Tune out the noise: Wealth planning for the year ahead

Hear from a panel of experts as they explore how rising interest rates, high inflation and increased volatility are impacting the economy, how family dynamics are changing estate planning and hear some actionable strategies for investors to consider in 2023.

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Heidi Leu, CPFA, CFP

Senior Vice President
Wealth Management Advisor
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Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Understanding your life priorities is an important part of how I work with the clients I serve. It’s not just about markets and returns, it’s about what matters most to you. I welcome the opportunity to show you how we can work together to create a financial approach designed around you, your goals and your aspirations.

Profile

Heidi Leu is a Wealth Management Advisor who joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in December 2012. She has been in the financial services industry since 2000.

During her tenure as a financial advisor, she has gone through two major financial crises with one of them considered the most damaging in the economic scale ever since the Great Depression. Those unique experiences have molded her into a portfolio manager with a mindset of principle preservation besides growth of investments when it comes to manage clients’ hard earned money. The extreme volatility and intensity of the financial world in the past decade have definitely made her a seasoned advisor. Her areas of focus include customized individual and family plans, retirement income stream planning for both pre-retirees and retirees, portfolio management and tax-deferred* oriented retirement plans including corporate 401(k) profit sharing and pension plans. 

Heidi holds Series 7, 63, 65 FINRA registrations and California state insurance license. In 2007, she earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. In 2010, she partnered up with Christopher Leu, a 33 years seasoned banker, to bring to clients a holistic view of wealth planning. Together, they offer clients innovative financial advice in the area of tax deferral strategies*, insurance, retirement and all aspects of lending needs.


*Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.

*A Portfolio Manager can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis her own personalized or defined strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies.
*Merrill Life Agency's California License Number 0522776 

*Banking and Lending Services are through Bank of America, N.A.

  • LANGUAGES

    English, Mandarin, Min Nan & Yue(Cantonese)

  • EDUCATION

    University of Texas at Arlington

    University of Texas at Austin

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.

Ally Bowdoin

Wealth Strategist

Merrill

Grace K Chung

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #637495

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

Welcome

My goal is to help clients pursue their personal goals, such as planning for and funding their children’s educations, helping to ensure that their money lasts in retirement, planning for their potential health care costs and managing the transfer of wealth to the younger generation. Everything I do takes into account clients’ personal perspectives and priorities. I aim to help bring simplicity and transparency to the complexities of investing; making the intimidating task of planning for the future an exciting journey of managing and helping reach your goals.

My Clientele

My clientele is extremely diverse and I can work with you to fit any particular situation. I provide in depth analysis for commercial and business lending for business owners, qualified retirement planning for 401k and pension plans, and complete and comprehensive planning for high-net-worth individuals. I also work with millennials, acting as an essential resource and a wealth management advisor because my job is not just to give you financial guidance, but to help you grow personally as well. I am not looking to just be your financial advisor, but to be your lifelong trusted friend.


*Lending Services are through Bank of America, N.A.

Approach

My approach to investing is grounded in an understanding of you. It all begins with a conversation. I take the time to get to know you — your kids' names, how hard you worked to get where you are and how you define success. I'll work together with you to understand your investment personality, prioritize your goals and build a financial approach that reflects your needs. I believe investors can benefit from our advice, access to the investment insights offered by Merrill, trust and fiduciary services from Bank of America Private Bank and the banking convenience of Bank of America. When it comes to your success, there’s only one financial approach that really matters — yours.

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.

Capabilities

My process is designed to help deliver a customized, consistent experience to assist clients not only in wealth accumulation and preservation, but in areas that go beyond investments. My ability to provide access to the investment insights of Merrill, trust and fiduciary services from Bank of America Private Bank, and the banking convenience and lending solutions of Bank of America offers a way to help clients manage all of the pieces of their financial lives. I view myself as a financial resource, helping clients with potential solutions for transferring wealth to the younger generation.

Trust and fiduciary services are provided by Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”).

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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      Let’s Have a Conversation

      Helping you reach your goals starts with getting to know you personally. Through understanding what matters most to you, together I can help you create a financial approach that reflects your personality. Only then can I offer an approach that is built around your life priorities and the advice you need to help you address fluctuations in the market and changes in your life. Let’s work together to help you achieve your goals.

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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.