Men To Watch Awards 2026 honors Anthony G. Stradford

Anthony G. Stradford is a retired United States Marine Corps Master Sergeant, financial educator, author, and the founder of Foundation First — a mission built on a single conviction: that every family, given the right knowledge and a clear plan, can protect what they have built and turn it into a legacy that outlasts them.

Anthony’s authority is earned, not borrowed. Over twenty years of active-duty service in the Marine Corps, followed by a decade of federal civil service, he learned firsthand how families win or lose their financial footing — and how rarely anyone teaches them the difference. That experience became the Foundation First method: a four-layer approach that builds a financial life the way a house is built, from the foundation up — Protection, Preparation, Peace, and Prosperity, in that order. Most people, he teaches, build backward, chasing the roof before they pour the foundation. Foundation First exists to change that.

His credentials reflect a life of disciplined preparation: an MBA, the Certified College Planning Specialist designation, the Crown Financial Advisor credential, and

appointment as a VA-Accredited Veterans Service Officer. He completed the Certified Financial Planner Board education requirements and an executive certificate through Old Dominion University’s Strome School of Business, and he teaches the Certified Financial Planner capstone course at the college level — training the next generation of planners.

Through his publishing imprints, Anthony writes practical guides for the people he most wants to reach: federal employees navigating an uncertain workforce, educators, veterans, medical professionals, and high-earning individuals determined to turn success into lasting legacy. As a speaker and educator, he brings the same clarity to agencies, schools, faith communities, and organizations across the country.

A father of three daughters and grandfather of five granddaughters, Anthony measures his work by a standard older than any credential — Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” It is the reason behind everything he builds, and the promise behind his guiding words: where knowledge becomes legacy.