Derek R. Marquis created Life Skills Playbook, a mentoring program for professional and college athletes. This was created after seeing firsthand the way the system fails athletes by not preparing them for sustainable careers after their sporting career ends. Derek utilizes his expertise to help professional and collegiate athletes realize their dreams both on and off the field through his 30 plus years of experience in the finance industry and sports involvement. Through Life Skills Playbook, Derek teaches athletes to make responsible and informed life decisions early on in their careers. Believing that “the choices you make today can affect your future forever,” Derek instills in these athletes the mentality that they can make smart choices off the field and lead productive, respectable lives after they retire from their respective sports.

Honesty and integrity guide Derek’s actions, and he offers a transparent financial planning process to athletes. Their interests are his top priority. By creating a customized written investment plan for athletes that he helps them implement, their goals are realized. But athletes working with Derek get much more than financial advice. They receive career counseling, guidance on making smart life choices, and Derek’s unwavering support. Creating meaningful relationships lies at the core of what he does.  Clients working with Derek trust that he wants them to enjoy their life today, but appreciate that he is preparing them for a prosperous future tomorrow.

Having played high school baseball and coached youth sports for nearly 20 years, Derek enjoys mentoring athletes and seeks out opportunities to volunteer his time with organizations dedicated to this cause. He is currently the career educational mentor for Newbury Park High School, a California Partnership Academy. In January of 2010, Derek was selected to give wealth management seminars to the top 100 college football players at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. While serving as a board member for Positive Alternatives for Youth (PAY), a non-profit organization in Southern California, he spoke regularly as part of their goals models program guiding kids to set goals and make responsible life choices.

A Certified Financial Planner, Derek has worked with publicly traded companies, high net worth individuals, and professional athletes. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business, real estate/finance from California State University, Northridge.