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Tony Karam
Interview by: Emily Kestler
Tony was born in Kfarsghab, Lebanon, although his parents moved to the United States when he was 18 months old. The decision to immigrate was simple: Tony’s parents wanted a better life for their family and had relatives in Pennsylvania. After arriving, they settled in Easton, Pennsylvania, where Tony and his wife still reside today.
Growing up, Tony lived a typical childhood; he played basketball and spent time with his older sister and his friends. He always admired “business people” for their successes and how they achieved them. He knew from a young age that he would someday work in the business world and manage his own business.
Tony attended Bloomsburg University, where he studied Finance and Economics. To this day, he has many fond memories of his college years, from the classes to his fraternity brothers and their road trips. He respected those professors who creatively presented classes and the subject material; he continues to appreciate one professor in particular, Dr. Dill, for his teaching style and techniques. |
Upon graduation, Tony took his first position with Ingersoll-Rand as a Production Supervisor. Later he traveled to New York City to work at a consulting firm. Tony always enjoyed learning about the economy. “The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn,” Tony recalls. But his experiences in the corporate and private workplace, although appreciated as learning experiences, secured his dream of managing his own business.
In 1993, Tony and his CPA partnered and opened their own business.
Tony still enjoys the economics of the industry, most especially his ability to analyze the market and explain the information to his clients. He and his partner designed their business to handle all aspects of the industry, including taxes, estate planning and investments- “the whole bowl of wax,” as Tony describes it. Although the company continues to grow, he remains loyal to those first clients he served in 1993.
Tony recently began working with Kestler Financial Group (KFG) due to our relationship with his Broker/Dealer, American Portfolios. This collaboration has made his business flow as smoothly as possible.
As for his personal life, Tony is most proud of his wife, Deborah, and of their four daughters. His daughters have graduated from prestigious universities in and around Pennsylvania. Additionally, he owns land and several homes in Lebanon which once belonged to Tony’s grandfather. They are fortunate enough to have visited Lebanon twice in recent years.
KFG is honored to be working with Tony and looks forward to watching the relationship grow.