I am new to this site, and just bought a 2013 Edge SEL for the old lady. I also have lots of professional detailing experience and would be happy to provide advice when/where requested.
Some Observations:
1. There are lots of fine detailing products out there; there is no "best" compound or polish or wax/synthetic. I have my favorites and tend to stick with them, although I am not averse to trying something new. Detailing products have come a long way in the last five years.
2. You'll never accomplish Jack-S#!t removing swirls/RIDS or holograms by hand. Get a D/A and a good selection of foam or microfiber pads to correct damaged paint.
3. Correcting Damaged paint is a (minimum) three step process: Compounding, Polishing, and Last Step Product (Wax/synthetic/coating). You can add Clay-barring to that list if necessary.
4. My current "go-to" products are: Meguiars M101 (compound); Meguiars M205 (Polish); and Blackfire Wet Diamond synthetic "wax." I can toss in Wet Glaze 2.0 as a last step gloss enhancer. I use a Griots Garage 6" polisher. Lots of power. Use Lake Country foam pads (mostly). Get a good light to see your work clearly and use a roll-about stool to save your back.
5. I have never found a tire shine product that is all that great.
6. Go online to learn how to use all this stuff. Some good instructional Videos on AutoGeek.
7. Black paint sucks!
8. People have no idea how much time it takes to do a perfect paint restoration job. Most people want to pay $99.95 for a detail. Ain't gonna happen!
9. It's all in the prep!