About
Marcus Waddell, CFP®
Founder | Ascension Advisors | Scottsdale, AZ
About Ascension Advisors
As a fee-only fiduciary firm, we’re committed to acting in our clients’ best interests—offering tailored financial planning that aligns with your values and aspirations. We combine deep expertise with best-in-class technology to help you rise above the noise and stay on course through life’s changes.
Every strategy we create is designed to provide clarity, confidence, and long-term success.
Fiduciary
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, I’m committed to acting in my clients’ best interests at all times. Working with a CFP® means getting expert guidance across investments, retirement, taxes, and estate planning—all tailored to personal goals. With specialized training and strict ethical standards, I help clients build lasting financial security and peace of mind.
Third Act
Ascension Advisors was created to deliver a more personalized level of service and financial planning. I believe an investment strategy should align with one’s values, priorities, and purpose. I envisioned a firm where advisors have the flexibility, technology, and autonomy to craft tailored strategies that empower clients to pursue their goals with intention and confidence.
Early in my career, I learned to value quality over quantity—sometimes, less is more. Deep, meaningful relationships built on empathy and trust are the foundation of delivering true client value. Managed growth enables us to cultivate these relationships with intention and provide exceptional client experiences, regardless of client net worth.
The need for comprehensive, personalized fiduciary financial planning continues to grow—particularly among select client segments. Ascension Advisors was created to meet that demand. While the core principles of building, managing, protecting, and transferring wealth remain constant, the broader economic and capital markets landscape is dynamic and continuously evolving. Clients are well served when partnering with an advisor who genuinely understands and appreciates their journey—and is committed to helping them reach their destination.
Third Act
Ascension Advisors was created to deliver a more personalized level of service and financial planning. I believe an investment strategy should align with one’s values, priorities, and purpose. I envisioned a firm where advisors have the flexibility, technology, and autonomy to craft tailored strategies that empower clients to pursue their goals with intention and confidence.
Early in my career, I learned to value quality over quantity—sometimes, less is more. Deep, meaningful relationships built on empathy and trust are the foundation of delivering true client value. Managed growth enables us to cultivate these relationships with intention and provide exceptional client experiences, regardless of client net worth.
The need for comprehensive, personalized fiduciary financial planning continues to grow—particularly among select client segments. Ascension Advisors was created to meet that demand. While the core principles of building, managing, protecting, and transferring wealth remain constant, the broader economic and capital markets landscape is dynamic and continuously evolving. Clients are well served when partnering with an advisor who genuinely understands and appreciates their journey—and is committed to helping them reach their destination.
Second Act
In 2016, I made a mid-career pivot into financial services. After passing the CFP® exam in 2014 and spending over a decade in media and digital sales, I joined a respected firm with a strong retail presence and an expanding advisor platform.
There, I worked with a diverse group of clients across a range of financial planning topics—from college, tax, and estate planning to real estate purchases and investment, and comprehensive retirement planning. I drew on my background in sales and the relationships I’d built in the technology sector to craft personalized financial strategies for distinct client segments with unique goals.
I helped clients navigate a variety of market and economic cycles—earning my 10,000 hours (and then some) through real-world experience and meaningful relationships.
First Act
Before entering the financial services industry, I built a career in media and digital sales, collaborating with business owners, decision-makers, and advertising agencies to create marketing strategies that produced measurable outcomes. My career began in San Francisco, included a short chapter in LA, and ultimately brought me to the Phoenix market.
The media world was dynamic, rewarding, and full of remarkable people. I earned well, traveled often, and enjoyed the hospitality perks that came with the job. More importantly, I learned how to sell with integrity, developed strong interpersonal skills, and mastered the art of relationship-building. But as the learning curve flattened and my priorities shifted, I chose to pursue a long-held aspiration: to become a financial advisor.
I now live in Scottsdale, Arizona, with my wife of 18 years and our 6-year-old daughter.
