The Journey of an Entrepreneur
Steve has been a business owner for nearly his entire adult life. During his junior year of college, he made the unconventional decision to step away from formal schooling to help launch a local St. Louis pizza establishment. That initial leap sparked a 20-year career in the food and restaurant industry, leading him to manage and eventually purchase a full-scale gourmet Italian restaurant.
Alongside his wife, Cindy, to whom he has been happily married for nearly 39 years, Steve has experienced the highs and lows of business ownership firsthand, and he understands what it takes to persevere and stay the course. Building businesses and raising five sons at the same time gave Steve an authentic, deeply empathetic understanding of what everyday families go through when facing economic headwinds.
Through all of it, Steve never had anyone giving him real financial guidance. He learned much of it on his own, the hard way, and suffered more negative effects than he should have along the way. That is why Steve enjoys the work he does so much. He wants to help the small business owner and the growing family by having someone in their corner, giving them access to proactive planning and relevant information, and helping to position them for a better chance at success.
From Mortgage Solutions to Comprehensive Advisory
Following the restaurant industry, Steve transitioned into the mortgage business as an independent broker. Working across the hall from a financial services professional, he realized that clients desperately needed integrated guidance that covered both sides of their balance sheet: their liabilities and their assets. Steve went through rigorous licensing, securing his insurance and securities credentials, and spent years utilizing those tools within some of the major companies in the industry.
The Birth of Prestige Financial Group
The true impetus for founding an independent, family-centric St. Louis firm came when Steve’s second-oldest son Angelo graduated from college with a formal degree in Finance and Marketing. Instead of seeing Angelo move out of state to work for a rigid corporate bank, Steve proposed a family plan.
Today, Prestige Financial Group is a multi-generational family operation. Steve works hand-in-hand with his sons, Angelo and Rocco, who are fully dedicated to giving our clients sound financial advice.
The family’s deep-rooted work ethic also extends across other family businesses. Steve’s oldest son, Stevie, is owner-operator of A Cut Above, the family lawn and landscape business, with younger brother Sal managing and youngest brother Vinny quickly becoming a vital part of the business. Steve’s wife, Cindy, heads up Tornatore’s Catering, along with several long-time key employees. When you work with Prestige, you are working with a family that understands the true value of a dollar, the discipline of hard work, and the power of legacy.
