Finance Arts, Inc, was founded in 2000 by David Gray. The company initially straddled both investment compliance and nonprofit finances. Following the shock of 9/11 the focus of Finance Arts shifted toward the nonprofit world where it seemed the most benefit to a troubled world might be realized.
David Gray, CFP®, President, Finance Arts, Inc.
David Gray was raised in Princeton, NJ and received a B.A. in Humanistic
Studies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Following graduation he
moved to New York and worked in the Publicity Department of Doubleday Publishing
where he arranged media appearances for authors as diverse as Thor Heyerdahl,
David Niven and Judith Jamison. In order to pursue his own writing career he
left publishing and took a job as a bartender at Joe Allen’s while writing plays
and short stories. He was a founding member of the Catalyst Theatre Company
which showcased two of his plays in New York.
Gray then fell into an entry level position in the Press Office of New York City Ballet and soon became Press Director. He also met and married New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Kyra Nichols. Following the successes of NYCB’s new production of The Sleeping Beauty, the inauguration of The Diamond Project, and the anniversary extravaganza of the Balanchine Celebration, Gray left New York City Ballet to continue his writing career. He wrote articles for Playbill and Dance Magazine and was the ghost-writer of a children’s novel (part of a well-known series of mystery books). He also took two years away from work to be "Mr. Mom."
David Gray turned his hobby of investing and finance into a career. He completed the two-year Certified Financial Planner education program through the College for Financial Planning and passed the comprehensive exam and is now a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) . His financial planning career began with American Express Financial Advisors. He then became a supervisor with Washington Square Securities. Gray trained financial advisors and provided compliance services in the financial services industry and prepared business plans for both for-profit and non-profit clients.
In the fall of 2001 Gray took on the role of Executive Director for a mid-sized Arts organization that had been a consulting client. The organization, with three locations, an annual budget of over $3,000,000 and more than 100 employees needed drastic changes to survive the post 9/11 funding crisis in the Arts. In two years debt was drastically reduced, a new administrative team was hired, personnel policies were created along with a strategic plan. Following this organizational stabilization Gray returned to consulting through his firm, Finance Arts, Inc.
David Gray is a Board member of ArtPrideNJ, DanceNJ, The Patriots Theater Foundation and is Chair of the Board of New York’s Moving Arts Project.
David and his wife Kyra live in Princeton where they are raising their two sons, Joe and Cameron.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and federally registered CFP (with flame logo), which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.