Michael grew up in Needham, Massachusetts, and knew from an early age that he wanted to be an investor. In third grade, he mischievously scratched the word “Spanish” off his school notebook and replaced it with “Investments”—the first page featured his explanation of how mutual funds work.
He began his career in financial services while still in high school, spending weekends and school breaks working at a local bank to help fund his college education. Michael graduated summa cum laude from Bentley University with a dual major in Finance and Liberal Studies and a minor in Economics, supplemented by coursework at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Following a summer internship at Harvard Management Company (HMC)—the firm responsible for managing Harvard University’s $50+ billion endowment—Michael joined HMC full-time as part of the financial derivatives group, building a strong foundation in quantitative finance.
Drawing on that experience, he later founded Pine Knot Capital Management, a public equity focused investment partnership rooted in a deep value philosophy. During this time, he also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Michael joined Heritage in 2014, where he designed and implemented a strategic asset allocation framework tailored to a broad range of portfolio goals. He also built a sophisticated portfolio management system and played a key role in expanding private investment opportunities for ultra-high-net-worth clients. While at Heritage, Michael obtained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification.
A lifelong learner, Michael has read biographies of every U.S. President from Washington to Obama—along with key historical figures—deepening his understanding of political and geopolitical risks in the global financial landscape.
Michael lives in Medfield, Massachusetts with his wife, Vasilina, and their daughter, Vanessa. While he still doesn’t speak Spanish, Vanessa has already been immersed in four foreign languages, including Spanish.