We follow the markets so you don't have to.
Independent, fiduciary advice and institutional-caliber research for individuals and families, explained in plain language and built around the life you actually want to live.
Thirty years of experience, one client at a time
Meridith Hutchens has spent more than thirty years managing portfolios and advising families through every kind of market. She founded Fortis Private Wealth to bring institutional-caliber research to individual clients, delivered in clear language and without a sales agenda.
She lives and works in Lake View East, and most of her clients come to her around a turning point: retirement, a career transition, an inheritance, or life after divorce or loss. Her goal is simple: that every client understands their own plan well enough to feel confident in it.
Founder
Meridith L. Hutchens is the founder of Fortis Analytics, where she serves as Outsourced Chief Investment Officer, providing white-label investment services, portfolio research, and analytics to financial advisors and institutional investors.
Drawing on decades of experience, she builds outcome-based, risk-conscious strategies — developing proprietary approaches when the strategies her clients need simply don't exist in the market.
Background
Prior to founding Fortis, Meridith was a partner at Polaris Wealth Advisory Group and a wealth advisor at Merrill Lynch.
She holds the Series 65 designation and earned her degree from Tulane University.
Personal
Meridith lives in Chicago with her husband and two adult children.
She is a patron of the arts and a classically trained ballerina.
Meridith
on the Markets
One plain-language note a month on what’s moving the markets. No jargon, no spam.
Lunch Money and Market Outlook 2027 (Part 1)
Meridith on the Markets What Lunch Money Tells Us About the 2027 Market Themes Heading Into 2027 · Part 1 When we think about the markets, “lunch money” is a good place to start, because it shows what rising prices do to a family budget. Last month...
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