Matthew Merrifield
My Mission Statement
About Me
Matthew Merrifield's focus is in comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and 401(k) plans. He helps clients allocate their assets to help ensure their financial well-being aligns with their financial plan and goals. He loves working with clients on a personal level to help achieve their financial goals through customized strategies. Matthew believes that every client's financial plan should go hand-in-hand with their investment allocation because both parts of the equation help in identifying the potential solution. He is passionate about building strong relationships through a high level of communication.
Since joining Morgan Stanley in 2019, Matthew has become a designated Portfolio Manager and Financial Planning Specialist. He holds the FINRA Series 7 and 66, as well as the Life, Variable and Health insurance licenses. Matthew and his team are proud to have been named as a Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Team for 2024. Matthew graduated with a B.S. in Finance and Management from Oakland University. He is a member of Detroit Young Professionals.
A native of Beverly Hills, Michigan, Matthew now lives in Berkley with his wife and son. Outside of the office, Matthew enjoys golfing, fly fishing, and clay shooting. He has an older brother, Michael, whom he is very close with, and a nephew, Maxwell, who keeps him on his toes.
Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams (2024)
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2024) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based for the period 3/31/22-3/31/23.
- Retirement PlanningFootnote1
- Alternative InvestmentsFootnote2
- 401(k) Rollovers
- Wealth ManagementFootnote3
- UGMA/UTMAFootnote4
- Trust AccountsFootnote5
- Sustainable InvestingFootnote6
- Qualified Retirement PlansFootnote7
- Planning for Education FundingFootnote8
- Financial PlanningFootnote9
- Estate Planning StrategiesFootnote10
- Asset Management
- Cash ManagementFootnote11
- 529 PlansFootnote12
NMLS#: 1913295
Meet the Team
A lawyer, a doctor, a professor, a sales rep, and the new guy walks into a building with countless resources…
And while that may be the plot to the next comedy blockbuster, here at The GMA Group at Morgan Stanley it is the accumulation of life experiences that has led to decades of service across many industries. Once aggregated, this Financial Advisory team brings variety of thought and strategies well equipped to suit you, your family, and your business.
Three members of the team are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS™(CFP®), but each have a different areas of focus that they focus on together. This allows for the GMA Group to be a a full-service practice with a feedback sharing culture to better serve our clients.
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, Financial Advisor, Portfolio Management Director,
Insurance Planning Director, Family Wealth Advisor, Financial Planning Specialist,
Workplace Advisor – Equity Compensation
Email: Joe.Fisher@morganstanley.com
Phone: (248) 740-7149
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, Financial Advisor, Executive Financial Services Director, Insurance Planning Director, Portfolio Management Director, Financial Planning Specialist, Workplace Advisor – Equity Compensation
Email: David.Zukowski@morganstanley.com
Phone: (248) 740-7101
First Vice President, Wealth Management, Financial Advisor, Workplace Advisor – Equity Compensation
Email: Brian.Blaker@morganstanley.com
Phone: (248) 740-7168
Financial Advisor, Portfolio Manager, Certified Financial Planner ®
Email: Darsh.Kumar@morganstanley.com
Phone: (248) 740-7135
Registered Senior Client Service Associate
Email: kim.vallet@morganstanley.com
Phone: (248) 740-7179
Senior Client Service Associate
Email: jennifer.kafoury@morganstanley.com
Phone: (248) 740-7188
A Tradition of Serving Your Financial Needs
As your Portfolio Manager, I will work closely with you to understand your needs while maintaining the focus and discipline necessary to guide your portfolio in the most challenging market cycles. A disciplined, four-step investment process underpins the program and helps to develop a long-term perspective about building and managing wealth.
By leveraging the global resources of Morgan Stanley, I am able to monitor the events that affect your financial objectives. I also study trends and developments that shape the investment environment, drive the economy and ultimately impact your portfolio's performance. You'll find that your experience with me, training and investment philosophy offer guidance—both in ongoing portfolio management decisions and understanding investment risk while keeping your long-term goals in view.
- Establish Financial Objectives
- Define Investment Strategy
- Evaluate and Select Investments
- Ongoing Review Process
- Personalized Portfolios
- Comprehensive Communications
- Client Focus
- Asset-Based Fee
Outlooks & Updates
My goal is to make complex financial concepts understandable to my clients by presenting them in a clear and concise fashion, enabling them to gain a better understanding of the complexities involved in planning for their financial futures. I am a firm believer in providing my clients with a wealth of tools to help them remain current on market trends, analyses, and forecasts. The resources mentioned below provide in-depth analysis of current market events and financial issues affecting the business landscape.
Morgan Stanley Online allows you to seamlessly and securely manage your investments and everyday finances in one place.
Sign up for eDelivery today and start receiving email notifications as soon as your account documents are available on Morgan Stanley Online or the Morgan Stanley Mobile App. It's quick, convenient & secure.
Our Portfolio Risk Platform, backed by institutional-caliber analytics, assesses thousands of risk factors using a holdings-based approach to assess a portfolio's exposures, analyze how securities behave together across portfolios and forecast how they influence risk and return moving forward.
This helpful resource outlines the 2025 tax rate schedule, education and health savings account limits, retirement contribution and deduction limits, among other information. With tax season seemingly always right around the corner, it's best to be as informed as possible.
