Michael Molnar Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

San Diego , Ca, Us

Home to more than 12,000 financial professionals and their teams, Cetera oversees more than $475 billion in assets under administration and $190 billion in assets under management, as of December 31, 2023.

Dallas, Texas, Us

BACKGROUND: Avantax is a publicly-traded wealth manager with ~$750 million in revenue (ticker: AVTA). There are two operating segments: Avantax Wealth Management (our independent broker-dealer model) and Avantax Planning Partners (our employee-focused RIA model). ROLE: As an SVP in finance, I sit on the finance leadership team (FLT) as well as the senior leadership team (SLT) of the wealth management business. For the employee-based RIA segment, I lead our M&A team. For the independent broker-dealer segment, I lead our succession planning team.HIGHLIGHTS: Avantax bought and integrated HKFS which became our employee-based RIA. Then, we sourced and executed on more than 20 deals to more than 2x the size of that business. We also sold TaxAct for $700 million, bought back nearly 20% of the outstanding shares (~$200 million) and materially improved operations for the streamlined company. In 2023, Avantax agreed to go private in a $1.2 billion, or $26/share, all-cash deal (the stock had a market cap of ~$500 to $600 million, or $11 to $13/share in 2020 before these actions).SELECT PRESS RELEASES (LINKS BELOW)

BACKGROUND: M2X was started based on a simple concept: Humans are good at certain parts of investing and algorithms are better at others. Combining both, if done well, should be better than either alone.ROLE: Founding partner responsible for all aspects of the business.HIGHLIGHTS: We developed a series of effective tools/process and achieved early traction. But, as we never achieved enough momentum to scale to the next level, M2X is now a personal investment and business entity.INDUSTRY FOCUS AND SELECT ARTICLES (SEE LINKS BELOW)

BACKGROUND: Lorem Ipsum was a long/short hedge fund focused on taking concentrated positions, long and short, in sustainable investment opportunities (e.g., solar, wind, infrastructure, clean industrials, etc). Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley primer brokers. ROLE: As a Founding Partner, I focused on deep fundamental research into specific companies, developing/executing risk management processes and raising outside capital. I left to start M2X.HIGHLIGHTS: We raised more than ~$200 million (2x levered, so $400 million portfolio) and had best-in-class returns (+79%) during my tenure.SELECT ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS (SEE LINKS BELOW)

BACKGROUND: Greentech Capital Advisors was one of the first investment banks dedicated to sustainable infrastructure investors and companies (e.g., clean energy, energy efficiency, advanced mobility, water, internet of things, pollution control etc).ROLE: I was a Founding Partner of the firm and the first banking partner to join. I advised clients on M&A, capital raising and strategic joint ventures. HIGHLIGHTS: During my tenure, the firm grew revenues from $0 to >$15 million, raised two rounds of outside capital and expanded to three offices around the world. I sourced and executed our first major deal, sat on the commitments committee and the board. The firm was acquired by Nomura for ~$100 million USD in 2019.SELECT PRESS RELEASES AND ARTICLES (LINKS BELOW)

New York, New York, Us

BACKGROUND: Goldman Sachs is one of the largest investment banks in the world.ROLE: I had several senior roles in the equity research department (special situations, small/mid cap research, alternative energy)HIGHLIGHTS: I launched the 1st alternative energy research franchise (ranked #1 for stock picking), helped to start the small/mid cap team by developing a new process to cover 10x the typical analyst's coverage, and was a special situations analyst where I worked on more than 5 IPOs/secondaries for private equity deals coming to market.SELECT ARTICLES (LINKS BELOW)

Dublin 2, Ie

BACKGROUND: Accenture is a professional services company specializing in information technology services and consulting.ROLE: After business school, I joined as a Manager in the Strategy Consulting Group. Then, I was asked to help start a new initiative at Accenture's internal think tank so I became a Visiting Research Fellow.HIGHLIGHTS: As a consultant, I developed a sales program that drove a 3x improvement in revenue at a major retailer. At the think tank, I was a founding member of an advanced analytics group that created tools and processes that helped CFOs identify, track & manage value. This initiative led to millions in consulting projects.SELECT RESEARCH (LINKS BELOW)

BACKGROUND: Arthur Andersen was one of the Big 6 public accounting firms, along with Coopers & Lybrand, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG Peat Marwick, and Price Waterhouse.ROLE: I started my career there as an auditor in the consumer products and services division. HIGHLIGHTS: I became a CPA and worked on engagements in casino entertainment, discount retail, high-fashion retail and nonprofits.

Washington, Dc, Us

This is more a fun fact than anything else. But while in college, I was 1 of 100 people selected nationwide for the FBI Honors Internship Program. Our class was the first to work directly in field offices to help investigate white collar crimes (historically, interns were only at headquarters).

Mba, Finance, Entrepreneurship

Msc, Decision Sciences (Multidisciplinary Study Of Mathematics, Economics & Psychology)

Bs, Accounting (Major), Philosophy (Minor)

Studied Abroad As Part Of The University Of Chicago Mba Program

Education record