September 13, 2025 In-Person Chapter Meeting & Webinar

The Psychology of Money: Why Smart Investors Still Make Emotional Decisions

• The Options Special Interest Group will meet on September 27th. See Chapter Information/#SIGs for details on all SIG meetings.
• Following the meeting, please join us and our speaker for lunch at the Cape Fear Seafood Company (Village District).

Presentation Summary:

Join us for a compelling and interactive session as returning speaker Michael Lewis unpacks the hidden behavioral forces that shape investor decision-making — often without us realizing it. Drawing on research-backed experiments and real-world examples, Michael will explore how cognitive biases like overconfidence, loss aversion, and narrative fallacy can distort even the most logical financial plans.

Designed specifically for experienced, self-directed investors, this talk goes beyond theory to reveal how bias shows up in everyday investing, from stock selection to succession planning. You’ll walk away with clear insights, practical tools, and a behavioral “self-audit” framework to make smarter, more resilient decisions — especially in retirement.

Whether you manage your own portfolio or guide others, this session will sharpen your awareness, challenge your assumptions, and help you take control of the only variable you truly can — your behavior.

Key Takeaways:

• Why even the most analytical minds fall prey to mental shortcuts
• How product framing and market narratives influence perception of risk
• What behavioral science teaches us about letting go and legacy planning
• Simple strategies to recognize and reduce bias in your financial life

Meeting Details:

Date: Saturday, September 13th, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET (mix and mingle starts at 9:30)

Location: Fairmont United Methodist Church: 2501 Clark Avenue Raleigh, NC 27607. See map of Fairmont for parking, building entrances, and the number of stairs entrances require.

Virtual access: To register to attend the Zoom webinar, please purchase a ticket on our chapter’s Square account. Then, please register with Zoom so you can receive reminders one and 24 hours before the meeting.

Cost: $10 cash (in-person) or electronic payment (webinar)

Before attending in person, please read: the AAII Protocol for In-Person Meetings

If you feel sick, please join us virtually.

About Our Speaker

Michael’s background on Wall Street involved generating risk-adjusted returns while reducing expenses for institutional and high-net-worth clients. This consists of managing multi-million-dollar budgets for institutional banking facilities, designing and implementing advanced technologies to improve investment performance, and managing a billion-dollar bond portfolio. Such services are typically reserved for high-net-worth individuals and families. In keeping with his mission, Michael expands his service offerings to provide the same level of attention to those with more limited resources. 

Michael offers behavioral finance coaching, financial planning, and cutting-edge technology to create a financial plan customized for your family. Michael designs comprehensive financial and estate plans for benefactors that last a lifetime and through their passing by deploying creative strategies that ensure the desires of the benefactor are carried out in a tax-efficient manner while protecting eligibility for government assisted programs.