Brian D. Johnson grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a family that strongly believed in faith, hard work, and common sense. Brian was influenced greatly by his paternal grandfather, Mr. Johnson, who taught Brian to always work hard, take care of the family, and to be financially independent. Mr. Johnson began to bring copies of Putman Mutual Fund prospectuses for Brian to read when he was a child, and he became intrigued. His zeal for learning and curiosity about money and finance set him on a journey to success. Brian wanted to learn all he could about personal finance, money, and wealth: How to attain it, grow it, and pass it on to future generations.

In 2000, at the age of 19, this journey led him to a position at the Chicago office of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (now Morgan Stanley), a premier global financial services firm. He excelled and gained an abundance of investment knowledge. In 2002, Brian was recruited by Wachovia Securities (now Wells Fargo Advisors) to work in their Chicago-based Regional Compliance Department. Brian has acquired over 15 years of retail brokerage, compliance, and investment banking experience. His determination and discipline to be financially independent took Brian from living with his mother and siblings at the Wentworth Gardens Homes, a mixed-income housing community, to moving into a condominium purchased in 2003. He purchased the condominium when he was 22 years old (prior to obtaining his first post-secondary degree). Brian transformed his personal financial life by using the financial principles and concepts learned over the years. Brian is driven by what he describes as his responsibility to promote financial change: one portfolio, one person, and one community at a time.

It is to this end the CommonWealth Initiative ("CWI"), a financial services company, was founded in 2012 (www.CWIMoney.com). Brian received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management from Loyola University Chicago; and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Paralegal Studies from the Loyola University Chicago's Institute for Paralegal Studies. Brian is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society.