OUR STORY
My name is Mike Davidoff. I am a patient, thoughtful and empathetic human being who deeply values relationships, lifelong learning, and personal growth. I am a father, a husband, a dog owner, a Jets fan, a writer, a cancer survivor and many other identities depending on who you are in my life.
At age 48, I decided it was time to stop ignoring my lifelong dream of opening my own wealth advisory practice.
I wrote about this vision in my mid-20's for my business school applications, and the desire to take this personal leap has grown in intensity over time. I strongly believe that all of us collective consumers (including me) are yearning for honest, compassionate and useful financial education and advice from the financial services industry. That is my mission.
I fell in love with the craft of investing when I was a teenager. I stumbled upon Louis Rukeyser's "Wall Street Week" and started consuming books as fast as I could that were written by investment gurus like Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch. It was at this time that I decided to pursue a career in investing. I am proud to say that I have had a very rewarding twenty-five year career as an investment professional.
A funny thing happened on my way to mid-life. Around age 40, a lot of life started to happen. My kids were growing up. We experienced some significant family tragedies. The gray hairs were rapidly securing real estate on my thinning hairline. While my equity analyst career was going well, I felt like something was missing. There had to be a more direct and impactful use of my talents, knowledge and passions to help others in a way that also served my desire for personal growth.
This emotional tug began a multi-year journey that has led to the formation of MND Wealth Management. The mission of the business is to provide high quality, thoughtful, easy to understand and useful financial guidance and advice that helps people feel more empowered and confident in their own financial lives. We will accomplish this through our one-on-one financial planning and investment practice as well as broader education efforts through writing, teaching, speaking, mentoring and pro bono initiatives.
EDUCATION
I am a proud liberal arts graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). I am an active mentor for both liberal arts and business students at my alma mater, which is four miles down the street from my home. I graduated with a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a major in finance and minor in accounting. Booth was an incredible place to study finance and investments, and I was lucky enough to take two classes taught by Nobel Prize winners.
ln my early 20's, I pursued and obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification, which is the gold standard of certified tests for investment professionals. The countless and grueling Saturday and Sunday mornings I spent studying at Border's bookstore in Lincoln Park, Chicago did not make my newlywed wife very happy.
Most recently, I became a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®). I am proud to have completed this challenging curriculum while boosting my knowledge around comprehensive financial planning. I wanted to be able to look my clients in the eye with the conviction and confidence that the rigor of the CFP® program provided me.
EXPERIENCE
I started my investing career as an associate with a team of financial advisors at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., a respected thought leader in the money management field. As much as I enjoyed working with individuals and families, my deeper interest at the time was to pursue a career as an equity research analyst. This role was a great fit for my passions for deep analytical work, writing and teaching.
This led to a rewarding and fulfilling fifteen-year stretch as an equity research analyst that included:
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Ariel Investments, Chicago, analyst covering small and mid cap value stocks;
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Sidoti & Company, New York, analyst covering micro and small cap medical device stocks;
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THB Asset Management, New Jersey, analyst covering micro and small cap healthcare, consumer and defense sector stocks;
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Wells Capital Management, Indianapolis, analyst covering all cap US and International growth stocks across multiple sectors.
During the latter stages of my analyst career, I became eager to return to working with individuals and families, which I did as a Portfolio Manager at Bank of Ann Arbor.
In 2023, I launched MND Wealth Management.
MORE ABOUT ME
What life lessons did you learn from being a young adult cancer survivor?
Life is short, and we are each here to make a positive impact on the world in our own unique way. I am an active member of cancer support organizations, and I wrote THIS BLOG about my own cancer journey.
If you were not a financial planner, what would you do for a living?
That's an easy one. I would teach high school economics classes in the morning and coach the junior varsity basketball team after school. Finance, basketball and helping kids - that's a good life.
Who is your friend in the picture and is that her boat?
That is my best non-human friend, Annie. She is ten pounds of fluff and belly rubs. No, that is not Annie's boat. The picture is from a family trip to Saugatuck, a charming lake town on the west side of Michigan.
