Michael Haskett, Founder, Chief Executive Officer at Cornerstone Wealth Advisory Group, a South Carolina native, has always had an interest in Business. His first experience in Financial Services was as a sales agent for ING Financial Corporation. He quickly worked his way up to the position of a supervisor and then Branch Manager. Soon after, an opportunity to work as a Branch Manager for Bankers Life and Casualty Company in Charleston, South Carolina led him to the Lowcountry. However, he still felt as though he was not using his abilities to his full potential, and, at his wife’s encouragement, he decided to move out of the franchise business model, and begin his own organization that would be mutually beneficial to financial advisors and clients. In 2007, he founded the Cornerstone Wealth Advisory Group with the dream of bringing the best retirement products to clients while also providing a competitive job market for his agents.

Mr. Haskett attributes his success to hard work, and to being surrounded by a great team. The success and efficiency of his business results in great team chemistry, where people are valued and empowered. By leading with kindness, compassion, generosity and respect, Mr. Haskett has created a team of industrious, fair-minded people who share his mission of doing the right thing.  Mr. Haskett is pleased with Cornerstone’s growth and wishes to open an additional 20 branches of his business. He hopes to continue to provide opportunities for others to expand in the wealth advisement industry, and in addition, he is training his son who is nearing his college graduation to be the next generation of the business and continue Cornerstone’s legacy.

The Cornerstone Wealth Advisory Group is committed to helping the community through various forms of community service and outreach, in addition to the financial planning services they offer to their clients. It was lauded with the Large Business Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau in 2017 due to its outstanding values. The company has served as a sponsor for Chase After a Cure, a local organization that funds children’s cancer research, donating a total of more than $25,000 and participating in fundraising efforts which brought in additional donations totaling more than $30,000. Cornerstone also donated office space for Chase After a Cure so that they could have a comfortable place to manage their organization.

Mr. Haskett was influenced by his grandfather, an immigrant from Greece who started his own successful company in America. Every year, Cornerstone awards the MG Miserlis Visionary Award, named after Mr. Haskett’s grandfather, to the person at Cornerstone who embodies the example of determination, hard work, innovation, and creativity that his grandfather set. In preparation for his career in business, Mr. Haskett earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and marketing and related support services from Clemson University in South Carolina in 1994. He has shared his knowledge with others by coauthoring  “Baby Boomers Are Demanding More From Their Financial Advisors” as well as having his writing appear in Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune and Money.

In 2018 Mr. Haskett was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in finance and wealth advisement and in 2019 was awarded the Marquis Who’s Who Humanitarian Award.