I have the heart of a teacher. When I meet with clients, my objective is to empower them to make decisions for themselves and to support them along the way.Hi, my name is Michael Speed. I was born in Pensacola, Florida, but grew up in Houston, Texas. I moved back to Florida in 2011 to work for a firm that manages money for institutions and individual investors. I began my career in the financial services industry in 2009 when I served as a public finance ratings analyst at Moody’s Investors Service.In layman’s terms, this means I made recommendations on the rating of public debt. When school districts, counties, cities, and other governments wanted to borrow money in the form of general obligation or revenue bonds, I represented investors to know what level of risk they would be taking when considering the purchase of these securities.Next, I came to Florida and provided the same service for holders of mutual funds investing in states, municipalities, and other public-entity debt. I provided value to investors by keeping their portfolio managers up-to-date on holdings inside their portfolio and by making recommendations to buy, sell, or hold municipal bond transactions.As a financial advisor, my priority is to help secure my client’s financial future. I specialize in giving clients guidance to make financial decisions and to be confident with their financial decision-making. I help individuals in the following ways:• Build and manage wealth• Prioritize their financial goals• Consolidate their accounts• Plan for retirement• Establish an income strategy in retirement (decumulation)As a continuing commitment to my clients, I became a CFP® Certificant by the completion of several high-level courses, a comprehensive certification exam, and an agreement to be bound by the CFP® Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct. The coursework covered subjects such as investment planning, retirement planning, income taxation, insurance planning, estate planning, and many others.One of the ways I bring added value to my clients is by offering them an extended network of professionals with whom they can interact and do business. I spend several hours each week networking with these professionals to enable me to make quality referrals. This network consists of qualified professionals in industries such as estate planning, tax consulting, real estate, business and family law, property and casualty insurance, and others.My wife and I reside in Longwood, Florida, and we are the blessed parents of nine children.