David Dorward is a Managing Director with the firm and is the current Senior Resident Director of the North Scottsdale Wealth Management Office. David began his career in the financial services industry in 1995 and joined Merrill in 1997. Since then, he has held a number of leadership positions within the firm, managing several associate offices and has been the active producing manager in North Scottsdale since 2005. In addition to his management duties, he operates in a financial advisory role working in the ultra-high net worth space with a focus on corporate executives, retirees, professional athletes, physicians and business owners.

David is a Portfolio Manager, who can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis his own personalized or defined strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks & bonds, Merrill model portfolios and third-party investment strategies. David has a full suite of professionals that he teams with to serve clients, including his Wealth Management Associate, Grace Bentivegna. David’s priority is operating in a client's best interest and utilizing Merrill’s financial planning tool (Private Wealth Analysis) to help clients navigate the financial landscape and achieve their goals. David is also a partner of the MDE Team. His partners include Brian Massingale and Ryan Ellis. Collectively, the MDE Team has over 80 plus years of financial advisory experience and has been working in a team capacity since 2001.

David’s professional designations include Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, CRPC™ and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor®, CPFA™. David received his bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and is an Arizona native. David is a Graduate and Alumni of Scottsdale Leadership Organization (Class XXI), is a former advisory council Board Member of the Ronald Reagan Library, a former Board Member of the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission, formerly the Fiesta Bowl Committee Chairman (2019), a former four year Paradise Valley Police Department Volunteer and currently serves on the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors. David and his family reside in Paradise Valley, AZ.

Named to the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list in ’19, ’20, ’21, '22, 23' and 2024

*Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published annually Jan - April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year.

Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to measure best practices; also considered are: client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.