Ron Sadoff had a really good third quarter. The founder of Sadoff Investment Management has spent decades helping individuals manage their financial assets. His personal investments include the lives of children at the Milwaukee College Preparatory School.

This summer he reaped the benefits of his labor.

In July, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction honored the school as the "New Wisconsin School of Promise" for reading and math. In August, the prestigious financial magazine, Barron’s, named him one of America’s top 100 independent financial advisers out of 4,000 candidates nationwide. He is the only one on the list from Wisconsin. Sadoff is hard pressed to say which honor thrills him most.

His Fox Point office, shared with his two sons, Bryan and Michael, manages about $400 million for their clients. In the reception area, a neon sculpture shoots up one wall and a life-size soft sculpture of a serious man in a pin-striped suit sits in a chair. The walls of his private office display large, brightly colored paintings of sporting events and children, including one of a classroom full of students at MCPS. "A few years ago, I decided I needed a hobby that wasn’t dependent on the weather or a buddy, so I took up painting," he says. Sadoff may be self-taught, but he is not amateurish.

Exactly what does an independent financial adviser do? "We provide financial advice with no conflict of interest because we do not sell products," says Sadoff. "We get the whole, personal picture from the client, then help them plan their objective and how to achieve that objective through a number of financial instruments. In our case, we’re conservative in style."

Some years ago, Sadoff and his wife, Micky, former national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, were watching "60 Minutes" and learned about Chicago educator Marva Collins. Sadoff picked up the phone, called Collins and said, "Let’s do this in Milwaukee." The results are astounding.

Sounding like a financial adviser, he says the school asks kids first, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" and second, "How are you going to get there?" The school has not been affiliated with Collins for several years, but her basic concepts are still used.

Like a proud grandpa, Sadoff recites the achievements of the school and its children. The Metcalf area school, located at 2449 N. 36th St., is affectionately dubbed "The Miracle on 36th Street." "Our kids in 4-year-old kindergarten begin to read by spring. Our third-graders can read Shakespeare and Dickens. The attendance rate is 95 percent, 99 percent go to high school and 66 percent of the alums are attending college this year," he says. "We’re developing a system to track these kids well beyond college."

MCPS is a charter school; 85 percent of its funding comes from the state. The rest is raised through private donations. Sadoff credits the school’s success to Principal Robert Rauh. Rauh and the dedicated teachers he hires do not consider the day done because the bell rings. "We hug and encourage at MCPS," he says. "Teachers follow up on the kids at night and weekends. They will take them to get a haircut or visit them in the hospital."

Think that MCPS achieves by choosing superior children? Think again. "We get our students from a pool of applicants by pulling names out of a hat," says Sadoff. "If you encourage and love kids they’ll learn to the best of their ability."