requirements. “Best Wealth Managers” and “Future 50 Company” are annual surveys conducted by Small Business Monthly. The winner is chosen by an online vote of the general public and no specific criteria is utilized to determine the winner other than number of votes. Some voters may not be clients of Brian Skrobonja and Skrobonja Financial Group. These awards are not representative of any one client’s experience and is not indicative of future performance.
