My name is Eric W. Burns, and I’m a Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. I grew up in North Carolina near the sunny coast before heading west to attend Brigham Young University and Arizona State University. Shortly before graduating with my MBA at ASU, I began my career in finance as a young professional eager to follow my passion. I’ve now worked in financial services for nearly 20 years covering both sides of the balance sheet from lending to investing and wealth management. In an industry that tends to overcomplicate solutions and even thrive on complexity, I enjoy simplifying the investment process for my clients. Honesty, transparency, and simplicity are the pillars of my practice as I strive every day to follow my passion and help my clients make smart decisions with their money.   

I focus on offering a comprehensive approach to managing wealth that begins with getting to know each client and understanding their goals. I truly enjoy learning about my clients’ aspirations, and our interests are aligned as I strive hard to help them achieve their goals. Whether they’re a business owner, a busy executive, or a retiree who needs to make their money last through retirement, I create a customized financial strategy that assists them to achieve what they aspire to do. While I focus on the details of the plan, my clients are able to spend more time doing what’s most important to them.       

I work in Scottsdale, Arizona and live in nearby Gilbert with my wife and three kids. When we’re not running around the valley to kids’ softball, football, and soccer games, we enjoy getting out of the heat and spending time in northern Arizona. One of my eventual goals is to go back to my roots and retire near the beach somewhere on either coast. Since beaches are hard to come by in Arizona, I’m content for now to pursue hobbies like kayaking and fishing in the beautiful northern Arizona mountains with my family as often as possible.