The second of three children and the only son of Fay and Lewis Levinson, Steven was born in Brighton Beach in 1947. After earning an undergraduate degree at Hunter College, he went on to earn a MS in Economics from Brooklyn College.

Steven came relatively late to his financial services career. After receiving an honorable discharge for military service during the Vietnam War, he taught emotionally and developmentally challenged students in the New York City public schools system. Later he was an estimator at Fischbach & Moore, his father-in-law's highly successful electrical contracting business. In a chance encounter with a friend working on Wall Street, Steven was told he would be terrific in "the business." At the friend's encouragement, Steven changed directions and secured a position with Oppenheimer & Co. in 1977. He was 30 years old. Within four years he was made Partner and within nine years he was Global Head of Equities. Subsequently, Steven held senior positions at Gruntal & Co., Spear, Leeds & Kellogg, and Goldman Sachs before founding SJLS with sons Matthew and Ethan.

A skilled salesman and educator, Steven was a natural mentor who freely shared his prodigious gifts with others throughout his life. His unflagging generosity of spirit, dedicated allegiance to respecting the essential humanity of others, and steadfast commitment to his principles earned him the respect and devotion of all whom he touched, and live on in the firm that bears his name.