Next-Gen + Best-in-State · rank 27 · Huntersville, North Carolina · listed firm: Merrill Wealth Management
Identity & firm
- Firm — Merrill Wealth Management (high)
- “MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Parent company — Bank of America (high)
- “2,314 Merrill Advisors Recognized on the 2026 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisor Lists, more than Any Other Firm” — firm_official
- Firm type — wirehouse (high)
- “MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Team name — The Lake Norman Group (high)
- “Scott Stimson is a first vice president at The Lake Norman Group of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.” — general_press
- Team size — 6 (medium)
- “Thomas A Francomano” — firm_official
- CRD — 5364768 (high)
- “SCOTT R STIMSON (CRD# 5364768)” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Years experience — 16 (high)
- “began his financial services career in 2010” — firm_official
- Designations — CFP, other:CPFA (medium)
- “Scott Stimson, CFP® - Managing Director, Wealth ...” — social_or_third_party_db
Book of business
- Team AUM ($M) — 948 (high)
- “"Team Assets (Custodied)":"$948M"” — forbes_shook
- Account minimum ($M) — 0.5 (high)
- “"Minimum account size for new business":"$500K"” — forbes_shook
- Typical client net worth ($M) — 6 (high)
- “"Typical Net Worth of Relationships":"$2-10M"” — forbes_shook
- Client niche — individuals, families and small businesses (medium)
- “Every relationship begins with a conversation, helping you identify and prioritize which goals matter most to you.” — firm_official
- Custodians — gap: not_applicable
- Fee model — fee_plus_commission (medium)
- “MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED” — sec_finra_regulatory
Positioning & marketing
- Website url — https://advisor.ml.com/sites/nc/lk-norman-nc/the-lake-norman-group/scott-stimson (high)
- “began his financial services career in 2010” — firm_official
- Value proposition (verbatim) — Whatever your personal goals may be, I will work together with you, one-on-one, to develop a personalized financial strategy designed to help you pursue your long-term goals. (high)
- “Whatever your personal goals may be, I will work together with you, one-on-one, to develop a personalized financial strategy designed to help you pursue your long-term goals.” — firm_official
- Differentiators — comprehensive approach to managing wealth that begins by listening, personalized one-on-one financial strategy, goals-based planning across health, home, family, leisure, giving and work, Merrill Investment Personality Assessment (medium)
- “Scott focuses on delivering a comprehensive approach to managing wealth, beginning by listening and helping you make informed decisions as you develop your strategy.” — firm_official
- “Managing your wealth begins with a deep understanding of your full financial picture.” — firm_official
- Content marketing — occasional (low)
- Has podcast — no (medium)
- “began his financial services career in 2010” — firm_official
- Books published — 0 (medium)
- “Scott Stimson is a first vice president at The Lake Norman Group of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.” — general_press
- Linkedin url — https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-stimson-cfp%C2%AE-bb4a0175 (medium)
- “Scott Stimson, CFP® - Managing Director, Wealth ...” — social_or_third_party_db
- Social presence — linkedin_active (low)
- “Scott Stimson, CFP® - Managing Director, Wealth ...” — social_or_third_party_db
- Press awards — Forbes "America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors", 2018, Forbes "Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State", 2019, 2025, No. 18 advisor in North Carolina, 2023 Forbes Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors Best-in-State (medium)
- “Forbes 'America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors', 2018” — firm_official
- “He was named the No. 18 advisor in North Carolina by the 2023 Forbes "Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors Best-in-State" list.” — general_press
Visual brand
- Has distinct logo — no (medium)
- Logo url — https://dyn.mktgcdn.com/p/pDfUu7cohUFITVYmgBrpqvNOVgwi1KyLpDTgYR_RGMQ/width=500,height=500 (low)
- Visual brand notes — Merrill corporate template: white ground, navy and Merrill bull mark, clean sans-serif type, standard headshot photography. No team-specific palette or custom mark. (medium)
- “Our planning approach is to work together with you to create a personalized financial strategy designed to help you pursue your goals.” — firm_official