Palash S. Islam is a founder and investor known for being part of men’s college basketball and the NBA and then starting Synergy Financial Group, LTD. He has gained recognition for his work in finance and investing, contributing to financial services and has been highlighted in various media and publications.

Early Life and Education

Palash S. Islam was born in New York City on October 1976. He attended the University of Washington where he studied at the Foster School of Business and later graduated with a degree in Business Administration. His early interests in basketball and finance led him to pursue a career that spans College Basketball, the NBA and Wealth Management.

Career

Islam began his career working as an undergraduate manager for the University of Washington Men’s Basketball program and then progressed to be a graduate assistant coach.  He was part of two NCAA Tournament teams, including a Sweet 16 finish in 1998.  He was also part of the Seattle SuperSonics Front Office as a Coaches Assistant to Paul Westphal and Nate McMillan.  He left the basketball world after meetings with John Wooden, Pete Newell and Bill Duffy who spoke to him about life in basketball. While at the University of Washington, he provided a few editorial pieces to The Daily and also wrote about the Pac-10 with Chad Ford with SportsTalk.com which ESPN bought and turned into ESPN Insider.

In 2001, he left the SuperSonics and started as a Financial Advisor with MetLife’s Financial Planning division and quickly received various accolades.  He then formed Synergy Financial Group, LTD in October of 2006 to offer independent and objective financial advice.  Over the years, he has contributed to financial services by writing a book in 2011 called ‘The Synergy Way’ and another book in 2024 called ‘The Secrets of Wealth Management for High-Performance Professionals’.  He has been interviewed in various publications about diversity in financial services, “The 6 most effective strategies of advisors — and basketball coaches”, “Wealth Think Diverse staff, diverse clients: Our 20-year multifamily office journey.“, “Advisor to athletes and tech pros drops BD after launching RIA.”, “‘Devil’s in the details’: How advisors pick a custodian“, “IBD Elite 2021: LPL’s hybrid RIA power play“, and “Asian American advisors share hopes for the future after a season of hate“.