Michael Wekerle: Net Worth, Full Bio & Investor Profile

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Oft described in the media as “Mick Jagger meets Warren Buffet”, Canadian investor and merchant banker, Michael Wekerle has lived a storied life. Throughout his adult life, Wekerle has exhibited an inherent, almost uncanny ability to sense the next big thing. He made a name for himself at an early age on Bay Street (think Canada’s Wall Street), not to mention a fortune as a stellar trader. Wekerle has also lost fortunes on the stock market, but always got up, dusted himself off, and continued searching for the next opportunity. Wekerle has invested in multitudinous things including being one of the principal investors who brought the Wahlburgers (Mark and Donny Wahlburg’s restaurant concept) franchise to Canada. Most recently, Wekerle has set his sights on fintech, investing in the digital financial services firm, Mogo.

Michael Wekerle is best known to the public as the “rock star” investor on the award-winning series, Dragon’s Den – a precursor to the Emmy Award-winning Shark Tank, and featured the likes of Kevin O’Leary,  Robert Herjavec, and Arlene Dickinson. Wekerle appeared on three seasons of the show, leaving in season 12. 

Considering Wekerle is regarded as a financial whiz and guru, we here at Sophisticated Investor decided to pose the question, “How much is Michael Wekerle worth?”. We compiled all publicly available data to come to the closest estimate of the Canadian investor’s net worth.

However, it is important to remember that the figures are simply approximations, and do not necessarily reflect the precise amount. That said, the figures below likely represent the probable range of Michael Wekerle’s net worth.

Michael Wekerle

Date of BirthDecember 17, 1963
NationalityCanadian
TitleInvestor, Merchant Banker
Companies FoundedDifference Capital
Best Known ForA panelist on 'Dragon's Den
Net Worth (USD)$100 million

What Is Michael Wekerle‘s Net Worth?

Research into Michael Wekerle’s net worth reveals his fortune to be somewhere in the range of $100 million. Of course, this figure is an estimate, but in all likelihood is most accurate. Wekerle is universally considered to be a financial whiz with a demonstrated uncanny ability to play the stock markets very much in his favor. Almost an “idiot savant” of the stock market, if you will.

Wekerle has numerous fingers in numerous pies when it comes to his investing style. Always sensing in a near preternatural way if a company or an idea will prove financially successful. 

Michael Wekerle Biography

Michael Wekerle was born on December 17, 1963, in Toronto, Ontario. He attended York University for a year, but left to seek his fortune on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in the early 1980s. Wekerle quickly rose through the ranks of the financial services firm, First Marathon Securities, becoming its head trader. Within no time at all, he was regarded as the wunderkind of Bay Street. While at First Marathon, Wekerle became the trader-of-choice for large institutions like Rogers Communications.

By 1995, Wekerle was vice-chairman of trading at Griffiths McBurney and Partners (GMP), an independent brokerage firm. While holding this position, he was part of then known, Research in Motion’s (later known as Blackberry) initial public offering in 1997.

In 2012, Michael Wekerle established the merchant bank, Difference Capital. Under this model, the firm lends start-ups and companies money in exchange for shares. Additionally, the merchant bank firm provides everything from strategies to marketing to the investee start-up.

What for his extraordinary prowess as an investor, Wekerle was given a panelist position on Dragon’s Den in 2014. He appeared on three seasons of the hit show, and invested in numerous and varied companies during his tenure.

How Did Michael Wekerle Build his Wealth? 

The bulk of Michael Wekerle’s wealth can be attributed to his aforesaid acumen as an investor. Throughout his storied life on Bay Street, Wekerle made vast sums of money garnering him the status of a financial guru with an inherent ability for playing the stock market in his favor.

How Is Michael Wekerle’s Net-Worth Calculated?

Essentially, Michael Wekerle’s net-worth is calculated by his assets subtracted by all his liabilities. He is as famous for his wild jet-set lifestyle, as he is for his investing acumen. Wekerle’s publicly-known assets such as his multiple properties, many vehicles, in addition to secondary vacation properties are factored, then subtracted by publicly known debts to arrive at an approximation of $100 million.

Who Else Invests Like Michael Wekerle?

Not all investors have the same style. To compare investors like Michael Wekerle check out these investor profiles:

Want to Invest Like Michael Wekerle?

Suffice it to say, few investors can hope to be blessed with such an inherent knack for playing the stock markets as Michael Wekerle, or to possess a comparable net-worth to show for it. However, you can certainly start aggressively investing by diversifying your portfolio

An investment strategy that includes investing in precious metals is an excellent means of portfolio diversification. One way to easily hold gold or other precious metals is in a self-directed IRA. To learn more about these types of retirement accounts and what is available in the space, have a look at our Precious Metals IRA and Bitcoin IRA reviews.