Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Michael is a neighborhood guy, born in Chicago and raised in Oak Park and then River Forest. His father, Angelo Ruggiero, is a highly respected attorney and longtime and influential member of the Justinian Society of Lawyers. The Ruggiero’s are of Neapolitan descent and Michael’s mother, Gina, is of Sicilian descent. Angelo grew up around Leavitt and Harrison and his mother grew up in the Cragin neighborhood. Angelo is still a practicing and successful attorney of 53 years, and he and Gina have been married 63 years and counting.
Michael graduated from the highly respected Oak Park River Forest High School. (Class of 1985). He received his BA with a concentration in marketing (’91) and an MBA with a concentration in finance and international business (’95) from the former Rosary College, now Dominican University.
After living in working in New York from 2000-2003, Mike started his career as a financial advisor in 2005 at Merrill Lynch, then UBS, then Ameriprise, all highly respected and successful business entities. His office is located in Orland Park, from which he serves clients from across the Chicago area as well as around the country. He has built his clientele the old fashioned way, with hard work, dedication, networking, performance and results. In other words — on his own.
Michael is proud to say he has a spotless “U4,” which means he has never had a verbal or written complaint filed against him with any of the regulatory bodies (SEC, NASD, FINRA).
He has been recognized as one of the top 3 percent of financial advisors/planners in Chicago in the November 2013 issue of Chicago magazine, and he is up for consideration again this year. He has also been accepted into the book “America’s 2014 Select Financial Advisors.” A prolific writer and speaker, he has articles published in SeniorSpotChicago.com.
He also is a regular contributor on WGN-TV 9 Midday News, a national daily cable television broadcast. He has been doing this for a year and a half, covering such issues as Taxation/Tax Tips, Unemployment, Medicare/Medicaid, QE3, Market Forecasts for 2013/2014, Confident Retirement Planning, etc. He has received rave reviews for his on-screen presence and content. His WGN appearances can be found on YouTube by searching “Michael D. Ruggiero.”
This significant television responsibility speaks to who he is as an advisor, because the WGN appearances are a unique thing. To his knowledge, Michael is one of only a few advisors in the Chicago area doing anything like this on a consistent basis. He is very fortunate to have this opportunity and exposure. It has been a boon for his business and his career.
A renaissance man, Michael’s impact extends well beyond financial planning. For example, he was in the cast of Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding for a year in 2004. He also executive produced an independent film short in the fall of 2010 that did very well at the Los Angeles and Chicago International film festivals. He was a member of the Second City training program for a year in 1996.
A resident for a while in Los Angeles, he appeared on high-profile television series such as “Dallas,” “Falcon Crest” and “Who’s the Boss” and in the movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” He met Frank Sinatra when he was 10 years old, and ran the Chicago marathon in 2010.
Yes, Michael Ruggiero, accomplished, acclaimed and successful financial planner, patron and participant in the arts, is a renaissance man and another example of the best our community has to offer.
