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.
What Lunch Money Tells Us About the Market Outlook 2027
Market Outlook 2027 · Part 1: Themes Heading Into the New Year First, about Thursday Stocks fell hard on Thursday after the election. Our market outlook 2027 hasn’t changed. We’re not worried. Yet. The S&P 500 fell 4.4% and the Nasdaq 5.5%, its...
Start with a clear picture of where you stand
A 30-minute conversation and a written analysis of your retirement outlook. No fee, no obligation, and no pitch.