First Space Tourist, Founder Of Wilshire Associates

What one factor is most important to success?

Setting goals and never wavering from your determination to see them through.

What do you look for in an employee?

Intelligence, integrity and a passion to continuously better oneself.

What’s the best way to save money?

Set something aside from every paycheck and invest it in a low-risk fund that covers the entire breadth of the market.

What’s the best way to spend money?

To achieve one’s dreams.

What’s your greatest pleasure?

My family, my friends and my business.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Kiss my wife.

How do you deal with stress?

Take a quick vacation to space! On a daily basis, exercise and keeping a positive outlook that each day can be better than the one before.

What one lesson do you hope to pass on to your children?

Be they business related or personal, to set goals and never waver from seeing them through to fruition.

How do you bounce back from adversity?

By remembering that as long as you keep your goals in sight and keep moving toward them, that this too shall pass.

What’s your favorite thing about Queens?

Forest Hills. That’s where I grew up, and where my son, Brad, now lives.

Forest Hills-born Dennis Tito made his millions, and then made history. After leaving NASA as an engineer, Tito headed to Wall Street, where he founded Wilshire Associates, and developed the Wilshire 5000 stock index. (Reportedly, it’s Federal Reserve Chariman Alan Greenspan’s favorite gauge of stock performances.) After cornering that niche of the stock world, Tito set his sights back on space. In 2001, Tito paid approximately $20 million for an 8-day trip aboard a Russian space ship, making him the first civilian to pay for a space trip.