Immigrating to the United States from Lebanon at a young age, Micheline understands economic hardship. She cultivated her work ethic from her hard working parents doing everything in their power to provide a better life for her. Micheline yearned for a life of financial independence and upon graduating high school went to Bircham International University and earned her bachelor’s degree in business management with a major in finance. She would also take advanced courses in finance from Northeastern University in Boston. Micheline’s path in financial services had begun.
During this time she met her husband Joseph Baaklini. Joseph was also from Lebanon and shared Micheline’s dream of financial independence in the United States. Unlike Micheline, Joseph’s family in Lebanon was wealthy. His father was instrumental in building the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. Joseph never thought that amount of wealth could ever run out. Until it did. High risk investments liquidated his family fortune in a short time frame and Joseph moved to the United States for a better life. Financially struggling while in college, Joseph lived in his car for a time to save money. Overcoming his financial hardships, Joseph eventually worked his way up to Global Director in a Fortune 500 company and holds his series 65 and AAMS® certification.
Micheline spent many years of her career putting her heart and soul into helping build an investment advisory firm. She has always been hyper-focused on serving her client’s needs outside of corporate big box agendas. Micheline realized the only way to do this was to become an independent financial advisor. Not considering herself an entrepreneur by nature, Micheline decided to apply for positions at two prestigious Boston firms. She was offered positions at both, but her past experiences with corporate agendas over client interests gave her serious reservations.
Understanding his wife’s reservations, one Palm Sunday, Joseph surprised his wife with a true gift from the heart. He presented Micheline with a website he’d designed and the paperwork he’d filed for the company he started for her, Dagher Financial LLC. “You’re not going to repeat the same history,” he said. “You love what you do and you’re one of the best at your job. It’s time to stop doing it for somebody else’s firm.”
Today, Micheline and Joseph live their dream of independence by building comprehensive financial plans that serve only one agenda, their client’s.