Approach

Helping you pursue your goals starts with getting to know you and your family. We will work together to create a financial strategy that reflects your investment style and is built around your life plan. Our planning process can help you identify and prioritize your personal and professional financial goals, including education funding and retirement lifestyle. Potential strategies are offered to provide the “fit” that may best serve your objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon and liquidity needs. We help you understand fees and expenses associated with your accounts.

Our Philosophy

As goals-based advisors, we believe in listening and learning from clients – then basing recommendations on what clients say (and often, don’t say) about their concerns and aspirations. “The best way we know to serve clients is to maintain an ongoing dialog with them. For us, familiarity builds trust. And trust is everything,” Jeffrey Acuff points out.

Beyond risk-managed investing, the team may develop tax minimization and estate planning strategies with input from clients’ CPAs and attorneys, as well as specialists from Bank of America Private Bank (formerly U.S. Trust). Family meetings are also encouraged, so that trusts, wills and other matters of intergenerational wealth can be discussed – and clients’ wishes can be explained to their children.

Capabilities

Regarding your finances, it is important for you to know exactly where you are, where you want to go, and how much you may need to get there. We work together to develop a personalized financial strategy, providing access to the investment insights of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America, to help you plan for your financial future. We provide transparency on potential risks and opportunities and what you’re paying for and what you’re getting. Understanding that life needs and market conditions can change, we will meet with you to help ensure your strategy stays on track in pursuing your goals and to adjust your approach as needed for the journey ahead.

Focus On Individuals, Families and Small Businesses

We believe that financial success can be achieved when you’re able to make investment-related decisions and trade-offs that can help you reach personally meaningful goals. Whether you’re planning your retirement, saving to buy a home or funding a child’s education, the process begins by getting to know you and how you feel about the following:

• Health: Managing healthcare expenses, now and in the future
• Home: Upsizing, downsizing, remodeling or buying a vacation home
• Family: Taking care of your family and other people in your life
• Leisure: Spending your free time in meaningful ways
• Giving: Volunteering, mentoring others and giving to charities
• Work: Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
• Finance: Bringing it all together and defining your financial goals

Success will be measured by the amount of progress you are making toward reaching your goals, making thoughtfully considered adjustments as events and conditions warrant.

This material should be regarded as general or educational information on healthcare or Social Security considerations and is not intended to provide specific healthcare or social security advice. If you have questions regarding your particular situation, please contact your legal or tax advisor.