Internships and Connections Led Michael Perrone to Finance

Michael J. Perrone, AIF, Vice President/Investments, Stifel Financial

The 2011 alum envisions hosting Nazareth interns himself.

Back in eighth grade, Michael Perrone ‘11 knew he didn’t want to work at a “regular” job. So, he learned how to detail cars from his dad. At just 13, he started his own business detailing high-end cars such as Audis and BMWs.

That work — and his experiences through Nazareth — led to his future career in finance. First, he gained significant, hands-on business knowledge through a college internship at Merrill Lynch. Then, talking about that experience with one of his car-detailing customers led to a second internship. That customer was Lori Van Dusen — a pioneer in the investment management industry and an award-winning professional who has served on Nazareth’s board of trustees. She offered Perrone an internship with her at LVW Advisors, the registered investment advisory firm she founded, where she showed him a lot about the business and served as a mentor to him.

“After the two internships, I knew finance was what I wanted to do,” Perrone said. After graduating from Nazareth, his first job was at Merrill Lynch, in its Advisor Training Program. After successfully graduating from that program, he then went on to Stifel Financial, a full-service wealth management and investment banking firm, where he is a vice president and leads a private wealth management team that serves high net worth. Perrone holds the designation of accredited investment fiduciary (AIF).

Perrone stays connected with the College, including with Professor Jerry Zappia, former dean of the School of Management, and with Kenneth Rhee, dean of the School of Business and Leadership. Perrone hopes that within the next couple of years, he can create opportunities to have Nazareth students intern at his office.

Learn more about hosting Nazareth interns >