Women’s superpower: Investing

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Who We Are

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

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

Whether you are growing your family, launching a new business, enjoying retirement, or anywhere in between, new opportunities and important decisions are always on the horizon. Our team works together to distill the vast financial environment into personalized strategies that reflect who you are, what you value, and where you want to go.

Philosophy

No matter your life stage, pursuing the financial future you desire is an exciting—but complex—endeavor. As you strive to find a balance between your current needs and your long-term goals, questions often arise, such as:

- Am I taking the right amount of risk?
- Am I making tax-efficient choices?
- Are my assets and liabilities aligned?
- Is my mortgage structured efficiently?
- Will I have to change my goals if the markets fluctuate?

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, we start by listening to learn more about you and your family.

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

No matter your life stage, pursuing the financial future you desire is an exciting—but complex—endeavor. As you strive to find a balance between your current needs and your long-term goals, questions often arise, such as:

• Am I taking the right amount of risk?
• Am I making tax-efficient choices?
• Are my assets and liabilities aligned?
• Is my mortgage structured efficiently?
• Will I have to change my goals if the markets fluctuate?

Criter, Bhalla & Spence are dedicated to helping clients answer their most pressing financial questions with straightforward, customized support — so you don’t have to walk the financial path alone. Our goal is to be your financial connection to global markets and Merrill's world-class resources and specialists.

Whether you are growing your family, launching a new business, enjoying retirement, or anywhere in between, new opportunities and important decisions are always on the horizon. Our team works together to distill the vast financial environment into personalized strategies that reflect who you are, what you value, and where you want to go.
|Our Team’s Capabilities
Criter, Bhalla & Spence brings together three skilled and diverse financial advisors with more than 50 years of combined experience in financial services and banking. Each member of our team has focused their career in specific ways—from fixed-income and equity investing to liability management—and we believe clients benefit from these complementary perspectives.

Through our collaborative support, we can help you align your assets and liabilities with customized wealth management including:

• Wealth management strategies
• Fixed income investing
• Estate planning services
• Access to home lending through Bank of America N.A.
• Long-term care planning
• IRA distributions
• Asset allocation and rebalancing
• Small business support
• Philanthropic giving

Our Team

 

Ravi Bhalla
Wealth Management Advisor
Senior Vice President

Team Focus: Implementing fixed income strategies designed to help clients preserve wealth, and managing growth-oriented equity allocations

Since 1997, Ravi has focused on building his knowledge base within forward-looking wealth management strategies. Due to his immersion in bond markets at the inception of his career, he believes first-and-foremost in managing for risk and subsequently being cost-efficient in his proposed equity strategies. In addition, as a first-generation American, Ravi understands the work ethic and focus necessary to be successful—and supports clients from this driven approach.

Ravi earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Arizona and has completed Executive Education courses at both Harvard University and Georgetown University. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two daughters and enjoys reading, travelling and running, often straight to an amazing new San Francisco restaurant.

Amanda Spence, CFP®, CRPC
Wealth Management Advisor

Team Focus:
Custom home and structured lending complimenting long-term goals and resources. Risk management including life insurance, long-term care, and liquidity events.

Amanda joined Bank of America in 2004 working in the insurance services department in Richmond, Va. She soon discovered that client relationships and providing financial advice and guidance were her passion. Amanda moved to San Francisco and transitioned into a private banking role, where she developed her experience in lending and cash management. She believes that the best way to serve clients is to be involved in and aware of all aspects of their financial lives. From Amanda’s perspective, integrating debt and asset management is essential when building personalized strategies.

Amanda lives in San Francisco but also spends many weekends up in the Sierras. She enjoys snowboarding, yoga, and indulging at the many amazing restaurants in San Francisco. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a finance concentration from University of Richmond.

*Banking and Lending Services are through Bank of America, N.A. (NMLS#637530)

*Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, CRPC™, and the CRPC™ logo are certification marks or registered certification marks of The College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. in the United States.

*Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S.

 *Merrill Life Agency's California License Number 0522776 



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.

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.

    #DigitalMerrill

    MyMerrill is your online destination for access to your financial information, secure communications, and a robust offering of tools and capabilities.

    Your advisor is a click away within our site or mobile apps

    You can manage account security with our customizable security capabilities such as touch ID, one time passcode, and other security features

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

      Let’s Have a Conversation

      We believe there is no substitute for having a relationship with a team of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisors committed to your needs, who can leverage the investment insights of Merrill and offer access to the banking convenience of Bank of America to help clients navigate the financial and economic landscapes. Let’s work together to help you pursue your goals.

      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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      Transcript of Video 

      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.