Certified financial planner Wes Moss offers financial and accessible investment advice to Atlanta Bargain Hunter readers. Moss brings a wealth of experience rooted in his early days as a business owner and expanded through an impressive professional pedigree.

Moss didn’t wait until he grew up to pursue his passion.

Before his driver’s license was warm in his wallet, Moss launched his first business. It was called Circle Experiences, a heady title for a summer day camp started and operated by Moss while he was still a high school teenager in rural Pennsylvania.

It started rather ambitiously: He first mailed surveys to a couple hundred neighbors, asking if they would be interested in his summer camp. When they said yes, he charged $3 an hour for as many as a dozen kids ranging from 7 to 12 years old. They played kickball, worked on arts & crafts and for six weeks enjoyed what could have otherwise been a nondescript summer.

A savvy entrepreneur was on his way to becoming one of the country’s foremost investment authorities. That venture was followed by Color Works Collegiate Painters, the residential painting service he owned while he studied economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since then, Moss has worked at Prudential Securities and has been vice president at UBS Financial Planning. He has numerous national television appearances.

Today, Moss is a certified financial planner practitioner and is the chief investment strategist at Capital Investment Advisors. He is the author of two books — “Make More, Worry Less” and “Starting From Scratch: Secrets From 21 Ordinary People Who Made The Entrepreneurial Leap.”

The radio host of “Money Matters” on AM 750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB, Moss provides a weekly guest column for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog, emphasizing financial literacy and accessible investment strategies.

“Ninety-five percent of people who have retired successfully are ordinary people doing the basics right,” said Moss. “They’ve saved 15 percent of their paycheck every year. They didn’t buy a house that was too big for them. They stayed at one job for a long period of time instead of moving all around. They’ve done the basic, fundamental stuff that has allowed them to retire successfully.

“It’s not flashiness that gets you to successful retirement.”

Moss was put on the national map when he starred during the second season of Donald Trump’s reality television series, “The Apprentice.” But his background is more than entertainment. His certified financial planning practice is among the state’s top fee-only firms.

The married father of two uses his breadth of financial experience to help you build yours. Check out his tips and advice here every Monday.

(You should consult a financial professional for specific advice concerning your situation. Investing involves risk including the possibility of loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee against investment loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.)