Rodger Riney & family

Early Life

Rodger Riney was born in 1945. He developed an interest in the stock market at a young age, inspired by his grandparents. Riney earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and an MBA from the University of Missouri. During his studies, he gained experience by interning at Edward Jones Investments.

Rise to Success

In 1975, Riney recognized an opportunity in the deregulated brokerage industry. In 1980, he founded Scottsdale Securities in Scottsdale, Arizona. He later opened a second branch in St. Louis in 1981. In 1996, Riney launched Scottrade's website and electronic trading platform, which significantly increased the company's growth. His management style has been described as conservative. In 2017, TD Ameritrade acquired Scottrade.

Key Business Strategies

Riney's success stemmed from identifying an underserved market in the brokerage industry and offering lower commission trades. His introduction of an online trading platform in 1996 was a pivotal move that drove substantial growth for Scottrade.

Philanthropy

After selling Scottrade, Riney donated $131 million to various causes in 2017. He and his wife Paula established the Paula and Rodger Riney Foundation to fund research on multiple myeloma and related cancers. The foundation has provided significant grants to institutions like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to further research on the disease.