Mike Shell
President & Chief Investment Officer | Founder of Shell Capital Management, LLC | Engineer of ASYMMETRY®
Mike Shell is the founder, president, and chief investment officer of Shell Capital Management, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser he established in 2004 to serve high-net-worth investors, business owners, and family offices. He manages ASYMMETRY® Managed Portfolios using a proprietary tactical, risk-managed approach refined over 25+ years and multiple market cycles.
Shell's investment philosophy centers on a reality many investors underestimate: markets change. Regimes shift, correlations break down, and risk compounds when portfolios rely on static allocation models or buy-and-hold strategies without defined exits. He founded Shell Capital to provide an institutional alternative—one built on adaptability, active risk management, and disciplined decision-making under uncertainty.
As portfolio manager, Shell dynamically adjusts exposure across global markets based on evolving risk conditions, seeking asymmetric risk/reward outcomes: strictly defined downside risk with uncapped upside potential. Portfolios are implemented in separately managed accounts with trade execution and custody at Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions.
Shell Capital's work frequently intersects with complex wealth transitions—business liquidity events, concentrated equity positions, and high taxable income situations. In these scenarios, the primary objective is not maximizing returns at all costs, but preserving optionality, managing downside risk, and positioning capital prudently before and after major financial transitions.
While Shell specializes in hedge-fund-style tactical portfolio management, Shell Capital provides comprehensive private wealth management, integrating portfolio strategy with retirement income planning, estate coordination, and asset protection in collaboration with clients' CPAs and attorneys.
Shell's track record and strategies have been featured in Forbes, Investor's Business Daily (full front-page profile, 2011), and Pensions & Investments Magazine, which ranked him a "Top Performing Investment Manager" following his 2008 performance. He has been interviewed on Top Traders Unplugged (Switzerland) and Trend Following Radio (Singapore).
Before founding Shell Capital, Shell served as a Registered Principal in the Investment Management Division at Raymond James.
He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose service was cut short by a traumatic injury. A Service-Connected Disabled Veteran, Shell earned his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Tennessee Wesleyan University while working as a Sheriff's Officer.