The next Bison Spotlight is a member of the class of 2020, Michael Battaini. He is a native of Haverhill, Massachusetts and is studying General Business with a focus in Finance and Sport Management. Here on The Hill, he is a member of the Varsity Golf Team, Investments Club, and a Lab Assistant in the Bloomberg Terminal. Outside of school and work, he enjoys playing golf, working out and watching good TV shows. A fun fact about Michael: he is a huge Celtics fan.
This past summer he began an internship with Northwestern Mutual, a financial planning firm, in their Woburn, MA office. He is continuing to intern and this May he plans on going full-time for Northwestern Mutual. Michael is a Financial Representative. Within this role, he meets with clients and prospective clients to help them identify their financial and personal goals.
He said, “The most important thing I can do is learn what is most important in their lives because each person’s financial plan is going to vary based on their goals and needs. Once I understand this, I can help them plan for their futures using various financial solutions with the help of my team.”
When asked about his experience, Michael said, “My experience has been incredible up to this point. I’m lucky enough to run my own 
Financial Planning practice, so it’s up to me to make sure I’m productive. A typical day for me involves scheduling meetings with prospective clients, meeting with people scheduled on my calendar to discuss their financial needs and goals, and developing financial plans custom-tailored to the needs of each client. I also do a lot of networking and have weekly meetings with my mentor who coaches me the business.”
Michael’s favorite part of his internship is the culture of the company. He has the ability to add value to people’s lives, help them reach their goals, and build relationships with people from different backgrounds.
His biggest takeaway from this internship is the importance of being smart with your money and learning what habits you should build to ensure you’re doing the right things, financially throughout the different stages of life.
After reflecting on his opportunity for Northwestern Mutual, Michael gave some advice to others.
He said, “As for advice I would give, I would say to have courage and embrace being uncomfortable. When I first started I was nervous, but I worked hard and met some awesome people along the way. I came back to school learning new things about myself and the financial industry as a whole.”
Last week, Michael found out that he was recognized as one of Northwestern Mutual’s top 100 interns in the country for the Fall ’19 Semester. He was invited to an event called “Winter Camp”, which will take place this February in the home office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Michael will have the chance to meet other top interns and learn from some of the top Financial Advisors at Northwestern Mutual.
He said, “This was a goal that I had set for myself this semester. I couldn’t have accomplished it without the support of my good friend and mentor Carl Lipani, as well as the rest of the Leadership team in Woburn. I am so grateful for them all.”
The CPDC wants to congratulate Michael for his accomplishments and we wish you the best of luck in your future career!
