Awards and Industry Recognition

Barron's

Top 1,200 Financial Advisors
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Top 1,500 Financial Advisors
2026

Forbes

Top Wealth Advisors Best-In State
2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018

About Michael

Michael Hershey is a Managing Director and Wealth Partner with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management.

Every client has their own story to tell and that is why Michael has dedicated his career to helping successful families in pursuit of their most meaningful aspirations. He believes strongly that each client deserves a distinctive wealth plan, one that aligns their interests with their goals. Whether their assets derive from a closely held business, a sale of real estate, some other liquidity event, or an inheritance, Michael serves as both an advocate and an ally who individuals can rely on with confidence that their financial future is in good hands.

Client service is the cornerstone of Michael's practice, and he walks alongside each family member to help them navigate sophisticated financial decisions. While none of us can inherently control financial results over the near term, given the nature of markets, Michael works hard to concurrently address clients' emotional as well as financial well-being, confident of satisfactory long-term results. Michael's focus is on preserving and growing wealth by compounding at a reasonable rate of return with investments in high visibility, preferably dividend-paying companies, the highest quality fixed income vehicles and alternative investments. Every client portfolio is a "custom suit," with deep attention paid to tax efficiency and risk tolerance.

Michael's decades-long relationships with multi-generational families are a testament to the trusted guidance he has imparted over the years. He pays careful attention to the details of each individual's scenario—no matter how minor—and strives to do what is in their best interests. Michael's reach is nationwide, and he meets with clients, strategists and portfolio managers across the country.

Michael takes particular pride in his pristine regulatory record over forty years of serving as many as five generations of ultra-high-net-worth families. He often states that he has no retirement plans and considers investment management both his vocation and his hobby. Michael hopes one day to be written up in Barron's and Bloomberg for his loyal and productive length of service to long-tenured clients and friends.

A graduate of Vassar College, Michael earned a B.A. in English Literature, after which he did Master's work in taxation. Trained in personal financial planning, he launched his wealth management career at Oppenheimer, where he spent nearly 20 years, before opening our current Bellevue, WA, office in 2003 for a predecessor firm of J.P. Morgan.

Michael views his family and his client relationships as his chief priorities. He and his wife, Kelly, spend as much time as possible with their two adult daughters and grandchildren. For rejuvenation, he gets on his bike or works out in his home gym daily. He also reads, meditates and travels.

Insights

Markets and Economy

Diesel prices hit new record in September 2026: What that means for inflation, shipping costs and your portfolio

September 15, 2026Diesel prices hit record highs in early September, rising faster than gas. Here's what surging diesel costs mean for inflation, shipping and your investment portfolio – and what to watch next.Read Now
Wealth Planning

Step-up in cost basis: What this tax rule means for inherited assets when someone dies

September 15, 2026Learn how a step-up in cost basis works, which assets qualify and how this tax rule can impact inherited property and your financial plan.Read Now
Wealth Planning

Liquidity is a step Great Wealth Transfer plans can miss

September 14, 2026Estate planning is only one piece of preparing for the Great Wealth Transfer. Don’t overlook the banking access and liquidity needed to execute it. Here’s what you should consider.Read Now
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