Now’s the time to have the bull at your back, with Merrill.

Now’s the time to have the bull at your back, with Merrill.

Merrill believes the future is bullish, even in the most unpredictable of markets. To see you through uncertainty and help you to find opportunities, we invite you to check out the latest investment insights from our Chief Investment Office.

Learn more

Bill Applegate

Assistant Vice President
Senior Financial Advisor
Learn more about an advisor's background on
FINRA's BrokerCheck

Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Whatever your personal goals may be, I will work with you to develop a personalized financial approach designed to help you pursue what’s most important to you.

Profile

Bill Applegate has been in Financial Services since 2001; joining Merrill in 2017 as a Financial Advisor. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance while participating in the Entrepreneur Program.

Bill's passion is to help families and small businesses prioritize and pursue the goals that matter most to them. In his practice, Bill focuses on financial strategies that leverage the vast resources of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America.

Being a native of Newport Beach, California, Bill is active in the community, supporting programs such as the Hoag Hospital Platelet Donor Program, Newport Aquatic Center and Tarbut V' Torah, among others. Bill enjoys spending time with friends and family, his black Labrador Sam, golf and playing the guitar.

  • EDUCATION

    University of Southern California

Professional Staff

Supported by the global resources of Merrill, my team is comprised of talented and experienced individuals committed to building strong client relationships based on trust and personalized service.

Additional Resources

The following specialists do not make securities recommendations. Please contact your Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor if you have questions about how a specialist might be able to assist you.

Sara Burns

Wealth Strategist

Merrill

Aaron Deming

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #637451

Where do we begin? It starts with you.

At Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, your financial advisor focuses on the things you care about most- family, goals and priorities - even as they change over the years.

Understanding Your Life

Approach

I believe an effective approach to wealth management requires working closely with you to help identify and define your goals.

My  job is to first understand what matters most to you. We will work together to create a financial approach that reflects your investment personality and is built around your life priorities.

My approach is to help you pursue your goals by providing customized service and potential investment solutions. Whether you are focused on building, preserving or transferring wealth we are committed to helping you address your financial objectives at every stage of your life.

Capabilities

One of my major advantages is being able to provide you with access to a Wealth Management Lending Officer from Bank of America, N.A., who can review and help with your home lending needs.

Focus On High-Net-Worth Individuals and Business Owners

I  offer clients a breadth of potential solutions, premier customer service and financial tools based on their unique circumstances.

No matter what your goals may be, I begin by helping you define and prioritize your financial goals based on the following seven areas:

  • 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 and giving to charities
  • Work: Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
  • Finance: Bringing it all together; defining your financial goals
I'll also draw on my industry knowledge and experience to offer:
  • Potential risk management solutions
  • Trust and estate planning services
  • Potential wealth management solutions
  • Access to Bank of America for your credit and banking needs
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.

Your approach to investing

Drawing upon research in the field of behavioral finance, Merrill developed the Investment Personality Assessment to help us get to know you better as an investor and potentially help you refine your own investing preferences. By gaining a deeper understanding of how you think and feel about investing through this assessment, we can customize the financial approach we develop together to help you pursue what matters most to you. Our Investment Personality Assessment is one of the ways to help us get to know you - to understand your goals and priorities. These questions will help us provide you with additional insights and resources.

Understanding your goals and priorities

Your life and goals change. We have tools to help you keep track of these changes so they can be reflected in your financial approach.

Philosophy

I believe it is important that you take positive steps toward your financial future, and that means getting more than just investment advice.  I take the time to get to know you and your family, your financial situation and what matters most to you. Using an understanding of your life and priorities as a foundation, I can work with you to build a goals-based financial approach.

Welcome

My mission is to understand you and what matters most to you. To take the time, to ask hard, smart questions and to listen carefully, then to understand, in great detail, exactly where your wealth stands today, and where you’d like it to be tomorrow. I help you design and implement a customized wealth management approach that helps you and your family pursue your personal financial goals while helping manage investment risk. My wealth management approach is about using wealth to help turn goals into reality.

Staying on Track

We understand that both your life and the financial markets can change over time. By checking in to discuss changes in your life and revisiting your financial approach, our goal is to help you stay on track to achieve what's most important to you.



Reviews to help you
stay on track

We’ll meet with you to review your goals and the progress you’ve made toward reaching them. We’ll also discuss any adjustments needed to your financial approach to help you stay on course.



    Changes in your life
    and to your goals

    Your life and goals change. As these changes occur, we can update your approach to reflect them.

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    Access to your complete financial life is available with My Financial Picture, Merrill’s asset aggregation tool

      Let’s Have a Conversation

      I believe it’s important that you seek the advice and guidance of an experienced financial advisor who can thoughtfully analyze your situation, work with you to identify potential solutions that address your needs, and clearly communicate them to you. I want to work with you to develop your wealth management approach for the future.

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      Why Merrill?

      As Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisors, we will sort through the financial complexities of your life, helping you build a customized investment approach to address your needs and pursue your goals.


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      We put you first, every day.
      Learn more about the dedicated one-on-one relationship you can have with a Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor.


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      No question too big or moment too small

      For every question you have, every decision you make and every answer you need, we are with you to listen and help guide you along the many paths your life can take. Watch this video to see some questions we can address together.

      Personalized advice from a dedicated financial advisor.

      We get to know you and your family, your financial situation and what matters most to you.

      A comprehensive approach, built around your life’s priorities.

      Drawing from our experience and the best thinking of Merrill, together we will design an approach that reflects your unique needs, priorities and financial situation.

      Adjusting your investment approach as your life and the markets change.

      We will work to help you stay on track, regardless of what the markets are doing.