Michael Falk

Companies: Focus Consulting Group; Mauka Capital, LLC

Areas of Expertise: Investment and retirement planning, asset allocation and portfolio management, strategy consulting, investment philosophy and process consulting, decision-making (behavioral) consulting

Topics Presented in Speeches: “The Economic Impacts of Entitlement Policies & Aging,” “Enough About the Assets, Already!,” “If Only We Could Remember Kindergarten” (restoring trust in financial markets/services), “Psychology, Neurology… How Your Biology Impacts Your Investment Decisions,” “Lies, Damned Lies & Mathematical Forecasting:  Of Optimization and Allocation,” “Behavioral Finance & Neuroscience: Rational Is as Rational Does,” “Is Retirement Past Its Prime? The Economic & Behavioral Realities of Retirement”

Biography:

Michael Falk, CFA, was a partner with the Focus Consulting Group as well as a partner and the chief strategist with Mauka Capital LLC, a global macro limited partnership. He was formerly the CIO in charge of manager due diligence and asset allocation for a multi-billion dollar advisory. His background included extensive asset allocation research and portfolio development expertise along with a multi-faceted understanding of behavioral finance and retirement issues. Falk’s perspective acknowledged that the wisdom of crowds can denigrate into madness at times. Assets should be managed with the serenity to accept the market’s realities; the courage to pursue its opportunities; and the ongoing pursuit of wisdom to understand the difference.

In addition to his consulting work, Falk was part of the CFA Institute’s approved speaker list, a contributing member in the Financial Management Association’s (FMA) practitioner demand-driven academic research initiative (PDDARI) group, the vice chair of the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s Investment Committee and taught for DePaul University in the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Certificate Program as adjunct faculty, as well as on behalf of the CFA Society of Chicago in the Claritas program. He was frequently published and quoted in the financial press. Falk graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S in finance. He held the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC) designations.

His two most recent books are “Get to Work ... on OUR Future” (self-published, 2019) and “Let’s All Learn How to Fish ... to Sustain Long-Term Economic Growth” (CFA Institute Research Foundation, 2016).