Michael began his career in Private Wealth Management in 1999 at Lehman Brothers where, alongside his current business partners, he built a leading private wealth practice in the Midwest. He subsequently joined UBS Private Wealth Management in 2007 and has been consistently recognized as one of the top advisors in the country. Michael was named to the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list from 2018 through 2022 consecutively(Published annually Jan – April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year), one of the Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in the U.S. in 2012, 2013(Published annually in February. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year) and the Top 1200 Financial Advisors in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 by Barron's (Published annually in February-March. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year). In addition, he was named one of the Top 400 Financial Advisors in the country by Financial Times in 2014(Published on March 25, 2014. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2013).  Most recently, Michael and his partners have relocated to Merrill Private Wealth Management in Chicago to leverage the firm’s enhanced advisory platform. Prior to entering wealth management, Michael worked for Ernst &Young as a Certified Public Accountant in their Tax and Audit Group. After Ernst &Young, Michael was asked to join Diversified Financial Management Corp., where he was involved with the accounting and tax compliance work for many of the entities owned by Pritzker Family Business Interests. Michael runs the Team’s “Virtual Family Office,” asset allocation, and manager due diligence.

Michael earned his B.S.B.A. in Accounting from John Carroll University. He is deeply involved in various civic and charitable organizations around the city; most notably the Union League Club of Chicago where he served as the club’s 125th President, as well as Trustee of the Union League Club’s Boys and Girls Clubs.

He now works as a Private Wealth Advisor and Managing Director at Merrill Private Wealth Management in Chicago.




<sup>1Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.


2Asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.


*Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published annually Jan - April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year.

Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to measure best practices; also considered are: client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” list, published annually in February. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year.

Advisors considered for the “America’s Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” ranking have a minimum of seven years of financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the Advisor rankings include: client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others. Barron’s does not receive compensation from Advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” list, published annually in February-March. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year.

 The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” ranking considered advisors with a minimum of seven years financial services experience and who have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. This is a list of the top advisors in each state, with the number of ranking spots determined by each state’s population and wealth. Other quantitative and qualitative measures include assets under management, revenues generated by advisors for their firms, and the quality of the advisors’ practices, regulatory records, internal company documents, and 100-plus points of data provided by the advisors themselves. Rankings and recognition from Barron’s are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Source: Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” list, published on March 25, 2014. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2013.

The Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” (FT 400) is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times. The FT 400 is based on data gathered from firms and verified by broker-dealer home offices, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each adviser’s performance in six primary areas, including assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, experience, credentials and accessibility as identified by the FT. Neither the brokerages nor the advisers pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 400. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.</sup>

After earning his bachelor’s degree in finance from Drake University, Tom was chosen to be a part of the First Scholar Program at First Chicago NBD Bank (now JP Morgan) and went to the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business where he earned his MBA with a concentration in finance and accounting. He later joined a prominent Chicago based family office, working in a CIO function. From there, he joined Lehman Brothers Private Wealth Management alongside Mike Covey and Mark Wiktor. He and his business partners have since grown their private wealth practice into one of the most prominent in the country. As of June 2017, Tom transitioned to Merrill Private Wealth Management in Chicago with Mike and Mark to meet the growing needs of his clientele through the firm’s widespread product and service offerings. Tom‘s leverages his in-depth knowledge in alternative investments and capital markets on behalf of all of CKW’s clients, as well as working with large family offices. In addition to being named one of the Top 400 Financial Advisors in the country by Financial Times in 2014, Tom was named one of the Top 40 Advisors under 40 in the country by On Wall Street from 2009 until 2016, and was recognized in Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" list in 2019.

Tom is selfless when it comes to his time outside of the office, serving as President of Friends of the IDF, as well as other functions for civic and charitable organizations. Tom is currently a Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor at Merrill Private Wealth Management in Chicago.

*Some or all alternative investments may not be in the best interests for certain investors. Certain alternative investments carry significant risk and are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as mutual funds and other traditional investments. For these reasons, access to alternative investments may be limited to investors who are designated as sophisticated, high-net-worth investors.

*Source: The Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times (March, 2014). The FT 400 is based in large part on data gathered from and verified by broker-dealer home offices, and, as identified by the FT, reflected each advisor’s performance in six primary areas, including assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, experience, credentials and accessibility. Neither the brokerages nor the advisors pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 400.

*On Wall Street is a national publication serving the wealth management industry and retail brokers working inthe employee channel for wirehouses and regional broker-dealers. In the January, 2016 issue, On Wall Street published "The Top 40 Advisors Under 40" list, compiled using data solicited from the advisors’ employers. Individual trailing 12-month production for each advisor was the primary ranking criteria. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences.

*Source: Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" list, February 2019. For more information about the selection criteria, visit: http://details-he.re/xR7HbE . Forbes is a trademark of Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. These rankings and ratings are not representative nor indicative of any one client's experience, future performance, or investment outcome and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor.

*The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.

Mark is a Private Wealth Advisor and Managing Director at Merrill Private Wealth Management Chicago and focuses on “liquid market” strategies while managing all of the transactional business for the team. Mark’s career in Private Wealth Management started with Lehman Brothers in 1992 where he began honing his knowledge in equities and liquid markets. From Lehman, he and his current business partners took their burgeoning Private Wealth practice to UBS Private Wealth Management, and have since grown the business into a leading private wealth practice in the Midwest. Mark has been recognized as a top advisor in the country, being named to the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list in 2022(Published on April 7, 2022. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2021), by Barron's as one of the Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in the U.S. in 2012 and 2013(Published annually in February. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year) and one of the Top 1200 Financial Advisors in the U.S. in 2017(Published on March 6, 2017. Rankings based on data
as of September 30, 2016). In addition he was named one of the Top 400 Financial Advisors in the country by Financial Times in 2014 (Published on March 25, 2014. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2013). With his colleagues and all of their accolades, Mark moved to Merrill Private Wealth Management in June of 2017. He has established himself in investments within the industry. Within the team, Mark manages an equities portfolio and fixed income portfolio, exclusively for the team’s clientele.

Mark earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from North Central College and his MBA with a concentration in finance from DePaul University. Mark is also deeply involved in various other charitable organizations.

*Asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.

**Some or all alternative investments may not be in the best interests for certain investors. Certain alternative investments carry significant risk and are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as mutual funds and other traditional investments. For these reasons, access to alternative investments may be limited to investors who are designated as sophisticated, high-net-worth investors.

***A Senior Portfolio Manager can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis his own Personalized or Defined Strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies. A Senior Portfolio Manager may make their strategies available to clients working with other Merrill Advisors.

*Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published on April 7, 2022. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2021.

 Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to measure best practices; also considered are: client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” list, published on March 6, 2017. Rankings based on data as of September 30, 2016.

Advisors considered for the “America’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” ranking have a minimum of seven years of financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the advisor rankings include: client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others. Barron’s does not receive compensation from advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” list, published annually in February. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year.

Advisors considered for the “America’s Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” ranking have a minimum of seven years of financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the Advisor rankings include: client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others. Barron’s does not receive compensation from Advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.

*Source: Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” list, published on March 25, 2014. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2013.

The Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” (FT 400) is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times. The FT 400 is based on data gathered from firms and verified by broker-dealer home offices, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each adviser’s performance in six primary areas, including assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, experience, credentials and accessibility as identified by the FT. Neither the brokerages nor the advisers pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 400. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.