Michael Velazquez
Senior Partner, CPA/PFS, CFP®, MSP, CGMA
Mike is a seasoned financial professional with several decades of experience as a CPA, financial planner and business consultant. Clients include business owners and professionals in the health care, legal and entertainment industries. As a Managing Principal of Bridge Advisory, Mike directs and coordinates teams providing collaborative advice to clients with significant financial complexity.
Mike has a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Miami; he conducted post-graduate work in Accounting at Inter-American University and obtained a Master’s Degree in Psychology (MSP) to better understand the subtleties of his clients’ emotions and how they impact financial decisions. Mike started giving wealth management advice as an outgrowth of his tax practice in 2001. That same year, he earned the designation of Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) and later obtained the Certified Financial Planner credential (CFP®).
In his early career, Mike has worked for companies such as Arthur Andersen & Co, Chase Manhattan Bank, and MCA Inc. until starting his own practice, Velazquez & Associates in 1992. In 2010, Velazquez & Associates merged with Sadd Higashi Shammaa, AC and became SVHS, LLP, where Mike served as a Senior Partner, a position he continues to hold at The Accountancy, LLP which SVHS rebranded to in 2017.
Mike has participated in a number of radio, TV and internet programs — Bloomberg, CNBC, and several Southern California TV stations, being interviewed on tax and financial matters. He has conducted numerous seminars and webinars, most recently for the US Department of Labor on retirement planning. He has written numerous articles that have appeared in trade and business journals, including the Journal of Accountancy.
Mike is passionate about financial education. He has served on the California Financial Literacy Committee, as a member of the AICPA, and the California Society of CPAs. Mike has also served as an officer or board member for several non-profits. He recently served on the Executive Committee for Personal Financial Planning of the AICPA.
In his spare time, Mike loves to play golf, read and spend time with his family.