About Protected Investors of America
Financial Advisors and Professionals
Who we are today
PIA financial professionals focus on YOU.
serving your best interest is their first priority.
Our advisors and financial professionals [CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professionals, CFAs, financial advisors, and asset managers] are qualified, experienced, licensed with FINRA, and registered with the SEC.
To meet your unique and changing financial needs, they provide:
Portfolio consultation
Planning
Advice
Asset management
And, personalized solutions
They are there for you. They consider cost and emphasize quality and return on investment. Each financial professional at PIA comes with their own story and list of experiences. Learn more at on our “Financial Professionals” page.
Their mission is to help you preserve your wealth, build your prosperity and secure your financial future.
Our History
1897
Protected Investors of America’s founder, Churchill C. Peters, was born in Seattle in 1897. When he turned 18, he moved across the country to attend Yale. Churchill joined the First World War and became 2nd Lieutenant under, then, Col. George Patton and served as a tank officer. After his service, he returned to Yale, he graduated in 1920.
1934
On November 4th, 1934, Churchill Peters, Earl Dove, Donald Fuller and David Sanders each put $1,000 (now equivalent to $18,000) and incorporated Protected Investors of America. Two days later Churchill was elected President at the first Board meeting. Churchill introduced a new investment concept, “personalized financial planning”. The country was still in the Great Depression and wouldn’t start to recover until the late 1930’s. People were frightened to invest, but Churchill had faith that the United States would recover. His core idea was to combine life insurance for immediate financial needs, but also to invest in the stock market for your future benefit.
The first office was in the Kohl Building on Montgomery St. at California Street. This was the same year that the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) was formed and 2 ½ years before the Golden Gate Bridge opened.
1937
In January 1937, Molly Peterson joined the firm as Churchill’s secretary. She will play a key role in the future of PIA.
In November of 1937, PIA moved into the Russ Building in San Francisco.
1940
General Patton asked Churchill back for WWII but he was too old for a field command so he managed a facility that made powdered magnesium for night flares to light the battle field. Those factories were very dangerous because they were prone to explode. Luckily Churchill’s did not explode. Molly Peterson ran the firm in Church’s absence.
1953 - 1959
Board meetings were suspended during this time due to lack of activity in the industry.
1972
Rear Admiral James Grealish joined the firm and remained active until his death in 2013 at the age of 93.
1979
Molly Peterson resigns in October after 41 years of service.
2016
Protected Investors of America joined Cambridge Investment Research as a Super OSJ (Super Office Supervisory Jurisdiction). By utilizing Cambridge's broker-dealer services, PIA advisors were able to continue their vision of offering client focused services in an increasingly regulated and complex industry.
PIA has weathered; 18 bear markets, 84 acts of terror, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and The War on Terror.
2020
We currently have advisors and financial professionals located in California and Arizona who service clients in over 28 states.
Learn more about PIA, Cambridge Investment Research and the financial institutes they currently partner with on our "OSJ Services" tab.
