Meet Your Advisor

Meet Matt Schechter, the principal behind Girdwood Capital.  Matt’s path to financial planning and investment management has been unique.   

Matt is a native Freeport, NY, and moved to Chicago after graduating from the University of Michigan with a BBA and a concentration in accounting.  Matt passed the CPA exam in the state of Illinois shortly after college but never put his CPA into practice.

Matt started as a tax analyst in 1991 with Meridian Leasing Corporation in Deerfield, IL right after college where he worked for 1 year.  He then worked in tax and financial reporting for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, better known as the manufacturer of Juicy Fruit and Big Red chewing gum, for seven years.   During this time, he got his MBA in Finance at the University of Chicago attending classes in the evening.  He then worked for four years in financial planning and analysis for United Airlines.

Matt took a huge leap in 2004, leaving the corporate world and joining Center for Financial Research and Analysis (CFRA), a financial services firm focusing on forensic accounting.  Matt worked at CFRA for about 8 years writing research related to publicly traded companies using accounting techniques to mask deterioration in their operations.   After CFRA, Matt continued his career in forensic accounting at Balyasny Asset Management (BAM), a global hedge fund, for almost 7 years.

Matt took another leap in 2019 when he joined Arbor Capital Management in Anchorage, Alaska, as an Investment Advisor.   Matt spent over 4 years at Arbor Capital both assisting clients with financial planning and helping to oversee many of the firm's investment strategies.   In January 2024, Matt established Girdwood Capital LLC.

Outside of work, Matt served on two committees for the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board in Norwalk, CT for over 10 years.  In Chicago, Matt served on the board of Friends of Northside College Preparatory High School for 6 years, including 2 as President.  Matt also served as the Treasurer of The Family School in Chicago for about 5 years.  He currently serves multiple volunteer roles in his community as the co-chair of the Girdwood Housing and Economic Committee and as the Treasurer of Girdwood Inc. 

He and his wife first visited Alaska in 1997.  They first visited Girdwood in 2002 and were able to buy a home in Girdwood in 2008.  In his spare time, Matt volunteers as a DJ at the local radio station, KEUL, in Girdwood, AK playing his favorite music.  Matt running the local roads and paths in Girdwood is a common sight.