As a result of the sell-off in the U.S. stock market in September, all gains made by the S&P 500 in 2021 were completely erased. The S&P 500 was firmly in bear market territory at the end of September, down nearly 24% on the year, the lowest level since November 2020.
At this point, investors are used to temporary bear market rallies followed by even greater losses. With these effects being felt across different industries and the ever-changing economic status, only the leaders rise from the ashes. This drives the potential for most millionaires to be made at the end of a recession or bear market.
Here are the top ten leaders to watch in 2023 as markets shift.
1. Beth Andrews
Beth Andrews, founder of Networth Advisors, is passionate about helping clients create a better retirement. “We work with people who are preparing for retirement or recently retired to accumulate, protect and enjoy their wealth for the rest of their lives,” Andrews says.
Networth Advisors is a Registered Investment Advisor and Andrews is an insurance professional in the Pittsburgh area. Andrews has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and has also attained the CPA and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designations, one of the most widely recognized and respected designations for financial planners.
Networth Advisors is unique in that the firm only works within the context of the Networth Retirement GPS. This is a unique plan and process specializing in tax planning for retirement and how it works together with investments, income planning, healthcare and estate planning. Andrews is surrounded by her dedicated professional team who serve together to assist their clients. She is also the author of Networth for Retirement: Everyone Deserves a Confident, Independent Retirement and has her own radio program called The Networth Financial Hour Radio Show that airs on WPGP, WJAS and WPIT.
Andrews and her team are passionate about financial planning and have a sustainable business that will be there for their clients for generations. They have a plan in place just like their clients do so that they know that they are there for their clients, their team and the local community.
2. Jamel Gordon
Jamel Gordon, CFP®, is a seasoned certified financial planner with leading financial planning firm Rose Capital Advisors. Gordon encompasses estate and financial planning to suit his client’s specific needs with customized planning and also makes sure to understand each client’s life, family and business needs. This personalized and proactive approach allows for Gordon’s clients to be heard and for the best solutions to be identified, as everyone has complex lives and various solutions to meet these needs.
Gordon properly maps out each investment and financial plan to suit each of his client’s specific needs with customized planning. As an accomplished professional with a reputation for helping high-net-worth clients, he helps identify their financial goals and achieve them through holistic financial planning. Gordon’s focus is geared toward athletes, entertainers, retirees and entrepreneurs. Gordon grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to South Florida in 2009. He became a professional CFP® because he finds the reward in helping families and individuals achieve their goals and prepare for the unexpected. He enjoys traveling around the world to meet new people and learn about different cultures, and finds great fulfillment in volunteering, specifically through organizations like Mission United.
3. Duke Kimhan
Duke Kimhan is a real estate broker specializing in property management. Among his extensive real estate portfolio are some of the most sought-after residential rentals on the island of Oahu. With more than 250,000 rentals available on the island, Kimhan and his team stay on top of the best listings. HI Pacific Property Management offers an array of unrivaled services, with 95% of the business dealing with residential rentals. The company has catered to countless individuals and families on the island, with each property manager going above and beyond to help their clients find the best properties for their needs.
Concentrating on the residential side of the rental market for decades, Kimhan has gained the trust and confidence of many property owners. They have also claimed the upper hand in the rental market in Oahu. Kimhan and his team consistently exceed client expectations as they help property owners find the right tenants who will look after their property with utmost care.
4. Athena Brownson
With more than eight years of experience, Athena Brownson is a Colorado-based real estate agent who doesn’t let a changing market instill fear in her clients. Her battle with Lyme and other autoimmune diseases has taught her the importance of being resilient in the face of adversity and she brings this same mindset into her work.
Brownson grew up traveling the world as a professional skier, which has given her the grit necessary to compete and win offers regardless of the challenges thrown her way. At 32, she leads her two-woman team, The Vesta Collective at Compass, which produced almost $40 million in 2021. By working for such an innovative brokerage, she is able to provide a stress-free experience where marketing and outreach are taken to the next level, ensuring clients and their homes always stay front and center.
Brownson is a firm believer that a relationship-based business with a focus on serving rather than selling is the key to sustainable growth, especially in a saturated market like Denver’s. “As leaders in our industries, it is critical in challenging times that we are the ones who bring a new perspective—a sense of calm certainty—to our interactions by looking at uncomfortable times as an opportunity for growth and a great opportunity to level up,” Brownson says.
5. Anthony Houzlet
As a bootstrapping entrepreneur, Anthony Houzlet has developed several companies over the past 14 years that have produced over $120 million in revenue. His new app, Houzlet, makes renting a home easy as “the Airbnb for long-term rentals.” Landlords and real estate agents will receive pre-qualified tenant screenings, accept payments, sign the lease, conduct virtual showings and manage their properties all on Houzlet. Houzlet has grown to 19,000 properties in over 300 cities since its recent launch.
