Michael Binger, CFA®
Senior Portfolio Manager of Gradient Investments, LLC
Michael Binger, CFA®, serves as the senior portfolio manager for Gradient Investments, LLC. Binger brings over 24 years of institutional equity investment experience to Gradient Investments and its affiliated advisors and clients. He has extensive experience working directly with financial advisors designing and actively managing portfolios. Binger has successfully invested in numerous market and economic cycles giving him a level and depth of experience that is rare in this industry.
Binger started his investment career in Minneapolis, Minnesota with Lutheran Brotherhood in 1987 and gained experience managing assets in a variety of asset classes including convertible bonds, small cap equities, and large cap equities. When Lutheran Brotherhood and Aid Association for Lutherans merged in 2001 to become Thrivent Financial, Binger was selected to work as the senior portfolio manager on the Large Cap Growth team and Large Cap Alpha Team managing over $3 billion in assets. As the senior portfolio manager, he developed and oversaw the tactical investment strategies utilized within mutual funds, variable annuities, pension funds and insurance company products. These investment processes included proprietary portfolio construction strategies, security selection parameters and volatility controlled umbrellas.
Binger graduated from the University of Minnesota earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Finance. He graduated with honors and was the University of Minnesota’s “Wall Street Journal Award Winner.” Binger is a CFA® and a member of The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute and the Twin Cities Society of Security Analysts.
Binger’s media highlights include numerous appearances, providing market insight on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio. He has also been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Smart Money, Reuters, Business Week and numerous other local, national, and global investment publications.
This endorsement of Gradient Investments, LLC is provided by an investment advisor who refers clients to Gradient Investments, LLC. A conflict of interest exists because this investment advisor receives a portion of the annual management fee charged by Gradient Investments, LLC, based on the assets under management of this investment advisor’s clients. This endorsement could assist in the investment advisor increasing the assets placed with Gradient Investments, LLC, and therefore their compensation. These investment advisors are not affiliated with or supervised by Gradient Investments, LLC.
Endorsing investment advisor is also a client of Gradient Investments, LLC
Brian Peterson, CPA
Brian has 25+ years of public accounting experience in business, individual and estate taxation. At PWB, he is a leader in the areas of taxation and accounting services. Brian is an enthusiastic advocate for small businesses and helps them with income tax planning & compliance, multi-state taxation, outsourced accounting services, and forecasting & budgeting.
Brian works with clients in a variety of industries, including construction, software development, retail, manufacturing, nonprofit and health care services. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from the University of Saint Thomas, and his Master of Business Taxation Degree from the University of Minnesota.
P. James Taurinskas
Attorney
Jim Taurinskas has practiced law for 46 years in Minnesota and 33 years
in Wisconsin.
Presently, Taurinskas advises several privately-held companies on matters of
initial incorporation and corporate governance. In addition, he counsels clients
regarding real estate matters, condemnation proceedings, estate planning alternatives including trusts and wills, and related issues such as elder law, health care directives, powers of attorney, medical assistance, probate and trust administration.
He is a Certified Mediator/Arbitrator by the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Brian J. Taurinskas
Attorney
Brian Taurinskas has been admitted to practice law in the State of Minnesota
since 2004 and the State of Wisconsin since 2010. He attended Hamline
University and earned a degree in Biology in 2001. Brian attended the
University of St. Thomas School of Law as a founding member in 2001 and
received his Juris Doctor upon graduation in 2004.
He is a Certified Real Property Law Specialist, an achievement earned by
fewer than 2% of licensed Minnesota attorneys. This certification program is
administered by the MSBA and approved by the State Board of Legal Certification. He has been selected multiple times to the Super Lawyers’ Minnesota Rising Stars list – a selection of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.