Five Questions With: Stephen Grady III, Financial Planning Manager
Stephen Grady III became Palisades Hudson's first financial planning manager in 2017, having joined the firm’s Atlanta office as a financial planning assistant in 2012. In addition to coordinating the firm's financial planning assistants, he is involved throughout our client service practice, including tax preparation, investment and financial planning. Stephen grew up in Yonkers, New York and is a magna cum laude graduate of Mercy College.
1. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve watched recently?
“Lupin,” a Netflix series retelling of the classic French story about Arsène Lupin, the world-famous gentleman thief and master of disguise. I recently made my way through season three and would definitely welcome a fourth season. This series introduced me to the story of Arsène Lupin. I like that he would always seem to be two steps ahead and always had a plan. The show is listed as a thriller, but has a little bit of everything.
photo courtesy Stephen Grady
2. Do you have a talent totally unrelated to your work?
Yes. I come from a musical family. I have a knack for making beats and writing songs. I actually performed a medley of songs that I wrote for my wife at our wedding, which surprised a lot of the guests attending. One song included a lyric mentioning the name of my daughter Ariiyan, who wasn’t even born at the time, so it was pretty cool that I was blessed to bring that to fruition. As life progresses, making music has become more of an aspirational hobby, but I’m working on dedicating more time to it. Both of my kids (ages 3 and 5) are into music, so maybe that will get me back into it.
3. What sports team(s) have your loyalty?
The top sports team that has my loyalty are the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Growing up in New York, I used to catch a lot of flack about that, but I've never been a big fan of giving a team my loyalty just because I live somewhere. Here in Atlanta, a game against the Falcons actually feels a lot like a Steelers game in Pittsburgh, with all of the Steelers fans that live here; I haven’t missed an in-stadium match-up since I moved here in 2012. The Steelers organization has one of the richest histories in the NFL and are one of only two teams to have six Super Bowl wins. My wife married into the fandom and my kids were born into it. I love that my kids, mostly my son, are now into watching the games with me during the season. In terms of basketball, my loyalties lie with the Miami Heat; I identify with their Heat Culture, which is hardworking and blue-collar-like. Dwyane Wade was one of my favorite players when he was in the league.
photo courtesy Stephen Grady
4. What’s something you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Family vacations! We are going on our cruise as a family later this month for some fun in the sun, and we plan on visiting New York in the latter part of the year. The kids are very excited for the cruise, and we are looking forward to showing them what Christmas is like in NYC with all of the window displays, lights, decorations and the huge tree at Rockefeller Center.
5. What’s your favorite thing about your work at Palisades Hudson?
My favorite thing about working at Palisades Hudson is the family-oriented culture that is set from the top. We’ve celebrated babies, birthdays, weddings and other accomplishments together over the years, and there aren't too many firms you can say truly care about those things.
