Robert J. Powell, III, who has more than 20 years of financial services industry experience, is president of Unison, LLC, a Salem, Mass.-based financial education, communications and consulting firm. Mr. Powell serves as Executive Producer of PBS’ “More Than Money,” a new personal finance television series produced by Connecticut Public Television & Radio and he is co-author of Decoding Wall Street, a business/investment primer recently published by McGraw-Hill.
He also serves as a consultant to Major League Investments, Inc.
Mr. Powell was formerly Managing Director of Acadient, Inc. of Boston, one of the nation's leading developers and distributors of interactive, multimedia education for the financial services industry, where he was charged with developing domestic and global business and content for the financial advisor and investor markets. Programs for which he was responsible included the Boston University Online Program for Financial Planners, a CFP™ Board-Registered Program, the Center for Fiduciary Studies’ Accredited Investment Fiduciary™ Web-based Program, and the Lightbulb Press’ 401(k) Basics Program. Mr. Powell also forged major strategic relationships with Financial Planning Association, Bank, Insurance & Securities Association, Merrill Lynch, MetLife, LPL, and Prudential Financial, among other firms and organizations.
From 1993 to 2000, he served as Managing Director and editor-in-chief of Boston-based DALBAR, Inc. where he was responsible for all aspects of the firm’s multi-million publishing company: Mutual Fund Market News, Variable Annuity Market News, The Journal of Mutual Fund Services, Registered Investment Advisor, Visionaries, and Advice, Trust & Money. Mr. Powell also played a lead role in creating and developing: CompuServe WOW!’s personal finance and business website, and www.TheRightAdvisor.com, a joint venture between DALBAR and Microsoft Corp.’s www.MoneyCentral.com. TheRightAdvisor is a web-based tool that enables consumers to search for and select a financial advisor.
Prior to joining DALBAR, Mr. Powell served for five years as personal finance and mutual funds columnist for The Boston Herald where he created “The Money Manager” column and co-wrote “On State Street.” He has also served as a business reporter for the Berkshire Eagle and Boston Business Journal.
Mr. Powell has extensive internet, broadcast, print and radio experience: His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, CBS.MarketWatch.com, and Your Money. He has served as host, co-host or editor of several television, radio and internet chat programs, including Consumer Portfolio on Boston Cablevision, Talk of New England on New England Cable News, The Money Manager on WMEX-AM Boston, and FundWire on AmericaOnline, and mutualfunds.com.
Before becoming a financial journalist, Mr. Powell worked as a registered representative for DeanWitterReynolds as well as a sales representative for Marion Laboratories.
Mr. Powell was graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University College of Communication. Powell also attended Boston University’s Program for Financial Planners. He lives in Swampscott, Mass. with his wife and four children; triplet boys age seven and a daughter age three.
Mr. Powell serves as the director of the Nicholas Green Scholarship Fund, Inc, and the chairman of the Project SAVE Armenian Archives, and serves as on the following boards: Boston University Program for Financial Planners, Jewish Federation of the North Shore (Mass.) Interfaith Outreach Committee, Camp Menorah Jewish Day Camp, and NICSA Technology Committee. He is a member of the Society of Business Editors and Writers. |