Bradley J. Rathe, AIF®

Chief Investment Officer
773-917-6500 ext. 244

"It takes a unique person to be able to handle the pressures of the market and still be able to make sound decisions."

Investment Management – 25+ years
Real Estate Business Owner – 25+ years
Business owner – 10+ years

As Chief Investment Officer, Brad brings 25+ years of experience to SFG. Brad leads all investment strategy and managerial functions for the wealth management division, focusing on helping clients accomplish their investment goals. He leads SFG’s Investment Committee on risk management and asset allocation discussions and is also responsible for the implementation of the tactical and strategic trading decisions. Brad brings a deep and wide range of experience in research and practical investment experience, the perfect mix to lead the investment strategy of StrategIQ Financial Group. Brad does his due diligence on the most complex investment issues and interprets them clearly and concisely for our clients and partners. Brad has helped establish a set of risk-based model portfolios for the firm that are regularly reviewed and tactically managed.  

Brad graduated from Iowa State University with his Bachelor of Science in Business. He started his career on the trading floors in Chicago, advancing to various executive-level positions at several hedge funds around the world. Over the past 25 years, he has coordinated the start-up of three separate hedge funds and also initiated a Commodity Fund-of-Funds. Brad began at EMC Capital Management (Originally Turtle) where he was a trader/researcher, and was then the Research Director for Rotella Capital Management (1.5 Billion CTA) where he was also on the Executive Management Team. He performed a full turnaround for FTC Capital, an Austrian/Bahamian based CTA, and formed a Commodity Fund-of-Funds called Poplar Jackson where he allocated assets to various commodity CTA strategies on behalf of a Family Office. Brad has implemented asset allocation strategies for high net worth families. Throughout his career, he has grown hedge funds by concentrating on developing strategies with exceptional risk management that have resulted in excellent risk-adjusted performance. Brad earned the AIF® (Accredited Investment Fiduciary®) in 2018. Attainment of the AIF® designation demonstrates an understanding of the Prudent Practices® and methodology, and signifies specialized knowledge of fiduciary responsibility and the ability to implement policies and procedures that meet a defined standard of care for clients. 

Brad believes in the importance of community involvement, and volunteers his time serving on numerous boards. He enjoys being active, reading, traveling, and solving problems with technological solutions. Brad is happily married and has four children, three sons and one daughter. 

Brad's Qualifications

  • Education
    • Bachelor of Science in Business, Iowa State University, 1990
  • Published works
    • Worth Magazine, October-November 2014, “How can I modify a concentrated position and help lower my risk?”
    • Worth Magazine, April-May 2015, “Does the traditional ‘glide path’ retirement formula still work?”
    • Worth Magazine, August-September 2015, “Psychology of Money”
    • Worth Magazine, August-September 2016, “If risk is inevitable, what can I do to manage it?”
    • Worth Magazine, December-January 2017, “Should I adopt a ‘buyer-beware’ approach to selecting an investment advisor?”
  • Professional designation
    • Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®)