More about Michael

About Music
I remember that as a little boy I loved “singing” in a duet with my grandmother’s big electric fan. Sliding under and over a fan’s pitch with my voice to create ‘beat tones’ is as fun for me today as it was back then. I have a couple of conclusions about the effect of my early sound activities: The ability to divert attention to the present moment is necessary in order to go through life without becoming a jerk. Secondly, sounds themselves are interesting, funny and beautiful.

I started playing cornet (same fingering as trumpet) in the summer before 3rd grade, in Bath, New York. This region of upstate New York was paradise for a little kid. Summer and winter, I spent most of my time outdoors hiking in nearby woods and hills.

When I was 11 my family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. I continued playing my cornet in school until 8th grade when I got my first electric guitar, and the trumpet was history! My dad hooked up a big radio to be my guitar amp (he was an electrical engineer), and my first tune was the intro to the theme of Secret Agent Man, a popular TV show.  (by P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri, performed by Johnny Rivers)
[audio:secret-agent-man.mp3|titles=Secret Agent Man|artists=by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri-performed by Johnny Rivers]
I forgot how to read music, and just played by ear & with guitar chord charts until college, when I began studying classical guitar. I kept at it, eventually earning my bachelor’s degree, and then my master’s degree in music composition at California State University, Fullerton.

I’ve always been handy with computers and technology, and I made a career in performing music (lots of weddings!) and teaching studio recording at the college level. I was in a delicious rock band called Dynamo Hum for about seven years, and you can still buy our CD on CDBaby.com or on iTunes—although on iTunes almost all of the songs are misnamed!

My playing nowadays often involves improvisation in performance-art collaborations with artists, or a jam with one of my “noise” ensembles.  When I want to meditate, I play a classical guitar arrangement of the prelude from the Suite in G for solo cello by J.S. Bach, which thankfully is still under my fingers after all these years.

[audio:prelude-suite-in-g.mp3|titles=Prelude to Suite in G|artists=by J.S. Bach-performed by Michael Grodsky]

Mostly though, I’ve returned to making noise, like when I used to sing with my grandmother’s fan.

How I learned what kind of financial advisor NOT to be
Once upon a time, before I began working as a financial planner, my wife and I had arranged to meet with a financial advisor from a well-known company. I had a 401(k) account from a previous employer. In nothing flat Shammy rolled over my 401(k) to a variable annuity. As a parting gift I had 7-years’ worth of surrender charges if I came to my senses and wanted out. At the time I didn’t know an annuity from an oddity, and I had believed the advisor had my best interest at heart. She told me that she rode a Harley, which I thought was pretty cool.

At the time I didn’t understand why the annuity thing should have been a big red flag, and here’s why: Annuities are tax-deferred products, but tax deferral alone was of no value because my 401(k) was already tax-deferred. In addition, annuities have additional fees beyond the usual mutual fund expenses. Annuities can be worth the extra fees if the features they provide, such as guaranteed living benefits, are appropriate for your personal circumstances. The positive result was that I realized the kind of advisor I wanted be, namely someone who could select from any appropriate source when making recommendations to fill my clients’ needs.

Here are some of my other websites:

• grodzilla.com
  Gig listings for my occasional solo and ensemble performances.
• simoney.us
  My financial articles.
• michaelgrodsky.com
  Legacy website with film scoring demo reel.
• dogcrime.com
  Once in a blue moon when my head gets too full of the world I write a bit of social/political satire.