While some kids spent their summer days reading comic books or playing ball with friends, Michael Hakerem was reading about the S&P 500. To say finance was a hobby would be an understatement. Michael set his sights on a career in finance at an early age, but it was not a straight path to success. Through some unforeseen obstacles and challenges, Michael leveraged his personal and diverse social network as well as his experiences growing up to prevail. Be sure to listen to Michael’s journey from sweeping up cigarette butts at Busch Gardens to launching his own investment firm. You can follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhakerem. Have a compelling story about your journey to earning the CFA charter? We want to hear from you! Contact us at podcast@cfainstitute.org so we can explore telling your story on a future My Charter Story episode.