Vijay J. Marolia, MBA, CFP
Chief Investment Officer

Education & Background

Vijay’s experience in the industry began in 2000 while he was an intern with Morgan Stanley, one of Wall Street’s largest investment banks.  In 2002, Vijay graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.  Vijay then earned an M.B.A. from Rollins College’s Crummer Graduate School of Business with a concentration in Finance.  Since joining, Vijay has been responsible for research and portfolio construction at Private Wealth Management. 

 

Investment Philosophy

First and foremost, Vijay believes a focus on capital preservation is more important than outperforming an index like the S&P500.  Growth comes at a cost; that cost is risk.  The tendency for investors to chase growth and disregard risk has lead to the technology crash, the housing crisis, the sub-prime mortgage mess, and many other bubbles bursting throughout history.  Moreover, Vijay believes that information, research, and advice must come from an independent, non-biased source.  There should be no conflicts of interest between the investor and the advisor.  This is why Vijay and the LPL Financial advisors at Private Wealth Management are fee-based, rather than commission based.  By charging a fee for unbiased advice, the investor and the advisor are on the “same side of the table,” meaning that their interests are aligned. 

Interests and Hobbies

While Vijay has been interested in business and investing for most of his life, he became intrigued with the study of Human Behavior and Investor Psychology shortly after college. He realized that the subject matter of ‘human behavior’, although relevant and important to people in all walks of life, has been neglected in schools. This is what led Vijay to get more involved with our educational system.  Vijay believes that education is where it all starts.  Although most people equate education with formal schooling, Vijay believes that life constantly presents us with situations and experiences that we can learn from.  By improving education, we can improve all other aspects of society.  Vijay volunteers as a high school teacher through Junior Achievement, teaching students about Economics and Financial Literacy.  He also appears monthly as a financial expert on AM1440’s Tuesday night talk show.