Douglas M. Robbins, CPFA, CFP

First Vice President
Wealth Management Advisor
Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor
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Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Whatever your personal goals may be, I will work together with you, one-on-one, to develop a personalized financial strategy designed to help you pursue your long-term goals.

Profile

Douglas M. Robbins, CFP®, CPFA, RAFA
First Vice President
Wealth Management Advisor

 
Doug joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Pleasanton, CA in 2013.  His focus is on creating wealth management strategies for individuals and businesses to help them pursue their short and long-term financial goals.
 
Doug believes in an interactive relationship with his clients.  Whether it’s an individual’s personal investments or a corporate retirement plan, his process begins by clearly identifying and defining their financial goals and objectives.  A customized wealth management strategy is developed using an independent evaluation of alternatives. The strategy is implemented with his direct involvement and attention to detail.  Once implemented, the strategy is regularly reviewed and the results measured against the client’s specific financial objectives.  Doug’s comprehensive approach to wealth management is designed to help clients achieve their financial goals.

Doug began his career as a Financial Advisor in 1997.  Prior to that, he was President/CEO of an international environment services firm.  He has managed start-ups, acquisitions and the integration of geographically and culturally diverse organizations. 

Doug completed his undergraduate degree at the University Of Michigan College Of Engineering and earned an MBA in Finance from the University of San Francisco.  In addition to holding Series 7, 31, 63, and 65 FINRA registrations, he is a licensed Life Insurance Agent.  Doug is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. He also holds the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor, CPFA designation through the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), as well as the Merrill designation of Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor, RAFA. His advanced training includes portfolio management, employee benefits, insurance, tax minimization and estate planning strategies.

Doug resides in Danville with his wife, Chris. They have been married for over forty years and have two adult sons, both graduates of UCLA.

 

*Merrill Life Agency's California License Number 0522776 

I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.

  • LANGUAGES

    English

  • EDUCATION

    University of Michigan

    University of San Francisco

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.

Vinayak Riyat

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Samantha C Sylvester

Wealth Strategist

Merrill

Cory Slattengren

Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #633512

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

Every relationship begins with a conversation, helping you identify and prioritize which goals matter most to you. Whether it's transferring wealth to the next generation, customizing your financial approach to help you pursue your passions, or providing advice and guidance to help you stay informed, I start by listening to learn more about you and your family.

Capabilities

Merrill’s process is designed to help deliver a customized, comprehensive experience to assist you not only in wealth accumulation and preservation, but in areas that go beyond investments. Providing you with access to the investment insights of Merrill, trust and fiduciary services from Bank of America Private Bank, and the banking and lending solutions of Bank of America offers a way to help you manage all of the pieces of your financial life. Working one-on-one with a Merrill advisor means you have a single point of contact to help you with potential strategies for transferring wealth to the younger generation.

Focus On Individuals, Families and Small Businesses

I 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.

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 the best financial approach is the one that helps you pursue your goals. That's why, from the start, we talk about your aspirations and encourage you to ask questions about issues that matter most to you. Calculating how to manage future health care expenses? College on the horizon? Considering the sale of a business or purchase of a home? Preparing to pass your wealth to future generations? It all starts with a plan intended to help you manage, grow, and preserve your wealth today, while also considering the impact it can have for years to come. With access to the investment insights of Merrill and banking solutions from Bank of America, I will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

Welcome

My mission, first and foremost, is to understand you and what matters most to you. Armed with that information I can ask thoughtful questions -- listening carefully, then understanding in detail where your wealth stands today and where you’d like it to be tomorrow. I help you design and implement a personalized plan intended to help you and your family pursue financial goals while helping manage investment risk. My approach is to focus on potential solutions that can 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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      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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      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.


      The Power of the Right Advisor®
      Working with a dedicated Merrill advisor means you get personalized investment strategies from Merrill plus access to comprehensive financial solutions only Bank of America can deliver.

      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.