Our Story

Proud to be serving the wealth management needs of many families now in their fourth generation.

About Us

Founded in 1998 by Thomas Buhl and Kenneth Fruehauf, Legacy Wealth Management provides investment and wealth management services to individuals, families, and institutional clients. Although the practice has grown to include five Partners and nine financial services professionals, the focus remains on upholding our core values:

Experience

Putting our knowledge and network to work for the benefit of clients

Access

Ensuring clients can work directly with the principals of the practice

Culture

Promoting a genuine spirit of teamwork and trust

As thought leaders, industry veterans, and community advocates, our Partners steer the direction of the practice promoting a culture of shared learning and collaboration. This helps Legacy Wealth Management to rise above the traditional wealth management practice and offer a total wealth management solution to families.

Partners

Ken Fruehauf Tom Buhl Doug Wood Chris Zich Nick Pizii

History

Legacy Wealth Management has a rich history going back to industry in the 1800s in Detroit, and expanding into Wealth Management services in the 2000s. We now have offices in Grosse Pointe and St. Clair Shores Michigan, Scottsdale Arizona, and Denver Colorado.

1860

Christian Buhl-Detroit's mayor 1860-1861

Initially a fur and hat trader, Thomas Buhl's great great grandfather, Christian and his brother Frederick, ride the wave of the Industrial Revolution turning to manufacturing and property development as the city prospers.

Detroit Mayor Christian Buhl
1868

Buhl Office Building

In 1868, the Buhl brothers erect the iconic Buhl Building at Griswold and Congress streets. The building is later named to the U.S. National Registry of Historic Places.

Buhl Building
1918

Fruehauf Trailer Company

Ken Fruehauf's great grandfather, August, founds Fruehauf Trailer Company in 1918. The company goes on to become the largest semi-trailer and container manufacturer in the world, holding over 1000 patents. See Singing Wheels.

Fruehauf Trailer
1992

Ken joins Merrill Lynch

Ken Fruehauf joins Merrill Lynch.

Ken Fruehauf
1998

Tom joins Ken at Merrill Lynch

Tom Buhl joins Ken Fruehauf at Merrill Lynch.

Tom Buhl
1999

Chris joins team at Merrill Lynch

Chris Zich joins Ken Fruehauf and Tom Buhl at Merrill Lynch.

Chris Zich
2004

Team joins UBS

UBS hires away Ken Fruehauf, one of Merrill Lynch's largest producers in Arizona. Ken instantly becomes one of UBS' top 10 producers. (Source: WealthManagement.com)

2012

Legacy joins Wells Fargo

Legacy Wealth Management Group joins Wells Fargo Advisors maintaining two offices in Michigan and Arizona.

2014

Nick joins the team

Nick Pizii joins team, bringing with him a strong background and knowledge in the Institutional Consulting business.

Nick Pizii
2021

Legacy adopts independent model

Legacy Wealth transitions to Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network platform to gain operational flexibility and provide clients greater access to specialized investment resources.

2021

Doug joins the team

After serving for more than 20 years as Branch Manager for the Michigan office, Doug Wood joins team.

Doug Wood
2023

St. Clair Shores Office

To further enhance the team's high-touch service, new professionals George Nihem, Phillip Brancato, Craig Kohler, and Teresa Maniere join the team. The new St. Clair Shores location improves access to services and elevates the overall customer experience.

2023

Denver Office

Legacy continued to expand its reach with a Denver office, headed by Morey Perlmutter.