Updated:
Melone Private Wealth
Lou Melone founded Melone Private Wealth in 2020 in Auburn Hills, Michigan, after a career earning the CFP and CEPA designations. The firm operates as a...
Melone Private Wealth
Lou Melone founded Melone Private Wealth in 2020 in Auburn Hills, Michigan, after a career earning the CFP and CEPA designations. The firm operates as a registered investment adviser for individuals, high-net-worth families, and business owners, with a planning-first service model rather than a brokerage-style sales engine. Branden Carney serves as the other named advisor on the Melone team. The firm deploys client capital across traditional public-market asset classes through customized portfolio management — equity, fixed income, and cash strategies — all guided by the Client Life Process framework. Melone does not operate as a venture investor or direct-deal platform. Instead, it uses behavioral-finance coaching to help clients avoid common retirement-planning mistakes, a theme explored in its podcast series. Client portfolios are built to reflect retirement goals and structured around risk-aligned asset allocation rather than chasing benchmarks. Geographic reach centers on the metro Detroit region, though the firm’s digital presence extends its planning philosophy nationally. Lou Melone earned his 15th consecutive Five Star Wealth Manager designation, a credential awarded by Five Star Professional to qualifying advisors in local markets. Branden Carney received the same recognition for a third time. The firm promotes its podcast, co-hosted with DBusiness Magazine, as a direct channel for investor education on topics like behavioral investment errors. No additional offices are disclosed on the firm’s website. Melone Private Wealth differentiates by anchoring every client engagement to a living financial plan that evolves with life changes, rather than resetting annually with a product push. The firm’s emphasis on exit planning — via Lou Melone’s Certified Exit Planning Advisor role and the Value Acceleration Methodology — gives it a niche among business owners preparing for liquidity events, a segment many generalist RIAs underserve.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2020
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Auburn Hills
Corporate office
Auburn Hills, MI, United States
Principals
Lou Melone
Managing Member
Branden Carney
Financial Planner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Melone Private Wealth?
Lou Melone, the firm’s Managing Member and a CFP and CEPA designee, leads investment and planning decisions. He works alongside financial planner Branden Carney, also a CFP. The firm’s website does not list a dedicated investment committee or external CIO, suggesting Melone and Carney maintain direct control over portfolio construction and client allocations.
Is Melone Private Wealth a family office, an RIA, or a broker-dealer?
Melone Private Wealth is a registered investment adviser, operating as a multi-client wealth management practice that serves HNW individuals and families. It is not a single-family office tied to one source of wealth, nor a broker-dealer. The firm’s ADV filings would define its precise regulatory status, but its public materials consistently position it as a fee-based planning-led RIA.
How does Melone Private Wealth source its clients?
The firm sources clients primarily through local market reputation in metro Detroit, the Five Star Wealth Manager awards, and its behavioral-finance podcast produced with DBusiness Magazine. Its model relies on converting high-net-worth individuals and business owners who seek an alternative to large wirehouse advisory models, though no intermediary or third-party referral agreements are disclosed.
Does Melone Private Wealth make direct investments or operate venture funds?
No. The firm builds client portfolios using public-market securities — equities, fixed income, and cash — managed through its Client Life Process framework. It does not list any private-market direct investments, venture funds, or co-investment vehicles. Its niche is portfolio management and behavioral coaching, not direct deal execution.
What is the Client Life Process that Melone references?
The Client Life Process is Melone Private Wealth’s proprietary planning framework. It combines financial technology with behavioral coaching to create a living financial plan that adjusts to a client’s changing life goals and retirement timeline. The firm positions this as the core differentiator from firms that deliver annual static plans or product-driven wealth management — though the exact technology stack and process steps are not publicly detailed.
What is Lou Melone’s background outside of Melone Private Wealth?
Lou Melone holds both the CFP and CEPA certifications. CEPA marks him as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, trained in the Value Acceleration Methodology for business owners preparing to sell or transition their companies. His 15-year Five Star Wealth Manager streak — a designation awarded based on regulatory, client-satisfaction, and production criteria — predates the 2020 founding of Melone Private Wealth, indicating a prior firm or advisory platform, though Melone’s earlier career details are not disclosed on the current firm website.
Does Melone Private Wealth maintain any philanthropic or foundation structures?
The firm’s website makes no mention of a philanthropic foundation, donor-advised fund program, or charitable trust management. For philanthropic planning or foundations, Melone likely advises clients within the broader financial planning mandate, but it does not brand or operate a separate foundation entity, for the family or for clients.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: