Michael Valdes recognized on Forbes’ Top 250 Wealth Advisor List

Michael J. Valdes, Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management was recently recognized on Forbes’ "America’s Top 250 Wealth Advisors" list for the third consecutive year. For his most recent recognition he was ranked #50 in the nation. As the founder and senior advisor of the Valdes Group, Michael directs a Private Banking and Investment Group team that caters to the distinctive needs of a distinguished clientele. He works with individuals, entrepreneurs, families and businesses to serve their complete wealth management needs, delivering a “Modern Private Bank” and family-office experience where each client gains customized support and disciplined financial oversight.

As an industry leader, earlier this year Valdes was featured on both the Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” list and the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, and for the latter he was ranked #1 in North Florida.

Valdes was born and raised in Tampa, where he attended Jesuit High School before pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Upon graduating in 1985, Valdes joined Merrill Lynch – more than 30 years ago. He is married with four daughters ranging in ages from 18 – 27 years-old. When his girls were younger, Valdes was active in managing Little League Girls Softball, leading the South Tampa Girls Junior All-Star Softball team to victory in the World Series Championship in 2013, as televised on ESPN.

The Forbes ranking of “America’s Top 250 Wealth Advisors,” developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Rankings are based on the opinions of Forbes and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance, or investment outcome.