After getting his degree in professional accounting and passing the CPA exam, Andrew W. Teiberis spent six or seven years in the employ of a large accounting firm. When he received a job offer from a company he had previously audited, Andy became their Treasurer and Comptroller, spending another half dozen years with them. With a growing reputation for financial integrity and skill, Andy was approached next by the Cleveland Trust Company, which at that time was the largest bank in Ohio and one of the top fifty in the nation. At the Cleveland Trust Company, now known as Key Bank, Andy was in charge of the bank's financial accounting department reporting directly to the bank's Comptroller.

In 1976, a $100M Westlake company came knocking and Andy joined their operation as the Corporate Secretary and Administrative Manager. His duties included advising the parent company's representatives on budgetary matters, working with the U. S. Treasury Department, and traveling to the corporate headquarters in Japan. When the parent company decided to place the management of all operations in Japanese hands, Andy concluded that it was time for him to own his own company and be his own boss.

He purchased a Cleveland Heights accounting practice in 1982. As a West-sider, Andy moved A. W. Teiberis & Company to Westlake in 1990 when his lease in Cleveland Heights was due for renewal. We recently visited with Andy, and listened as he described his company's products and services;

My firm, A. W. Teiberis & Company, CPA's, started out as your usual accounting firm handling the accounting and tax return requirements for small businesses and also individuals. In 1989, due to many requests from my individual tax return clients, I became a licensed series 6 investment broker with Transamerica Financial. I also became licensed in the insurance field which allowed me to sell life insurance, disability and long-term care insurance products.

When I first got started in the investment business, my primary goal was to educate my clients on various investments and how they operate. I instructed them not to invest their hard earned money in an investment that they did not fully understand how it operated, such as mutual funds. I have been very successful in doing just that.

My present broker is Genworth Financial, which is a company set up in 2004 by GE Financial Assurance which was a subsidiary of GE Capital. The group that I am part of is made up of accountants/cpa's. Genworth offers retirement, wealth management, estate tax, and college planning services. With Genworth as a partner, I design strategies for pre-retirement accumulation, post-retirement distribution, pension and profit sharing plans, ownership succession planning, and asset allocation. I do a considerable amount of investment business in IRAs/Roth IRAs also.

Over the years since 1982, I have had working couples retire and then one spouse passes on and the surviving spouse looks to me for guidance in their tax situation and investment management decisions. I therefore feel a great responsibility to have them invested in conservative investment situations. When they were working, I look to growth situations and tell them not to read the financial pages of the newspapers and get concerned if there has been a downturn in the market that particular day. They are in the market for the long term and should keep their eye on that goal. As they approach retirement and when they do retire their investment needs may change to more income producing investments.

This strategy is not different from what any good investment advisor should be doing. It has worked well over the years and I can honestly say that my clients have never called me in a state of panic because of turn in the market.

I use the experience I've gained on the industrial side of business to help owners of small businesses develop solid, long term financial strategies. In tax preparation matters, I'm highly organized and work to teach my clients how organization can make their jobs a lot easier, too. I provide my clients with organizers, up to ten pages of information from their previous year's return, to assist them in preparing for this year's tax preparation. By completing these questionnaires and sending their documentation to me, I can compare their returns to make sure I never miss a qualifying deduction.

I really enjoy what I'm doing and am proud of the services I offer my clients. I strive to not only provide accurate and thorough accounting services, but I'm always available to answer their questions and to help them understand how they can build a financially secure future.

Whether you own a small business or could personally benefit from sound financial advice, A. W. Teiberis & Company utilizes a wealth of experience to help you build or protect your wealth. Call A. W. Teiberis & Company today and don't forget to tell Andy that The Advocate sent you!

Investment and insurance products distributed by Genworth Financial Securities Corp., member NASD/SIPC and a licensed insurance agency (dba Genworth Financial Securities and Insurance Services in CA). Home office at 200 N. Martingale Rd., 7th Fl., Schaumburg, IL 60173; phone (888) 528-2987

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