John Paul Bridgford

Advisor at Merrill — Scottsdale, AZ 23655 N Scottsdale Rd

Updated today

Credentials

Series 63

Experience

35 years

Location

Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Merrill logo

Merrill

Institution

Total advisors

25,558

Across 3,149 offices

Clients per advisor

70 Very Low

Avg AUM per client

$860,085 Very High

HNW client ratio

29% High

About

John Bridgford is a Wealth Management Advisor and Senior Vice President with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He leads a team with over 100 years of combined experience, serving high net worth individuals across 36 states. His advisory approach focuses on safeguarding client assets through diversification and risk mitigation aligned with clients’ desired lifestyles. John’s client expertise includes family wealth management strategies, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, and retirement income planning.

John began his career in finance after earning a bachelor's degree in Economics from Arizona State University in 1990. He joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1992 and co-founded the Bridgford & Cromer Group. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ (CRPC™), and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designations, which support his commitment to providing personalized financial strategies to help clients pursue long-term goals.

In addition to his professional work, John has nearly two decades of community involvement in the greater Scottsdale and West Valley areas. He has served as Chair of the Board of Directors and Fund Development Committee for Benevilla™, a nonprofit supporting older adults, adults with developmental disabilities, and children. John is also a member of the Fighter Country Foundation Blue Blazer Squadron. Outside of work and community service, he spends time with his wife and three children and participates in coaching and supporting his children’s sporting and artistic activities.

Client services

Based on Merrill

Portfolio management Pension consulting Selection of other advisers Educational seminars or workshops
Performance measurement reports, allocation modeling, ips, research reports and services, see schedule d

Expertise

Wealth management General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Income planning

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Fee options

Commissions

SEC-reported: Commissions on certain transactions, including foreign securities and fixed income; mark-ups, markdowns and dealer spreads may apply to some trades.

Location

See office

Scottsdale, AZ 23655 N Scottsdale Rd

23655 N Scottsdale Rd

Scottsdale AZ 85255

Advisors at this office

25

Most active in

California · Texas

Work history

35 years of industry experience

Bank Of America, N.A.

2009 - Present • 17 years

Sun City, AZ

Merrill

1992 - Present • 34 years

Sun City, AZ

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

user avatar

Bryan W

CFP®, EA

Scottsdale, AZ

Almega Wealth Management

Bryan Wisda is the President of Almega Wealth Management, a fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment advisory firm with offices in Arizona, Kentucky, and North Carolina. With more than three decades of experience in financial services, investment management, and financial planning, Bryan helps families coordinate their wealth, taxes, retirement planning, and long-term legacy goals. Bryan has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 2006 and is also an Enrolled Agent, a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor, a Dave Ramsey SmartVestor Pro, and a member of Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group. His path into financial services began in high school, when he worked as a bank teller and discovered an early interest in helping people navigate financial decisions. After college, he worked in the insurance industry before being recruited by PaineWebber. His first day as a financial advisor was September 10, 2001. The events of September 11th, and the questions clients asked in the days following, shaped his belief that financial advice is ultimately about helping families make wise decisions in uncertain times. That belief became more personal after Bryan watched inherited wealth create strain within his own extended family. Today, much of his work centers on helping families build multi-generational wealth without allowing money to damage the relationships it was meant to support. Like a well-built bridge, good planning should help one generation cross safely while leaving the next generation on firmer ground. Prior to founding Almega, Bryan held roles with Bank of America, Farmers Insurance, UBS PaineWebber, and Summit Wealth Management. He also served as a Deputy Sheriff and received the Purple Heart after being wounded in the line of duty. Bryan studied Economic Philosophy at the University of Arizona and Financial Planning through Boston University, and he has completed additional coursework in Adult Education through Rio Salado College. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Sarah. Their youngest son attends Notre Dame Preparatory, and their oldest son attends High Point University.

Wealth management Roth conversion strategy Charitable giving & philanthropy Multi-generational wealth transfer Retirement withdrawal strategies Retired Government Employee Self-Employed Founder/Business Owner Retired Approaching retirement
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Ronald L

Series 65

Cave Creek, AZ

Atlas Wealth Management, LLC

Ronald Lang is a financial advisor at Atlas Wealth Management, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Atlas Wealth Management since 2012. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved with MajesticTrader.com LLC, a business he has been part of since 2010. Atlas Wealth Management primarily serves individual clients, including many high-net-worth households, as well as pension and retirement-plan sponsors. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA retirement-plan advisory services, using fundamental and technical analysis to tailor portfolios to clients’ financial situations and risk tolerance.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Income planning Wealth management Options & derivatives strategies Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Andrew R

Series 65

Scottsdale, AZ

Bayntree Wealth Advisors, LLC

Andrew Rafal is a financial advisor at Bayntree Wealth Advisors, LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Strategy Financial Services and Redwood Investment Management, LLC. Rafal is also involved as a member or manager in several holding companies. Bayntree Wealth Advisors serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations by providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, retirement plan consulting, and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes long-term total return while limiting downside risk and employs a selective approach to third-party manager delegation.

Income planning Annuities Retirement income strategy Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Retired

Creighton H

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 63

Scottsdale, AZ

Guardian Life

Creighton Hardy is a CFP®, AEP®, CEPA® and ChFC® with 11 years of experience in the financial services industry. Our fees are based upon the value that we can create and complexity not assets necessarily unless we engage in asset management services. He is currently a Partner & Wealth Advisor at WestPac Wealth Partners after Exiting his own firm Hardy Wealth Management WestPac Wealth Partners an OSJ with Park Avenue Wealth Management, a subsidiary of Guardian Life, and previously worked at Northwestern Mutual for several years. Hardy is a Licensed Broker outside of Guardian

Trust structures (GRAT, IDGT, revocable) Business exit / sale strategy Entity structure planning (LLC, S-Corp) Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Equity compensation tax strategy Founder/Business Owner Professional Athlete Executive Doctor or Medical Professional Financial Professional Approaching retirement Widow/Widower Sandwich Generation Gen Y/Millennials (Born 1980-1995) Gen X (Born 1965-1980)
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Scott C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Scottsdale, AZ

Echelon Private Wealth LLC

Scott Cadieux is a CFP® with 27 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Fidelity Brokerage Services, Strategic Advisers LLC, and Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors before founding Echelon Private Wealth LLC, where he has been since 2020. Outside of his advisory work, he owns and operates a vending machine business and works as an independent insurance agent. Echelon Private Wealth provides discretionary portfolio management, asset allocation advice, and goal-based financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis alongside modern portfolio theory, offering customized investment strategies including options programs managed on a discretionary basis.

Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Wealth management Retirement withdrawal strategies Military & Veterans Government Employee Values-based investing
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Jeffrey L

CFA®

Paradise Valley, AZ

Transcend Advisor Inc.

Jeffrey Lumin is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Transcend Advisor, Inc. He has nine years of experience at Transcend and five years as a self-employed professional prior to that. The firm provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to a range of clients including individuals, high net worth clients, family trusts, and charitable organizations. Transcend follows a long-term, value-oriented investment approach based on classic securities valuation principles, emphasizing dividend-yielding assets and diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Income planning
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