Before his passing in September 2024, Bernd was the President Emeritus and Founder of Linder Financial Services.

Bernd was born in Leipzig, Germany and immigrated to New York City via Havana, Cuba in 1940. He graduated from CCNY with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1958. Bernd was employed by General Electric for 34 years, mostly at the Lighting Systems plant in Hendersonville, NC. There he managed Quality Operations and also had responsibility for plant compliance with environmental regulations. He gained exposure to the world of finance through his role as Investment Chairman for the local Elfun society (a GE employee professional society). This volunteer activity provided invaluable training by GE Capital which, combined with the opportunity for early retirement, resulted in the formation of Linder Financial Services.

Bernd was married to Toby for over 60 years and they have three daughters and six grandchildren.