Gene Natali is an award-winning author (The Missing Semester) who brings a unique blend of experiences to his writing. Following the success of The Missing Semester, he regularly keynotes investment and education conferences across the country and has spoken in over 600 high school and college classrooms. The Missing Second Semester, sequel to The Missing Semester, was written largely from these student and teacher interactions. In 2019, Gene founded Troutwood out of the Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center. Troutwood develops financial planning and investment education tools for individuals. Prior to Troutwood, Gene spent 17 years personally working with some of the largest institutional investors and retirement plans in America. Gene is a part-time lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh where he has taught Personal Finance since 2015. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and board member of CFA Society Pittsburgh where he serves as chair of the Society's financial literacy efforts. Gene holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor's degree with a concentration in economics from Allegheny College. He, his wife, four children and chocolate lab, live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.