He Grew Up in the Shadow of the ‘Wolf of Wall Street.' Then He Got Into Debt Settlement.

In the early 1980s, a teenager named Jordan Belfort, later known as the Wolf of Wall Street, befriended another teen named Stephen Drescher. Both had a drive for entrepreneurialism, which later turned into a drive for deception. Belfort created a pump-and-dump stock-scam empire, eventually leading to fraud charges and his downfall. Drescher, similarly involved in securities fraud, ended up in prison. Drescher’s stepson, Ryan Sasson, now heads Strategic Financial Solutions, a debt settlement company that has gained recognition for its growth and philanthropy. The company helps consumers negotiate down credit card debt and claims to have saved clients $1 billion in the past three years.