Local Merrill Financial Advisors Earn Forbes Best In State honors

Multiple Merrill financial advisors in Southeast Michigan have been named Forbes magazine's "Best-in-State Advisors 2022" list. Each advisor—selected by SHOOK Research—is chosen based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative criteria, including: in-person interviews; industry experience; compliance records; revenue produced; and assets under management.

Honorees included: Melissa Spickler, Abe Post, Joe Carter, Leo Stevenson, Dan Totonchi, Dana Locniskar, Thomas Pursel, Matthew Bucher, Matthew Biddinger and Griffin Nienberg.

Melissa Spickler — founder of the Spickler Wealth Management Group out of Bloomfield Hills — joined Merrill in 1980, and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. She is also a qualified Portfolio Manager who, in addition to providing traditional advice and guidance, can help clients pursue their objectives by building and managing her own personalized or defined strategies. Melissa built her team with the aim of providing individuals and businesses with the same high-quality wealth management she would expect to receive as a client. She believes that this commitment to excellence, together with her integrity, collaborative approach and dedicated work ethic, are among the reasons that some clients have chosen to remain with her for more than three decades and that a number of her relationships span four generations. She earned her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University.

Dan Totonchi — who is based out of Bloomfield Hills — began his career with Merrill in 1997. His focus is on comprehensive wealth and portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals, corporations and endowments. Dan lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan with his wife Amy and sons Brian and Jack. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, golfing, boating, snowmobiling, hunting, and shooting sporting clays. When not in the Detroit area, you can find him in the Eastern Upper Peninsula in the Les Cheneaux Islands. He also enjoys serving on the Finance Council at his church, the board of the Great Lakes Boat Building School, and on various committees at Detroit Golf Club. He attended Central Michigan University.

Abe Post — who is based in Troy — began his financial services career at Merrill, which he joined in 1992. He is energetic and detail-oriented, and he enjoys offering strategies to help individuals and families pursue their financial goals. In addition, Abe provides guidance to businesses on their company-sponsored retirement plans. He has considerable experience in this area and holds a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. He graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit with a bachelor's degree in finance, with an emphasis on market and investment analysis. He lives in Troy, Michigan. Abe was also recently honored by Barron’s magazine in its annual “Top 1,200 Advisors” list.

Joe Carter — based in Bloomfield Hills — Joe takes pride in his detail-oriented approach in understanding client goals and designing strategies to fulfill them. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in Finance and emphasis on Securities Analysis. In addition to his financial education, Joe holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation awarded by the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. Joe is a qualified Portfolio Manager, and is a resident of Birmingham.

Michael P. Tyranski works for Merrill in Bloomfield Hills and has been with Merrill for over 25 years. He has completed a financial advisor leadership alumni program at the Wharton School of Business and an Advanced Portfolio Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Michael earned his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification in 2002

Michael grew up in Royal Oak, and attended Michigan State University, graduating from the School of Business with a bachelor's degree in finance. He lives with his wife, Kari, in Birmingham, and has three children: Mitchell, Kevin and Ryan. Michael is president of the Brother Rice Endowment Fund. Past board experience includes treasurer of the Torch Lake Protection Alliance from 2006 to 2007 and service on the board of directors and as treasurer of Gift of Life of Michigan from 2012 to 2015. Hobbies include running, skiing and coaching his children's baseball teams.

Leo G. Stevenson is the Resident Director of the Wyandotte Office. Leo holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation and the Retirement Benefits Consultant title. Mr. Stevenson is a graduate Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte and went on to earn a Financial Administration Degree from Michigan State University. He has been with Merrill since 1996, and more than 2,000 clients have entrusted nearly $2 billion in assets to Mr. Stevenson’s team. He has trained more than 1,000 financial advisors across the United States in investment philosophy and practice management from 2014 to 2022.

Leo is active in several community groups — including being a member of the Board of Directors for Focus: HOPE, the Wyandotte Downtown District Authority, finance committee member of a local parish, and many philanthropic endeavors.

Also, a handful of advisors at the Locniskar Pursel Bucher Biddinger Group, based in Troy, were selected for the honor.

Dana M. Locniskar, Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor. Since he joined Merrill in 1970, Dana has built an investment group with extensive experience in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutions. Dana focuses on wealth management, concentrated stock strategies, philanthropic planning, estate planning and trust services. Dana serves on the boards of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, City Year Detroit and Teach for America Detroit. He is Trustee Emeritus of Detroit Public Television and the Futures Foundation. Dana is a member of the Robert H. Tannahill Society Estate Planning Council of the Detroit Institute of Arts, United Way of Michigan Alexis de Tocqueville Society and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. He is also a member and the founding president of The Planned Giving Roundtable of Southeast Michigan. Dana is an avid volunteer for more than 25 years with Cornerstone Schools. He and his wife, Christine, currently reside in Birmingham, Michigan.

Thomas S. Pursel, CPFA, Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor, began his career at Merrill in 1983. Tom works closely with affluent individuals, families, and institutions to create customized wealth management strategies and advice. Tom’s longevity with Merrill Lynch has given him unusual insight into the depth of resources and cross-functional capabilities of the firm. Within the team, Tom is responsible for defining and delineating client priorities, objectives, and risk thresholds. Tom holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan, where he was captain of the golf team. Tom is actively involved in the community. He is Past President of Detroit Golf Club and former Chairman of the Membership Committee. Tom is also a former board member of First Tee of Michigan, a community outreach program that seeks to promote character, values and education for youths of all backgrounds through the game of golf. He also serves on the Michigan board of the American Cancer Society Inc. and he was named a Notable Nonprofit Board Member by Crain's in 2021. Tom has four children. He and his wife, Val, reside in Bingham Farms, Michigan.

Matthew J. Bucher (CRPC, CPFA) joined Merrill in 1983. As Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor, he focuses on addressing the investment objectives and wealth management needs of ultra-affluent clients. He has particular depth in the investment markets, including equities, fixed income, and alternative investments. Within the team, Matt is responsible for directing our investment management offerings. He develops customized investment strategies for clients, based upon their risk tolerance, asset mix, cash flow needs, and time horizons. Matt implements these strategies through asset allocation modeling and portfolio analytics, while overseeing day-to-day investment operations. Matt also directs the development and management of the team’s proprietary investment model. He manages structured products, syndicate and initial public offerings for the team. He holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. Matt holds a B.A. in Business from Michigan State University. Matt is active in various community groups. He has served on the board of the Friends of the Detroit Film Theatre, and is a former member of the finance committee of the Detroit Athletic Club. Matt and his wife, Michele, have two sons and currently reside in Troy.

Matthew S. Biddinger, CIMA, is Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor who joined Merrill in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Eastern Michigan University. Matt brings his market and economic knowledge to the group and is responsible for analyzing client portfolios, helping clients create financial strategies and making recommendations designed to enhance client return while striving to minimize risk. He holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA designation. He and his wife, Amanda, have two young children. Matt enjoys spending time with his family at their home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Griffin D. Nienberg (CRPC, CPFA), is Senior Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor. Griffin began his career at Merrill in 2010. He provides high-net worth clients with sophisticated wealth management strategies designed to help them achieve their goals while managing risk. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management, with a minor in finance, from Purdue University, where he was the captain of the tennis team his senior year. He holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. Griffin enjoys golf, squash and tennis. He and his wife, Jenny, reside in Birmingham, Michigan, with their three children, Cooper, Charlie and Tatum.