DFX Intelligence

Data Factory

RIA / WealthAdvisordual registered (broker-dealer)25 years in industry

JOHN MICHAEL EHLERS

Advisor at MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

STILLWATER, MN

This is the graph view. The full profile, with its team, deals and sources, is on RIA / Wealth Management.Open the full profile →

Search this name across graphsid dfx:ria:57e76c8d-3c79-6b94-ce58-8e13347a46dc

Data as of Sep 14, 2026 (this record's last observation) from federal regulator filings. Page built Sep 20, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC and rebuilt at most every 15 minutes.

Relationships: 4
Dated events: 2
On other graphs: 0
Observed: Jan 21, 2014 to Sep 14, 2026

Across DFX

This entity has not been resolved onto another DFX graph by a shared identifier. A name match elsewhere would be a candidate, never an identity, and none is recorded.

Facts

fact = as filed or announced; derived = computed by DFX; estimate = a band, never a point

Current firm: MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED
Current firm class: wirehousederived
Book size: not publicno per-advisor AUM is published by the SEC, FINRA or IAPD, and DFX estimates none
Industry start: Dec 8, 2000earliest registration or exam on IAPD
Years in industry: 25derivedfrom the industry start date
Years at current firm: 3derivedfrom the current registration's begin date
Prior firms: 3
Current registrations: 1
Registered states: 3
Exams: S66
First exam: Dec 8, 2000
First registration: Jan 21, 2014
Dual registered: yes, broker-dealer
Other names: JOHN MICHAEL EHLERS|John M Ehlers
IAPD individual key: 4281012

Registration history

registration spans on IAPD; the basis says whether the span is a current registration or a prior employment record

Firm	Class	Began	Ended	Current	Branch	Basis
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED	Wirehouse	Mar 1, 2023	n/a	yes	STILLWATER, MN	Current employment
CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLC	Institutional manager	Dec 22, 2021	Apr 13, 2023	no	Golden Valley, MN\|NEWPORT BEACH, CA	Previous registration
Onedigital	Institutional manager	Jan 9, 2019	Jan 6, 2022	no	GOLDEN VALLEY, MN\|OVERLAND PARK, KS	Previous registration
LPL FINANCIAL LLC	Bd affiliated wealth	Jan 21, 2014	Apr 9, 2019	no	ST. LOUIS PARK, MN\|SAN DIEGO, CA\|SAINT LOUIS PARK, MN	Previous registration

Moves

a move is two registration dates; a bulk corporate re-registration is typed BULK_TRANSFER and is not a move

From	To	Left	Joined	Gap, days	Kind	Move type
CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLC	MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED	Apr 13, 2023	Mar 1, 2023	-43	Firm change after gap	Other
Onedigital	CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLC	Jan 6, 2022	Dec 22, 2021	-15	Firm change	Other
LPL FINANCIAL LLC	Onedigital	Apr 9, 2019	Jan 9, 2019	-90	Firm change after gap	Other

Team moves

moves this advisor made together with colleagues (two or more registrations ending and beginning together)

Team	Left	Joined	From	Kind
106766:126777:KS:2022-01-06	Jan 6, 2022	Dec 22, 2021	OVERLAND PARK, KS	Firm change

Relationships

Registered with (4)

→ MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATEDRegistered adviserregistration: current employment
Mar 1, 2023 to presentfactForm ADV
→ CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLCRegistered adviserregistration: previous registration
Dec 22, 2021 to Apr 13, 2023factForm ADV
→ ONEDIGITALRegistered adviserregistration: previous registration
Jan 9, 2019 to Jan 6, 2022factForm ADV
→ LPL FINANCIAL LLCRegistered adviserregistration: previous registration
Jan 21, 2014 to Apr 9, 2019factForm ADV

Dated events

Occurred
Apr 13, 2023
Advisor changed firm
John Michael Ehlers left Creative Planning Institutional Advisors, Llc for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (registered 2023-03-01)
Form ADVobserved 5 days ago
Occurred
Jan 6, 2022
Advisor changed firm
John Michael Ehlers left Onedigital for Creative Planning Institutional Advisors, Llc (registered 2021-12-22)
Form ADVobserved 5 days ago

Provenance

Graph: RIA / Wealth Management
Canonical id: dfx:ria:57e76c8d-3c79-6b94-ce58-8e13347a46dc
First observed: Jan 21, 2014
Last observed: Sep 14, 2026 6 days ago
Source families: Federal regulator filings
1 registered feed stand behind this record; each fact above carries its own dates and, where the publisher serves one, its document.
Resolution: Identity across graphs by shared identifier (CRD, CIK, EIN, ADV fund id, individual CRD) or citation; a name match is shown as a candidate and never merged.

JOHN MICHAEL EHLERS

Advisor at MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

STILLWATER, MN

This is the graph view. The full profile, with its team, deals and sources, is on RIA / Wealth Management.Open the full profile →

Search this name across graphsid dfx:ria:57e76c8d-3c79-6b94-ce58-8e13347a46dc

Data as of Sep 14, 2026 (this record's last observation) from federal regulator filings. Page built Sep 20, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC and rebuilt at most every 15 minutes.

Firm

Class

Began

Ended

Current

Branch

Basis

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

Wirehouse

Mar 1, 2023

n/a

yes

STILLWATER, MN

Current employment

CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLC

Institutional manager

Dec 22, 2021

Apr 13, 2023

Golden Valley, MN|NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Previous registration

Onedigital

Institutional manager

Jan 9, 2019

Jan 6, 2022

GOLDEN VALLEY, MN|OVERLAND PARK, KS

Previous registration

LPL FINANCIAL LLC

Bd affiliated wealth

Jan 21, 2014

Apr 9, 2019

ST. LOUIS PARK, MN|SAN DIEGO, CA|SAINT LOUIS PARK, MN

Previous registration

From

Left

Joined

Gap, days

Kind

Move type

CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLC

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

Apr 13, 2023

Mar 1, 2023

-43

Firm change after gap

Other

Onedigital

CREATIVE PLANNING INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS, LLC

Jan 6, 2022

Dec 22, 2021

-15

Firm change

Other

LPL FINANCIAL LLC

Onedigital

Apr 9, 2019

Jan 9, 2019

-90

Firm change after gap

Other

Team

Left

Joined

From

Kind

106766:126777:KS:2022-01-06

Jan 6, 2022

Dec 22, 2021

OVERLAND PARK, KS

Firm change