NEW HOPE, PA, September 01, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Stephen Rustom Mazda has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
A leading voice in investment advising, Mr. Mazda celebrates more than 30 plus years of excellence in financial services and business development, including groundbreaking work in 401(k) policy and strategy. A graduate of the William Penn Charter School, where he would later establish a namesake scholarship fund, he subsequently pursued a double major in finance at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1979, Mr. Mazda was recruited by Barclay Associates, with which he began his career as a sales and marketing representative.
During his two years with Barclay Associates, Mr. Mazda built a reputation as a dedicated employee, often coming in early, staying late and accepting extra responsibilities. He was instrumental in helping to improve a new telemarketing strategy for the aforementioned company that drove more than $1 million in annual life insurance premiums, and increased sales of business retirement plans. Mr. Mazda eventually departed Barclay Associates in 1981, relocating to Hawaii to work with Manufacturers Financial Group as an employee benefit plan specialist.
Drawing upon his insurance industry experience and cutting-edge research, Mr. Mazda pioneered a new retirement plan for employees, a hybrid 401(k)-Employee Stock Ownership Plan, ESOP, dubbed the Profit and Asset Participation Plan, PAPP. During this period, his interest in the potential of then-new 401(k) accounts accelerated, and he established and monitored 60 of the first 401(k) programs in the United States. Having observed returns and participation in the plans beyond all expectations, Mr. Mazda successfully and aggressively lobbied to protect the legal status of the 401(k), for future generations when it was under threat of legal extinction from the Senate Finance and Ways & Means Committee in Washington during the early 1980s. The chairs of those two committees were working to balance the federal budget deficit at the time. They viewed 401(k) as a tax loophole for the wealthy. On a conference call to the chairs of those committees, Mr. Mazda, the president of American Trust Co. Bob Midkiff and their state senator Spark Matsunaga who arranged the call convinced them otherwise. Since them Americans have saved over $5.3 trillion in 401(k) plans!
Mr. Mazda continued to promote and administer 401(k) plans for the remainder of the decade as a specialist 401(k) consultant for the American Trust Co. of Hawaii Inc. During his tenure, he structured a $60 million portfolio of plans to more than 175 corporate clients and law firms. In addition, he helped orchestrate the company's profitable acquisition of Bishop Trust, a major competitor. In 1989, Mr. Mazda assumed a dual Chief Financial Officer and Chief Real Estate Officer role at Nationwide Furniture Rental and Sales Inc., later known as Nationwide Discount Sleep Centers in Philadelphia.
After taking over financial management responsibilities with Nationwide, Mr. Mazda quadrupled profits and increased annual revenues more than 350% by implementing a new store expansion and acquisition policy and overhauling the company's supply chain agreements. After eight years of aggressive growth from 9 stores to 50 stores, he successfully coordinated a $27 million buyout and real estate leaseback arrangement. Since 2000, Mr. Mazda has excelled as a general securities principal with Cantella & Company Inc., for which he manages numerous private stock portfolios.
Mr. Mazda notably holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 22, 24, and 63 Securities Licenses, and leverages his extensive experience in all corners of the financial sector to protect wealth while providing the greatest possible returns for his clients. In addition to his direct work in portfolio management, Mr. Mazda is dedicated to encouraging financial literacy and empowering youth and adults to begin saving and investing in their future.
Moreover, Mr. Mazda is the writer and producer of "401(k) Magic," a three time Telly Award-winning educational short released in 2011 and is available through Amazon that introduces middle-grades students to the basics of 401(k) investment and financial planning as a tool for achieving their dreams (www.401kmagic.us). He additionally leads accompanying school presentations and workshops. A religious man, he considers his faith to be the foundation of his strength, and has shared his testimony of his miraculous survival after a surfing accident in a laity sermon to the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, Hawaii. Mr. Mazda credits his mother with helping him develop a relationship with the church community, encouraging him to try different congregations until he discovered one with which he connected.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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