Englewood, Colo., May 10, 2010—  Englewood wealth manager Mark Smith was named 9News Leader of the Year Award finalist.  Smith, principal of M.J. Smith and Associates, was one of six finalists selected from throughout Colorado by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, 9NEWS and the Colorado Leadership Alliance.

Smith was recognized for making a significant contribution to the financial education of the Colorado community.  As a top industry professional, he speaks to national professional audiences about investment planning and asset management, retirement, tax and business planning, and other topics.  He established  scholarships Denver’s Metropolitan State College of Denver and Arapahoe Community College, as well as in his home state of Iowa at the University of Iowa and Iowa Central Community College.  Smith is a member of the board at The Kempe Foundation and a past board member of the Salvation Army. Smith is also chairman of the Colorado Society of CPA’s Education Foundation.

Smith is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, a Personal Financial Planning Specialist, a Certified Investment Management Analyst, and a Certified Public Accountant.  M. J. Smith and Associates offers fee-based asset management services with a comprehensive financial planning approach, which includes income tax planning.  The firm is an independent registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information call 303-768-0007 or visit www.mj-smith.com.  Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.