2016 Fall Conference Speaker
Dennis Stearns
Dennis Stearns is the President of Stearns Financial, a fee-only investment management, financial and business planning firm with offices in Chapel Hill and Greensboro, and clients around the U.S. and Canada. Dennis is a Certified Financial Planner practitioner and has both undergraduate and master’s degrees in finance. For three consecutive years in 2014, 2015 & 2016, Stearns Financial has been included on the “Financial Times Top 300” Registered Investment Advisors list.
Dennis has been called “one of the leading financial scenario experts and futurists” by the Financial Planning Association. He is considered one of the leading experts on “Super Trends”, how globalization, technology accelerators, the global age wave and urbanization will impact our investments, our financial planning, the economy, our client’s careers and businesses, and our lives in the coming decade. McKinsey has called the current convergence of these trends “10 times faster and 300 times more powerful than the first industrial revolution”. He has been a featured speaker at many regional and national conferences and economic events and regularly leads and participates in think tanks on future trends, financial planning and investment topics, as well as provides “best practices” workshops for financial advisors and planners.
He is regularly quoted or writes articles in major publications including the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Kiplinger Finance, Financial Planning magazine and the Journal of Financial Planning. Dennis is the co-author of CEO Road Rules: Right Focus, Right People, Right Execution. The book was endorsed by entrepreneurs and business leaders, including a “level 5” CEO from Good to Great.
Dennis is Treasurer and chairs strategic planning for the Gateway University Research Park, home of a new state-of-the-art nano-technology center. He is a partner in a technology business accelerator and an advisory board member of the Greensboro Partnership Entrepreneurial Committee.
He is a two time national community service award winner. Dennis is also a former chess expert and member of one of the winningest Pan-American chess teams in U.S. history. Today he coaches an inner city chess club and plays chess with up to 50 people at the same time to raise money for children’s charities.
Dennis has been called “one of the leading financial scenario experts and futurists” by the Financial Planning Association. He is considered one of the leading experts on “Super Trends”, how globalization, technology accelerators, the global age wave and urbanization will impact our investments, our financial planning, the economy, our client’s careers and businesses, and our lives in the coming decade. McKinsey has called the current convergence of these trends “10 times faster and 300 times more powerful than the first industrial revolution”. He has been a featured speaker at many regional and national conferences and economic events and regularly leads and participates in think tanks on future trends, financial planning and investment topics, as well as provides “best practices” workshops for financial advisors and planners.
He is regularly quoted or writes articles in major publications including the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Kiplinger Finance, Financial Planning magazine and the Journal of Financial Planning. Dennis is the co-author of CEO Road Rules: Right Focus, Right People, Right Execution. The book was endorsed by entrepreneurs and business leaders, including a “level 5” CEO from Good to Great.
Dennis is Treasurer and chairs strategic planning for the Gateway University Research Park, home of a new state-of-the-art nano-technology center. He is a partner in a technology business accelerator and an advisory board member of the Greensboro Partnership Entrepreneurial Committee.
He is a two time national community service award winner. Dennis is also a former chess expert and member of one of the winningest Pan-American chess teams in U.S. history. Today he coaches an inner city chess club and plays chess with up to 50 people at the same time to raise money for children’s charities.