Invest in What You Eat.

Let your mission-aligned investment dollars directly benefit you and your community.
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HERO proof of concept, success stories

Who we are

HERO brings together experts in farming, food, and finance. We work for the farms, the food system, and the consumers who depend on high-quality goods at fair value. Our team blends decades of agricultural experience with decades of Wall Street risk-management expertise to build a mission-driven, impact-focused investment model that delivers real, measurable benefits to communities, farmers, and investors.

Front end benefits

  • No conflicts of interest. Big banks optimize for their bottom line, not yours.

  • No commission products. HERO avoids load-fee funds and layered charges.

  • Lower-cost investment vehicles. Same market exposure, far lower fees.

  • Day-one savings. No load funds. Minimal management fees. Immediate benefit. Compounds over time.

Back end benefits

  • Lower fees than industry norms. Members keep more of what they earn.

  • Shared net fees. After admin, support, and custody costs, HERO returns a portion of fees to members.

  • Patronage toward clean food and wellness. Use savings for local proteins, restaurants, and health-aligned outlets.

  • Local economic value. “Invest in What You Eat” keeps dollars in communities—not corporate conglomerates.

Use of cost savings

  • Your HERO investment dollars work on two fronts: they grow your portfolio and increase access to clean, local proteins, dining discounts, and wellness opportunities.

  • Members can use savings to support local nonprofits, strengthen portfolio protection, or offset daily living costs.

  • Lower annual fees compound over time, helping you protect your nest egg while improving your access to better food.

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Meet the team

Mark Neuman, CFA

CIO & Co-Founder, HERO Asset Management

30-year Wall Street veteran, CFA charterholder, hedge-fund partner, index/ETF product creator, and risk-management specialist. Formerly with Merrill Lynch and Susquehanna International Group. Featured on Bloomberg TV, Fox Business, CNBC, TD Ameritrade, Yahoo Finance, and more.

HERO has nearly 50 employees led by our C-Suite: CEO Thomas Fernandes, Co-Founder/Food Partner Alexander Sher, COO Matt Hackfort, and CFO/Comptroller Michelle McGraw. Further support provided by senior accountants, farmers, processors, and logistics staff ensuring the HERO supply chain.

FAQ

  • What is “Invest In What You Eat?

    • A value-driven investment approach aligned with food quality, farm sustainability, and environmental impact that starts with the food systems and farmers and ends with the consumers and getting max value out of your dollars.
    • Investors support the farms and farmers who operate sustainably and regeneratively with a focus on environmental impact.
    • It rewards participants by connecting the food system to an investment platform, creating an ecosystem that benefits all participants through economic and environmental impact.

  • How does HERO Asset Management Differentiate Itself?

    • No conflicts of interest. Big banks and traditional wealth advisors get paid the most by utilizing commission products and bank-originated funds that charge high loads (commissions) and fees. HERO charges no commissions, utilizes all lowest cost options for investment exposure.
    • The disruption model in finance mimics the previously established supply-chain model that HERO created for the food/farm system. By eliminating middlemen, lowering costs, and maximizing value, HERO sets itself apart from traditional asset managers.
    • HERO prioritizes low-cost, high value exposure to assets. No bloated advisory fees due to a lean infrastructure.
    • HERO shares a portion of net management fees with the investor, returning dividends in the form of patronage or coupons for access to other HERO-partner products including highest quality foodstuffs, incentives at partner-restaurants, and access to health/wellness products, to name a few.

  • What Makes HERO’s Approach Unique?

    • The model originated from HERO Farmed Cooperative, a farm-to-table supply chain initiative involving shared/reduced costs and maximizing benefits.
    • HERO eliminated the middlemen in food. Now is doing the same in finance and investing.
    • HERO 1.0 helps farmers and consumers get access to better food and environmental outcomes.
    • HERO 2.0 applies the same direct, mission-driven model to the investment world.

  • What are direct benefits to consumers and retail investors via HERO Asset Management?

    • Lower fees than traditional asset managers.
    • Co-op patronage and dividends and food/health/wellness product incentives for investor-members.
    • Unique alignment between financial returns and real-world value in the food you eat and the communities you support.
    • Open/ongoing dialogue about better ways to approach finance including health-savings accounts as better ways to financially support themselves and their families and battle everyday increasing costs of living.
    • Combined healthy eating, better investing start-to-fininsh, makes for better health and well-being in consumption habits and investing habits, synergizing for maximum efficiency.

  • What Experience do HERO Asset Management Partners and Principals Possess?

    • CIO Mark Neuman is a CFA Charter Holder with 30+ years of experience including as a former hedge fund manager, index/ETF product creator, and derivatives and global macro expertise.
    • He’s an expert in risk management, portfolio construction, and asset allocation.
    • He’s been featured on Bloomberg TV, Fox Business News, CNBC.com, Seeking Alpha, TD Ameritrade, and Yahoo.com, among others.

    Other partners/advisors include:

    • Thomas Fernandes, an agriculture finance and risk management expert, also with a deep Wall Street background in trading at hedge funds and investment banks.
    • Caitlin O’Neil, an accomplished finance expert with background in investment banking, private equity, and strategic finance with experience at Goldman Sachs and The Carlyle Group.
    • HERO is supported by best in class custodians plus farming and food experts delivering the foundations of health and wellness (and working on behalf of the American farmer and farm industry.