Ron Hughes, Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor, holds two degrees in Finance, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Auburn University and earning an MBA with Distinction from Emory University. Ron has been featured as a lecturer on investment theory and practice as part of the firm’s continuing education and training of financial advisors. He joined Merrill in February of 2000 and prior to building the first fully accredited Merrill Private Wealth Management team in the Southeast Region, he spent seven years at Goldman Sachs advising entrepreneurs experiencing significant liquidity events. Prior to Goldman, Ron worked in mergers and acquisitions for an investment partnership funded by the Bronfman Family, focusing on consolidation among wireless communication properties.  

In April 2006 and April 2007, Ron was named by Barron’s as one of the nation’s “Top 100 Financial Advisers” (Published annually Mar – April. Rankings based on data as of December 31 of prior year). Additionally, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Ron was ranked among the top financial advisors in Georgia in Barron’s “State-by-State Top Financial Advisors" (Published annually February – March. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year). In March 2016, Ron was named to the “FT 400” by the Financial Times as one of the Top Financial Advisors in America (Published on March 30, 2016. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2015).  Ron was also included in Forbes magazine’s ranking of “America’s Top Wealth Advisors” in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 (Published annually Aug – Oct. Rankings based on data as of Mar 31 – June 30 of current year) and was also ranked among the Top 10 Wealth Advisors in the State of Georgia in Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022(Published annually Jan – April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year).

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors” list, published annually Mar – April. Rankings based on data as of December 31 of prior year.
The Barron’s “Top 100 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. 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. Rankings are based on the opinions of Barron’s and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance, or investment outcome and should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. Barron’s does not receive compensation from advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. 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: 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. Years prior to 2014, this Barron's list consisted of 1,000 advisors.

*Source: Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” list, published on March 30, 2017. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2016.
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.

*Source: The Forbes “America’s Top Wealth Advisors” list, published annually Aug - Oct. Rankings based on data as of Mar 31 - June 30 of current year.
Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. America’s Top Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on inperson, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: a measure of best practices, client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: 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. Rankings are based on the opinions of Forbes and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance, or investment outcome and should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. Rankings and recognition from Forbes 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. 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 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.