The Morgan Stanley Ideas Podcast brings you revealing stories about the world of business, finance, technology and beyond.
Reserved Living & Giving is a complimentary loyalty program, with over 50 offers and discounts from premier brands, designed to enhance your lifestyle beyond traditional wealth management services. The program provides access to exclusive partner offers, insights from Morgan Stanley thought leaders and inspiring philanthropic stories.
Take advantage of our Preferred Savings Program for Qualifying Cash offer with flexible options and more ways to save. There are two ways you may participate, either 1) bring new cash deposits from external sources or 2) use proceeds from the sale, income or distribution from securities in your eligible Morgan Stanley brokerage accounts.
Get More Value For Your Cash With This Competitive New Money CD Offer From Morgan Stanley. Your funds will continue to receive a premium rate once the CD matures, making this offer an attractive option for your cash management strategy.
Cybersecurity Resource Center
Your security is our top priority. Morgan Stanley proactively defends our systems and monitors our digital landscapes to anticipate issues before they arise and responds appropriately when they do.
The Firm is actively supporting a multitude of layers of security. Security includes the following; strong encryption protocols designed to help protect your data, continuous monitoring to help detect and prevent fraudulent activity in your accounts, routine testing of our systems to identify potential vulnerabilities, and independent reviews by outside security firms to penetration test our applications and evaluate our processes.
As companies accelerate the move toward cloud computing, cybersecurity challenges have unequivocally intensified. Learn how two key software markets are poised to converge to mitigate new threats.
Smart devices, we can't live without them. They know our voices, our search history, and much more. This can present security risks. Here's how to protect yourself:
Safeguarding your assets and personal information is paramount to us. Learn about our extensive security measures and take advantage of our numerous resources and ideas that are geared towards helping you stay protected on the World Wide Web.
Cryptocurrency is attracting quite a bit of attention lately—including from cybercriminals. Learn more about this digital currency, as well as some popular scams that are being perpetrated by fraudsters.
College students may not be too concerned about being a target for hackers. Find out why cybercriminals may prey on students and how they can protect themselves.
Worried about how much of your personal information is available online? See how you can manage your digital footprint.
You likely spend more time each day on your smartphone than on your computer, but do you pay as much attention to protecting the security of your phone as your computer? Find out why you should.
Was your email hacked? Your Social Security Number stolen? Do you know how to respond? Learn the steps to take if and when your identity, account, device or information is compromised.
Location
Portfolio Insights
Retirement
- 401(k) Rollovers
- IRA Plans
- Retirement income strategies
- Retirement plan participants
- Annuities
Investing
- Asset Management
- Wealth Planning
- Traditional Investments
- Alternative Investments
- Impact Investing
Family
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
Business Planning
- Succession Planning
- Business Planning
- Qualified Retirement Plans
Philanthropy
- Endowments
- Foundations
- Donor Advised Funds
- Impact Investing
For more information, please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Client Relationship Summary.
2Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.
3Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.
4Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
5Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
6The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) aware investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because ESG criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
7When Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors (collectively, “Morgan Stanley”) provide “investment advice” regarding a retirement or welfare benefit plan account, an individual retirement account or a Coverdell education savings account (“Retirement Account”), Morgan Stanley is a “fiduciary” as those terms are defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as applicable. When Morgan Stanley provides investment education, takes orders on an unsolicited basis or otherwise does not provide “investment advice”, Morgan Stanley will not be considered a “fiduciary” under ERISA and/or the Code. For more information regarding Morgan Stanley’s role with respect to a Retirement Account, please visit www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley does not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a Retirement Account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA and related consequences of any investments or other transactions made with respect to a Retirement Account. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
8When Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors (collectively, “Morgan Stanley”) provide “investment advice” regarding a retirement or welfare benefit plan account, an individual retirement account or a Coverdell education savings account (“Retirement Account”), Morgan Stanley is a “fiduciary” as those terms are defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as applicable. When Morgan Stanley provides investment education, takes orders on an unsolicited basis or otherwise does not provide “investment advice”, Morgan Stanley will not be considered a “fiduciary” under ERISA and/or the Code. For more information regarding Morgan Stanley’s role with respect to a Retirement Account, please visit www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley does not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a Retirement Account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA and related consequences of any investments or other transactions made with respect to a Retirement Account. Individuals should always check with their tax or legal advisor before engaging in any transaction involving 529 Plans, Education Savings Accounts and other tax-advantaged investments.
9Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
10Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
11Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services.
Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
12Investors should consider many factors before deciding which 529 plan is appropriate. Some of these factors include: the Plan’s investment options and the historical investment performance of these options, the Plan’s flexibility and features, the reputation and expertise of the Plan’s investment manager, Plan contribution limits and the federal and state tax benefits associated with an investment in the Plan. Some states, for example, offer favorable tax treatment and other benefits to their residents only if they invest in the state’s own Qualified Tuition Program. Investors should determine their home state’s tax treatment of 529 plans when considering whether to choose an in-state or out-of-state plan. Investors should consult with their tax or legal advisor before investing in any 529 Plan or contact their state tax division for more information. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC does not provide tax and/or legal advice. Investors should review a Program Disclosure Statement, which contains more information on investment options, risk factors, fees and expenses and possible tax consequences.
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The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
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The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
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The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures
