Meet ED Dudley of SEM Wealth Management

Today we’d like to introduce you to ED Dudley.

Hi ED, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was proudly born and raised in the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, MA., where my parents instilled in me at an early age the value of hard work and determination.

Before venturing out into the entrepreneurial field, I spent over 20 years in the financial services arena and had the pleasure of working for some of the largest financial services companies in the country in various positions such as Regional Vice President for Evergreen Investments, Senior Vice President for Wells Fargo Advisors and Senior Vice President for a subsidiary of AIG.

After a very successful career in corporate America and after much prayer, the trepidation I ventured out into the entrepreneurial arena. I’ve experienced the highs, the lows, the sleepless nights, and seemingly never-ending hours of the entrepreneurial journey. I can be described as a servant leader because I strive to live a life of servitude. One of my favorite bible quotes is “give and it shall be given unto you” because I believe that through servitude we can not only assist others in realizing their dreams, but we will eventually realize our own.

I’m currently very active in the community by serving on several nonprofit boards such as Board Vice President of SwingPals, Interim Board Chair/Executive Committee for United Against Slavery, Co-Founder/Steering Committee Member of 100 Men Who Give A Damn, Board member of Helius and Co-Founder of Shining Light In Darkness. I also spend a considerable amount of time working with and mentoring youth within the community.

One of my greatest gifts is my ability to network, connect with people and then in turn connect individuals to other people, resources, and opportunities. I spend a considerable amount of my time traveling around connecting with people in order to find ways to serve them. It is my desire to see everyone Connect-ED because, at the end of the day, We Are Connect-ED.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth road? What’s that? This road has been one full of potholes, speed bumps, detours, and even a couple of wrecks.

When I ventured out on my own, I just assumed that it was going to be a piece of cake after I experienced success in the corporate sector. I didn’t fully comprehend the sleepless nights, non-stop hours, and the fear that I would face during this journey. On many days I seconded guessed myself and thought about giving up and going back to the illusion of comfort and stability of a 9-5.

However, it’s through obstacles you can truly find out what you’re made of, and because of these challenges, I learned that I’m more resilient than I gave myself credit for.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about SEM Wealth Management?
Beyond some of my entrepreneurial endeavors, I am a Senior Consultant and Financial Advisor with SEM Wealth Management.

SEM Wealth Management is a financial services firm where our approach to the financial markets utilizes technical analysis to develop computer-driven investment models. These proprietary models, developed through extensive back-testing, have guided SEM’s investment approach since its formation.

As a financial advisor, you can call me a biblically-based advisor where I focus on Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI), which separates me from many in the financial advising space. Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) is a biblical approach to investing where Christians align their investment decisions with their Christian values. BRI considers the investor’s financial return while seeking to glorify God through the investment process.

I’m most proud that our firm believes there shouldn’t be any separation between our spiritual life and business life, which is why we started The Cornerstone Portfolios — our Biblically Responsible Investments.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I thoroughly enjoy living in the Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill due to its immense diversity and access to cultural facilities like the Durham Performing Arts Center, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, and the North Carolina Symphony.

The area has become sort of a Silicon Valley east with all the emerging and big tech companies nestled throughout the area. Also, being a sports fan and having UNC-Chapel, Duke & NC State a short drive away makes this area a little slice of heaven for me.

Like most growing areas what I like least about the area is the traffic that the area wasn’t ready for. But I’d still take the Triangle area over Atlanta, Miami, and Boston which I have lived in at one point in time.

Contact Info:

• Email: edudley@semwealth.com
• Website: www.semwealthmanagement.