Professor Maxwell Laurence is the founder and Chief Executive of Apex Finance Institute. With over four decades of experience in global capital markets, he is recognized as one of the most quietly influential figures in modern financial strategy and behavioral investing. His career bridges eras – rooted in classical market philosophy yet boldly driven by the possibilities of machine intelligence.
Educated at Columbia University (M.A. in Economics) and the Wharton School (Ph.D. in Behavioral Finance), Professor Laurence has spent his life studying the intersections of psychology, risk, and decision-making under uncertainty. His early work in the 1990s laid the groundwork for hybrid asset allocation frameworks now used by multi-generational family offices. He accurately anticipated the 2000 dot-com crash and the 2008 financial crisis, establishing a reputation for deep-cycle foresight and analytical discipline.
In 2015, Professor Laurence began development of Apex Mind, a proprietary AI system designed not to replace human investors – but to enhance them. His concept of the “strategic co-pilot” – an intelligent assistant that adapts to markets and investor behavior – has since become central to the institute’s mission. Under his leadership, Apex Mind has grown from an internal prototype to a robust, evolving AI platform that powers both education and live-market research.
Professor Laurence is also a private mentor to select EMBA cohorts and fintech founders, and has advised regulators on algorithmic trading structures and behavioral safeguards. He remains a sought-after speaker at closed financial conferences, though he rarely seeks public visibility.
Now in his late 60s, Professor Laurence resides in coastal Maine, where he continues to research 19th-century financial governance, meditate daily, and manage a hybrid investment portfolio that blends bonds, gold, options – and Bitcoin. His enduring belief is simple: “Markets evolve, but human instincts don’t. Read the patterns of emotion, and you’ll read the truth of money.”