Michael Hudak

Advisor at Merrill

Updated today

Location

Phoenix, AZ 85016

Credentials

Series 63, Series 65

Industry experience

31 years

About

Michael Hudak is a Private Wealth Advisor with Merrill Private Wealth Management. He has over 28 years of experience providing advice and guidance on complex wealth management issues to high-net-worth families, business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate executives. His expertise includes legacy planning, liquidity management, managing new wealth, philanthropic planning, retirement income, tax minimization, and both individual and corporate investment strategies. Michael focuses on developing integrated, goals-based financial strategies tailored to clients' short- and long-term investment objectives and managing the personal and financial impacts of liquidity events on entrepreneurs and business owners.

Michael joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2002 after serving eight years as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management in Chicago. Prior to his career in wealth management, he worked in the real estate development division of JMB Realty Corporation. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University and an MBA in finance from Northwestern University. Michael is also a qualified Portfolio Manager and a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA).

Residing in both Chicago, Illinois, and Paradise Valley, Arizona, Michael and his wife Alison have two daughters and two sons. In his leisure time, he enjoys biking, boating, golfing, hiking, and tennis. He has been recognized consistently on Barron’s "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors" list since 2009 and was named to Forbes' “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list for the third consecutive year in 2024.

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 Liquidity event planning Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Charitable giving & philanthropy

Occupation focus

Founder/Business Owner Executive

Demographic focus

Based on Merrill

Mid-Career Professionals HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)

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Fee options

Percentage

$0 - $2,000,000: 1.10% (for Managed Strategy with MFSA under $2 million) $2,000,000+: 1.00% (for Managed Strategy with MFSA at and above $2 million)

Other

Account minimum: $2,000,000 minimum to qualify for Premium Access Strategy per SEC data and Merrill brochure context; no other firm-wide minimum clearly stated

Location

2555 E Camelback Rd

Phoenix, AZ 85016

Most active in

California · Illinois · Indiana · Texas

Work history

Bank Of America, N.A.

2009 - Present (17 years)

Merrill

2002 - Present (24 years)

Disclosures

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

Business activities & affiliations

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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 Military & Veterans Public Service Employee Values-based investing
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Chase F

Series 63, Series 65

Phoenix, AZ

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Chase Floyd is the principal of The Financial Chase LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, with nine years of industry experience. He previously operated Floyd Financial Services LLC since 2015. The Financial Chase LLC is a registered investment adviser that provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individual and business clients. The firm employs a long-term, fundamentally driven investment approach centered on strategic asset allocation using diversified mutual funds and ETFs, with portfolios managed on a discretionary basis.

General retirement planning Wealth management
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Jeffrey L

CFA®

Paradise Valley, AZ

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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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Ryan B

Series 65

Phoenix, AZ

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Ryan Betts is the sole advisor at Betts LLC in Phoenix, AZ, holding a Series 65 designation with eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Larry B. Betts, CPA and operated Ryan Betts PC, accumulating over 15 years in related fields. Betts LLC provides advisory services primarily through referrals to third-party money managers such as Rockefeller Capital Management. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities, focusing on long-term investment strategies aligned with client objectives and risk tolerance while not directly managing client assets.

Wealth management
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David M

CFP®, Series 63

Scottsdale, AZ

Musser Financial Planning, LLC

David Musser is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience and the principal advisor at Musser Financial Planning, LLC since 2018. He previously worked at Financial Engines from 2016 to 2018. Musser is also a licensed insurance agent and occasionally offers commissionable insurance products to clients. Musser Financial Planning, LLC advises individual and high-net-worth clients on investment management and comprehensive financial planning, including taxes, retirement, insurance, education, and estate reviews. The firm employs long-term trading, fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and quantitative methods to construct portfolios and incorporates both asset-based and fixed or hourly planning fee structures.

Annuities Life insurance needs analysis Disability insurance Long-term care insurance
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Robert K

CFP®, Series 66

Phoenix, AZ

Kerns Legacy Planning

Robert Kerns III is a financial advisor with Kerns Legacy Planning LLC in Phoenix, AZ, holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Merrill, and American Family Insurance. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as an assistant coach for the U14 youth ice hockey team with the Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kerns Legacy Planning LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporations. The firm employs fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and technical analysis, utilizing long-term, short-term, and options trading strategies, including the use of margin and derivatives within separately managed accounts.

Options & derivatives strategies Passive / index investing
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