Two Metro Detroit Merrill Lynch Advisors Recognized by Forbes, Barron’s

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Melissa Spickler and Marie Vanerian, wealth management advisers at Merrill Lynch, have been recognized on the 2018 Barron’s list of Top 100 Women Financial Advisors and the 2018 Forbes list of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors. Vanerian’s office is in Troy, and Spickler’s office is in Bloomfield Hills.

Vanerian and Spickler are the only metro Detroit women advisors in the top 100 of both lists.

Spickler, who joined Merrill Lynch in 1980, holds the chartered retirement planning counselor designation. She has served as a member of Merrill Lynch’s advisory council to management and earned her degree in criminal law from Michigan State University.

Vanerian began her career at Merrill Lynch in 1977. In 2001, Vanerian was granted the certified investment management analyst designation by completing a program offered through Wharton Business School in conjunction with the Investment Management Consultants Association. Vanerian holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Michigan State University.

The Barron’s ranking reflects the volume of assets overseen by the advisers and their teams, revenues generated for the firms, and the quality of the advisers’ practices.

The Forbes ranking rates thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum seven years of experience. It weighs factors including revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience, and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. The Forbes list ranks 250 people.