Houzlet has 14 years of experience in property management and 7 years as a short-term rental expert and real estate investor. Houzlet’s critical problem-solving ability allowed him to find opportunities and form strategic growth during some of the worst economic disasters in a century. Houzlet’s colleagues consider him to be a true innovator, critical thinker and problem solver with the ability to scale growth due to his out-of-the-box forward thinking.
6. Louis Giuliano
Louis Giuliano is an LPL Financial Advisor and partner at Dream Mutual. Giuliano was raised in Spencerport, New York, a suburb of Rochester. He attended public schools, excelling as a soccer player, and was a member of the chess club. His father was a technical specialist at Eastman Kodak and his mother was a property manager and homemaker. Giuliano says he has “always been fascinated with the financial markets,” and started reading financial books in high school.
7. Nick Abraham
Nick Abraham, the founder of Leadbird, has a unique way of generating leads and appointments for his B2B clients. His company uses hyper-personalized cold emails to reach potential customers. More than 50 of their clients, ranging from unicorns to startups, have benefited from this approach. Over a thousand appointments are booked for Leadbird clients every quarter with companies like Johnson & Johnson, Bed Bath & Beyond, Cargill and more.
While running Leadbird, Abraham noticed that the current tech stack was underperforming. This led to the company creating Inboxy, Quicklines, Scrubby and Emy. With Abraham’s amazing team at Leadbird, his goal is to become the world’s biggest and best lead generation agency.
8. Owusu Kizito
When asked where you would invest your money, many people might respond with: stocks, real estate or crypto. Owusu Kizito, DBA, founder and CEO of Investigroup Companies, has pondered this question and come up with a solution that will forever change his and his clients’ lives.
He founded Investigroup, a company that he envisioned would help many people improve their quality of life. Investigroup is a full-service general management consulting firm that serves top-level companies, governments and nonprofit organizations. Its experienced professionals provide business consulting services that help clients control costs and achieve profitable growth. The firm’s expertise includes accounting and taxes, business consulting, risk management and estate and retirement planning. In addition, it offers business and tax management services to small businesses.
Kizito is always working on his goal of improving and growing the infrastructure of Ghana and Africa. He recently started the construction of a $1.2 million industrial cold and dry storage warehouse facility in Accra, Ghana. “We believe this venture will help boost business and trade, among other investments we are pursuing in Ghana,” Kizito says.
In the world of vast businesses and an ever growing population, Kizito has definitely put a dent on innovation and continues to change people’s lives.
9. Omar Melo
Omar Melo is the Managing Director at Crewe Capital and has over 20 years of investment banking, finance and operational experience, primarily in the tech, TMT, renewable energy, real estate and financial services industries. Melo’s banking experience includes executing M&A, equity and debt capital raises, structured finance, tax equity, mortgage loan origination, workouts and restructuring. Melo started his career on the buy-side as an equity research analyst with Soros Funds in Hong Kong and then transferred to the sell-side with Merrill Lynch in New York and Bank of America Securities in San Francisco.
As a roll-up financial specialist, Melo offers industry professionals a roadmap on how to finance their acquisitive growth strategy with 3 simple steps:
- Formulate an investment thesis.
- Tell a compelling story to investors.
- Find the right capital partner.
He stands out as one of a few investment bankers that have successfully raised capital for an independent sponsor. As an entrepreneur himself, Melo is able to bridge the gap between investors and their end goal.
10. Lafayette Britto
Being a successful real estate agent and navigating the ups and downs of the market while simultaneously trying to handle your client’s emotions is not easy. Add selling luxury real estate to that, and it becomes an almost impossible mission. Lafayette Britto, born and raised in Brazil, moved to Orlando, Florida, at age 10. Seeing his parents struggle to get by, he knew he wanted something different. After years of working in the corporate world, Lafayette decided to open his own business and follow his passion for photography. His focus was working with large home builders and some of the biggest Florida real estate agents. Lafayette still felt something was missing; he took his 15 years of sales experience, 10 years of digital marketing, and an uncanny work ethic and became a luxury real estate agent in Orlando. Most real estate agents take 3-5 years to hit a stride, but Lafayette has completely stomped this timeframe. In his first year as a real estate agent, he sold 14-plus transactions worth over $5.5 million.
Some might say… beginners luck? Not at all. In his second year, Lafayette is on track to double what he did his first year and recently sold a record-breaking 6.4 million dollar sale in Dr. Phillips Orlando. Lafayette is becoming one of the most sought agents in the Orlando area.
