Paul Mershon
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
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- Full Name
- Paul Johnathan Mershon
- Title
- Founder and CEO, Silverhawk Private Wealth; current LinkedIn profile lists Aurelius Capital Advisors, LLC
- Firm
- Silverhawk Private Wealth / Aurelius Capital Advisors, LLC
- Firm Type
- Multi-family office / private-wealth advisory and complex wealth consulting; public sources did not verify Silverhawk as a conventional seed-stage angel-investor firm
- Investment Stage
- Alternative investments, private placements and private investment due diligence for UHNW and family-office clients; no verified public evidence of direct seed-stage startup checks
- Target Company Profile
- Closely held business owners, high-income entrepreneurs, UHNW families and family offices with complex tax, asset-protection, estate and private-investment needs
- Sector Focus
- Wealth planning, asset protection, alternative investments, private equity funds, hedge funds, real estate, life settlements, rare coins, classic cars, mineral rights and oil wells
- Geographic Focus
- Arizona, California and beyond
- Location
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Background
Paul Johnathan Mershon is a Scottsdale-based wealth advisor and founder of Silverhawk Private Wealth. Arizona Foothills described him as president and founder of Silverhawk Financial / Silverhawk Advisory Group and reported that he had been in financial planning for more than 30 years at the time of its interview. In that same interview, Mershon said he had previously owned Resource Financial Group in Wisconsin and had worked closely with closely held business owners for 30 years.
Mershon moved his practice to Scottsdale in 1992, citing Arizona’s weather, outdoor lifestyle and growing business climate. Silverhawk’s public materials describe the firm as serving families, entrepreneurs and professionals with financial planning, investment management, tax planning, estate planning, business-owner exit planning and private-client services.
Regulatory records identify him as Paul Johnathan Mershon and show a long investment-adviser registration history: Marathon Advisors from 1985 to 2006, QA3 Financial from 2006 to 2011, Pioneer Advisors from 2010 to 2013, Silverhawk Asset Management from 2013 to 2024, CWM from 2023 to 2024, and Griffin Capital Advisors beginning in 2024. His LinkedIn profile lists Aurelius Capital Advisors, LLC and education at the College for Financial Planning from 1983 to 1985.
Aurelius Capital Advisors describes its work as complex wealth consulting for UHNW families and family offices, with strategic partnerships in tax, wealth planning, asset protection, family-office services, alternative investments and private-investment due diligence. The site states that its “About Me” principal has provided advice and education to families in the top 0.05% of U.S. wealth since 1978.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Mershon’s public investment philosophy is centered on diversification beyond the traditional stock-and-bond portfolio. B Beyond Magazine describes Silverhawk’s “TRIA Formula” as a three-pronged approach across core investments, opportunistic investments and risk-protected investments.
- Silverhawk’s opportunistic-investment focus includes rare cars, rare coins, industrial real estate, cloud-storage/logistics facilities, mineral rights and oil wells.
- Mershon has emphasized using specialist third parties for niche assets. In a FINCHANNEL article, he said Silverhawk’s team includes market experts and third parties who source investments and seek purchases below fair market value.
- Silverhawk’s firm materials emphasize client discovery before asset allocation, including the purpose of the funds, risk/reward expectations, whether the assets are qualified for tax deferral, and the client’s comfort with investing.
- Aurelius Capital Advisors frames its approach as “agnostic advice” for UHNW families and family offices, integrating tax, wealth planning, asset protection, alternative-investment and private-investment due-diligence resources.
- Public sources reviewed did not verify a stated seed-stage startup thesis, startup check size or named angel portfolio.
Notable Investments
- Silverhawk Life Settlement Fund — A 2020 Form D filing reported a $100 million offering, with $28.875 million sold to 436 investors, and listed Silverhawk Asset Management, LLC as a recipient.
- Classic cars / collectible vehicles — B Beyond and FINCHANNEL both describe Silverhawk’s work around rare and classic cars as alternative portfolio assets; B Beyond reported Silverhawk suggested 3% to 6% of client portfolios could be held in rare car assets.
- Rare coins — B Beyond reported that Silverhawk worked with Michael Contursi, CEO of Contursi Rare Coins, as an adviser on rare-coin investments.
- Industrial real estate and logistics/storage assets — B Beyond reported Mershon’s thesis that online shopping was increasing demand for warehousing, storage and cross-dock facilities.
- Mineral rights and oil wells — B Beyond and Altss both identify mineral rights and oil wells as part of Silverhawk’s alternative-investment exposure.
- No verified direct startup portfolio companies found — Public sources reviewed did not identify named seed-stage startup investments made personally by Mershon.
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