Lawrence
Funderburke

Lawrence grew up in a single-parent home with three older sisters in Central Ohio’s most dangerous housing project, Sullivant Gardens. The landscape of his impoverished upbringing back then is the same today – drug and alcohol addiction, unresolved rage and senseless acts of violence, gang activity, educational neglect, stressed-out bodies, and most tragically, a hopeless spirit that tomorrow won’t be any better (or brighter) than today. How did Lawrence escape this harsh terrain while most of his childhood peers got tripped up by life’s distractions? He focused on the three B’s, which provided him with peace in the midst of economic distress and a chaotic living environment: the bible, books, and basketball.

A three-time All Big Ten performer and magna cum laude graduate in Business Finance at The Ohio State University, Lawrence was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1994 NBA draft. He played professional basketball for eleven years from 1994 to 2005, with eight in the NBA and three overseas.

In 2007 Lawrence completed his Master’s in Business Administration (3.75 GPA) from the University of Phoenix, as well as executive education programs in risk management of various investment areas at Stanford and Columbia, respectively. He successfully completed the educational requirements for The Accelerated Certified Financial Planner Program at Ohio State in 2008 and passed the grueling Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam in March of 2009. He credits much of his passion for financial wellness to John E. Sestina, a personal mentor and the godfather of fee-only comprehensive financial planning. Lawrence is a member of the Financial Planning Association.

An accomplished author of three books and a highly sought after public speaker on a variety of topics, Lawrence’s inspirational story is a testament to his Christian faith and never-give-up mentality in the face of a difficult and dysfunctional childhood. He and his wife Monya operate Funderburke Institute of Financial Empowerment (FIFE) and their nonprofit arm, the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization (LFYO). They have two children.