Michael O. Brooks
Chief Executive Officer and President
An ambitious self-starter and entrepreneur, Michael has been building businesses for most of his life. While his earliest start-up endeavor can be traced back to a home improvement business he began at the start of high school, Michael’s first entrepreneurial venture as a young professional involved creating and leading the growth plans for a regional life insurance company. A short while later, in 1988, Michael constructed a vision plan for his view of the financial services industry. Independent and servant leadership centric in its approach, the vision plan continues to guide his enterprises to this day. In 1992, Michael put this plan into action. He established Founders Financial, Inc. to support independent financial advisory firms nationwide and founded Brooks Financial Group, Inc. with the dual purpose of pursuing his own path as an independent wealth advisor while simultaneously positioning the company as the inaugural enterprise within the Founders Financial national community. Michael's spirit of innovation has led to a number of key business ventures and proprietary systems including Strategic Enterprise Leadership Systems, LLC, Founders Financial Securities, LLC, Founders Financial Insurance Network, Founders Financial Investments, Freedom Capital Management Systems, and more.
Under his leadership, Brooks Financial Group, Inc. has thrived. Offering private wealth management, corporate benefit consulting, and strategic business solutions, the enterprise is deeply committed to each and every relationship they serve, as governed by its mission, which is to lead our private relationships professionally and independently by understanding completely their Matters of Importance and through our knowledge, innovation, and trusted relationship, render the servant leadership required to achieve their dreams. Brooks Financial Group has earned a reputation for excellence in the community and among the relationships they so proudly serve by embodying a mission of servant leadership to all those in their care.
Michael has served as president of several industry groups and has been recognized for his expertise in leadership, business, and finance. Active in mentoring and leadership development, Michael has created innovative concepts and systems of business that are highly praised and utilized nationally. Michael has authored a number of articles, a book entitled Growing and Protecting Your Wealth, and a publication journal on Servant Leadership. He is often a featured speaker on subjects of business, development, and leadership.
Michael has always donated a great deal of time to community groups, offering leadership and support. This led him to establish his own non-profit organization in 2007. Building for God Community Foundation supports local growth-driven charities in Maryland by providing business development, executive leadership, and capital funding to promote and drive growth within each charity working in partnership within the foundation. Community activists, the Foundation’s volunteer Board of Governors support and drive the mission, affecting a positive and determined impact in the local community in the areas of sheltering the homeless, feeding and caring for families, fostering the educational needs of our youth, and supporting those who protect our community.
A voracious reader, Michael studies the history and heritage of our nation, great leaders throughout time, religion, faith, and philosophy. Michael is a life-long learner dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. In fact, his fine appreciation of history and the written word, coupled with his love of fly-fishing, led to the establishment of another non-profit organization, the Joe Brooks Foundation for Conservation and Outdoor Education. It’s flagship movie production, a feature documentary entitled Finding Joe Brooks, debuted in 2018.
A native of the Baltimore area, Michael graduated from Calvert Hall College High School in 1979 and from Towson University in 1982, majoring in Finance and Economics. Michael earned the degree of Chartered Financial Consultant from the American College and he is an Investment Advisor Representative with Founders Financial Securities, LLC. Michael is the Past President of the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals.
Michael has always played an active role in the Calvert Hall College High School community. He served as a member of their Board of Trustees and was inducted into Calvert Hall College High School’s Hall of Fame in 2017. Michael's core passion lies in serving others and his core focuses include family, faith, and promoting leadership towards the needs of those in his care.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”