Ricardo A. Bentham
Ricardo Bentham has over 18 years of business and finance experience. Ricardo earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Finance from Long Island University. He then set his sights on Wall Street where he held positions at some of corporate America’s most prestigious firms. As a Senior Account Manager at Equitable Capital, Ricardo oversaw special projects for the Mutual Fund Department. He also helped develop and maintain a computerized accounting system for 15 separate mutual funds at Dean Witter Reynolds.
In 1991 Ricardo took over the reigns of Phoenix Business Services which was founded in 1946 by Deleon Bostic. Today, Ricardo is the President and Chief Executive Officer of this full service accounting and business service that specializes in the preparation of taxes, general accounting, bookkeeping, consulting, development & management creation of mortgage loans.
Ricardo lends his financial expertise to the St. Peter Claver School as Treasurer of the Board of Directors, located at 149-18 Jamaica Avenue Queens, NY (K-8th Grade). He also served as member and Founding Treasurer of the Allen Investment Ministry (AIM) for renowned Allen A.M.E. church. He was active in AIM from its inception in 1998 through December of 2002, and during his tenure Ricardo helped secure over $250,000 in investments for AIM. Not only did Ricardo oversee finances for the 12 groups that comprise the investment ministry, he also led monthly seminars to teach members how to select stock, comprehend financial periodicals, track investments, and keep abreast of market fluctuations.
Ricardo realizes that financial empowerment is a key, and he hopes to teach potential investors how to navigate the stock market and gain the most from their investments. It is his desire to transform the residents of his community into business owners, home owners, and informed investors. He strives to build a sense of trust and cooperation between minority owners of small, community-based businesses and their larger corporate counterparts, and to help small businesses tap into the many resources available to them. It is his dream to start a youth investment group.
•