Mackenzie Mertz

I'm a financial advisor with Horizon Advisors, where I've been working since September. I'm the first female advisor at the firm, which really gives me the opportunity to help expand and represent the female aspect of a male-dominated field. What inspired me to enter financial services was seeing how much money impacts everything in our economy and world. I grew up in a middle-class family where we had money, but we didn't get a lot of the assistance that some people in our area got, and we didn't have tons of money to be able to fund whatever we wanted. I really wanted to help middle-class families who are just regular people and make an impact on their financials, to help them have a plan and not have to stress over something that is just a major part of people's lives. During college, I had an internship with a financial advisor down in Florida that I met through a family friend. I really liked it, and I liked how I could see the change and the impact that he had on people and families and individuals. It inspired me to use my love of math and love of planning to really help people. I'm currently working on my CFP, which is a Certified Financial Planner certification. I'm about halfway through the courses for that, and I'll take the test in March of 2027. I went to college at U of M-Dearborn where I got a bachelor's in finance, and I added a minor in supply chain and a minor in criminal justice. I was on the U of M Dearborn volleyball team for 5 years and was the captain for 3 years. I received the College of Business Dean's Medallion Award for being one of the top 3 students for the College of Business, and in my last year, I got the Chancellor's Award for sports achievements and academic achievements. I had the honor of giving the athletic department speech to the sports banquet my last semester. My most notable professional achievement has been being the first female advisor at this firm. Even in the short amount of time that I've done it, I've been able to bring a different level of compassion and emotion, and honestly, just pure trust to meetings with the clients.