DAVID RAE

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Rarely do we picture an athlete on a Compete Magazine cover in a business suit and tie but passionate cyclist and triathlete David Rae, our 2011 Athlete of the Year, is so much more than just a pretty face (and body!).

Graduating from the University of Redlands with degrees in Business and Musical Theatre, David is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) who holds Series 6, 53, 66, and 7 licenses enabling him to advise clients about life, health, disability and longterm care insurance matters. He joined Trilogy Financial Services in January 2003 and by the next year he was promoted and is now vice president of client services. With most of his clients being gay, David is also a designated financial planning columnist for Echelon Business Magazine, a gay publication for LGBT professionals, and he has also written for the LA Times, The Advocate, Instinct Magazine, IN Magazine, Frontiers and Bottom Line, among others.

Having grown up with an NFL quarterback for a father, David has certainly had lots of exposure to sports and has tried a variety of them over the years, even football. The closest he comes to that sport, however, is his self-designated title as the “financial quarterback” who offers to lead financial teams to their goals. But David is now leading another team, this time as its captain—Team Popular. The sport that has really hooked David is that of cycling. Participating in his first AIDS/Life Cycle (ALC) ride in 2008, he has become a consistent top fund raiser for the event as well as a top-notch recruiter for new ALC riders. On his own he has now recruited over 70 new riders for the annual event. And in 2010 David upped his commitment to ALC and formed Team Popular that boasts over 60 new and veteran cyclists from across the U.S. as well as Australia and South Africa. When asked what he’s most proud of in his life, David’s answer is being team captain of the ALC 2010-2011 ride that had a cumulative fundraising total of $380,000.

Cycling has given David a platform to merge his social, philanthropic and athletic worlds into one. He has taken his love of a sport generally considered to be an individual one and created a team with an atmosphere of fun and a friendly sense of competition that manages to support his love of giving back to the LGBT community. Beyond his role in ALC, David has also helped raise funds for the LA Gay & Lesbian Community Center in other ways, including serving as host for their Poolwatch and Halloweenie events. He has also been actively involved with a variety of other charities around the Los Angeles area. IN Magazine has recognized him as being a major force in the next generation of gay philanthropists due to his work with such additional causes as the Human Rights Campaign and Equality California. Additionally David has been recognized by Registered Rep, a national publication for the financial planning industry, as an Advisor with a Heart award winner at their 31st Annual Altruism Awards.

As if all this weren’t enough, in response to pending drastic and devastating budget cuts in California, he has joined the Ambassadors Council for Aids Project LA to help raise funds to save essential services that often make a life-or-death difference for the project’s clients and those of other AIDS-related charities. To support David and Team Popular, go to facebook.com/groups/169864194335/

We are tremendously proud to award our most prestigious honor, the Fourth Annual Compete Athlete of the Year, to David Rae. We’re certain that he will never stop his good works—our Athlete of the Year just rolls that way!

Fast Facts:

Resides in: Los Angeles, Calif.
Age: Top Secret
Taken or Single: Taken, by partner Ryne Meadors
Favorite athlete: Nolan Ryan, Hall of Fame pitcher
Sport he’d like to try: Marathon
Favorite article of clothing: Team Popular Cycling Kit

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