For The People

Dale Bradley is a family man who believes in the power of community, the importance of giving back, and the value of compound interest. As an independent financial advisor and president of Bradley Investment Center, Bradley learned the importance of saving money from his father.

“When I was 14 years old, I earned $2,500 working for my father’s landscape company over the summer. He encouraged me to invest $2,000 of it in an IRA. I didn’t like it at the time,” Bradley laughs. “By the time I was 21, I had made eight $2,000 contributions to my IRA, and I could see the power of compounding. I wanted to do that for others, to educate and encourage people to save.”

And so it was destined that Bradley would pursue a career in financial planning. “I started in 1990 with a very fine firm, Edward Jones Investments, and I stayed for 23 years,” he says. This included almost a decade serving as regional leader of the 40-plus Edward Jones offices around Chicagoland and the North Shore. Then, in April 2013, Bradley decided to hang his own shingle just down the block from the office he had worked for so many years.

“I decided that I wanted to have a larger presence in Evanston, so I bought the building at 3000 Central Street where Bradley Investment Center operates,” he says. For Bradley, it was a given that he would remain in Evanston, the community for which he is clearly passionate.

“I love the people and the fact that Evanston is such a giving place,” he says. “I feel it is important to give back to community, and I can’t think of a better community to give back to than Evanston because how much our community gives to others.”

In fact, Bradley Investment Center has its own head of education and philanthropy, Tracy Marie Bradley, Dale’s wife of 21 years, of whom he is clearly proud. “Over the past several years, we have given—in donations, sponsorships, and time—to more than four dozen charitable organizations in Evanston,” he says. These include Rotary International, SASI, Evanston History Center, Evanston Art Center, and many others. Bradley has also been active in the Evanston Chamber of Commerce since 1990 and will assume the helm as Chamber president in January.

It’s his affable nature and affinity for people that has contributed to Bradley’s success in business over the years. “Unlike many of the large firms, we get to know our clients personally,” he explains. “We serve about 400 households because we are not interested in having thousands of clients. When you call Bradley Investment Center, you get one of two people in person,” says Bradley. That other person is Susan Combs, Bradley’s office manager of 20 years. Like him, she has more than 25 years experience in the financial services industry. “We want to better serve the clients we have and get to know the generations behind them and the generations to come,” adds Bradley.

Speaking of generations to come, Bradley is proud of his two sons, Alec and Connor. His older son Alec is pursuing a finance degree at the University of Wisconsin and will be joining his father as a financial advisor after graduation. His youngest son Connor is a junior in high school at Warren Township High School in Gurnee. Bradley and his wife are looking forward to relocating to Evanston in 2019 after Connor graduates from high school.

“The greatest regular compliment a client can give me is that I’ve helped their family achieve their retirement goals, and in many cases earlier than anticipated,” sums up Bradley. What better reason to give Dale Bradley a call today?

Bradley Investment Center is located at 3000 Central Street in Evanston, 855-940-8700, bradleyinvestmentcenter.com.