Veteran Merrill adviser jumps to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

John Sheehan, a 16-year veteran adviser at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, joined Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC this week. Mr. Sheehan, based in Reston, Va., was a Barron's Top 1000 adviser in 2011 and ranked 11th among advisers in the state of Virginia. He was ranked 5th in the state in 2010. According to a person with knowledge of the matter, Mr. Sheehan and a junior partner who joined him in the move managed $350 million at Merrill and had annual production of $2 million. Mr. Sheehan started his career at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in 1988. He joined Smith Barney Inc. in 1993 before moving to Merrill Lynch in 1995, according to his profile on Finra Broker-check. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney spokeswoman Christy Pollak was unable to confirm the move and a Merrill Lynch spokeswoman did not return a call for confirmation.