UW-Eau Claire: Graduates among nation’s top financial advisers

EAU CLAIRE — Two University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire alumni were ranked as the top financial advisers in Wisconsin and Minnesota on a list that appeared in the Feb. 9 issue of Barron’s magazine. A third UW-Eau Claire graduate was ranked No. 7 in Wisconsin.

Barron’s — a prestigious weekly business publication for investors — created a state-by-state list of America’s top 1,000 financial advisers, a list that includes only the top 1 percent of all the advisers who work at large financial firms nationwide.

Andrew Burish, a 1981 UW-Eau Claire marketing graduate, was named the top adviser in Wisconsin. Peter Eckerline, who graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 1982 with a business administration degree and in 1983 with his MBA, was named the best financial adviser in Minnesota.

Using information it had previously gathered on advisers as well as information from financial firms, Barron’s assessed advisers based on their assets under management, revenues, the quality of their practice and their regulatory records.

Madison-based Burish serves as senior vice president-investments at UBS Financial Services. He began his career at Piper Jaffray and then moved to PaineWebber. UBS Financial later absorbed PaineWebber.

In its profile of Burish, Barron’s said he has always been part of the first wave of big financial-industry trends. It notes that “his willingness to use new strategies has kept him ahead of the pack.”

Burish currently serves on the UW-Eau Claire Foundation board of directors.

Eckerline, who has been with Merrill Lynch & Co. since the beginning of his career in 1983, is now the senior vice president, investments, in Wayzata, Minn.

In his Barron’s profile, Eckerline states that he works closely with his clients, making himself an essential partner in all aspects of their financial lives. The recent market crash has strengthened his relationships with his clients, he stated in that profile.

In 2004, UW-Eau Claire’s Alumni Association presented Eckerline with the President’s Award, which recognizes outstanding professional and personal achievements and service to UW-Eau Claire.

Michael Markin, a 1975 UW-Eau Claire accounting graduate, was ranked No. 7 in Wisconsin on the Barron’s list of top financial advisers. He is with Wachovia Securities in Eau Claire.

Markin is a former member of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation board of directors.

Markin, Eckerline and Burish all have been great supporters of UW-Eau Claire in the years since they graduated, said John Bachmeier, director of alumni relations.

“It’s always satisfying to see our alumni recognized for their talents, hard work and successes,” Bachmeier said of the top advisers’ rankings. “But it’s especially exciting when those being recognized are among the alumni who have given so much back to our university. They are inspirations to our current students and to their fellow alumni.”