Merkle Retirement Planning

Merkle Retirement Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals (including high‑net‑worth clients), trusts, estates, and business entities, and conducts portfolio management on a discretionary basis. The firm’s brochure describes services that include tailored financial planning, model‑portfolio solutions, direct asset management, educational workshops, and periodic performance reporting.

The firm emphasizes asset allocation and model‑driven portfolio management, implementing strategies through model portfolios developed internally, by AE WealthManagement, LLC (AEWM), or by third‑party managers on the AEWM platform. Merkle notes discretionary authority to implement and rebalance selected models, and its disclosure discusses analytic approaches ranging from strategic asset allocation to tactical shifts and direct indexing where appropriate.

Noteworthy distinctions disclosed in the brochure include the firm’s publication of periodicals/newsletter‑style materials and the use of client testimonials in advertising—practices the firm documents alongside more typical marketing and workshop activity. The brochure also highlights an affiliated insurance agency (MRPInsurance, LLC), tax preparation affiliate (Merkle Tax Solutions, LLC), and relationships with AEWM and AdvisorsExcel, creating an advisory model that combines model portfolio implementation with insurance and tax service channels and the attendant conflicts the firm discloses.