Recognition

Merrill is proud of our advisors who’ve received recognition from financial industry publications or directly from Bank of America Corporation. We believe they are setting the standard for exemplary client service.

Vivek V Thoppay

Profile

Vivek Thoppay began his career at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2002.  As the founder and strategic leader of The Thoppay Team, he serves a select group of highly successful clients, designing strategies that reflect their unique circumstances.  For almost two decades, he has built a team that emphasizes intellectual rigor, in-depth customization and committed service.  He and his team work closely with ultra-affluent individuals and families, helping them streamline financial complexities and capitalize on the opportunities of substantial wealth.   

Vivek has significant experience advising senior executives, entrepreneurs, and multi-generational families. He has previously been recognized by Barron's in 2019, 2020, and 2022 as one of America's top 1200 advisors (Published annually in February-March. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year), and by Forbes in 2018, 2020, and 2021 as one of California’s Best-In-State advisors (Published annually Jan – April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year). 

From the outset Vivek and his team asks clients what matters to them. The value we provide depends to a great extent on our ability to encourage ongoing dialog and build trusted relationships.  Our clients refer us to their friends and colleagues because they appreciate our diligence, skill and reputation. 

My days are spent working closely with high net worth families to explore their best financial options, given their unique, individual situations. My goal is to answer questions such as, what do I need to retire? Should I refinance my mortgage or buy rental properties? How do I protect my family from major life events? How do I plan my estate for optimal transfer to the next generation?  Answering these questions while addressing all available options and scenarios builds comfort. Helping families meet or exceed their financial goals has always been my main driver.

Vivek graduated from Santa Clara University, where he received his MBA degree in Finance. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Vivek worked at DuPont in finance and sales in the semiconductor division, technical marketing in the FREON® replacement group, and process engineering in the TEFLON® group. Vivek earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia.  Vivek resides in Saratoga, CA, with his wife, Mallika, and two sons, Saahil and Rishaan. Vivek was born in India and raised in the U.S. on East Coast. Vivek has been in the San Francisco Bay Area for over two decades.


WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?
• Busy clients don't always have time to optimally manage the moving parts of their financial picture. That's why our holistic approach extends to areas that may be neglected.
• Being an effective advisor means appreciating a client's concerns and challenges. Some clients are selling a business and eyeing the next opportunity – others are moving closer to retirement, or moving closer to family.
• By diversifying clients' portfolios using an institutional financial strategy, we aim to take risk "off the table." To optimize clients' overall wealth, we may coordinate with their CPAs and attorneys.

*Lending Services are through Bank of America, N.A. (NMLS#632765)

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” list, published annually in February-March. Rankings based on data as of
September 30 of prior year.

The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” ranking considered advisors with a minimum of seven years financial services experience
and who have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. This is a list of the top advisors in each state, with the number
of ranking spots determined by each state’s population and wealth. Other quantitative and qualitative measures include assets under
management, revenues generated by advisors for their firms, and the quality of the advisors’ practices, regulatory records, internal
company documents, and 100-plus points of data provided by the advisors themselves. Rankings and recognition from Barron’s are
no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of
performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones
& Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published annually Jan - April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year.

Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based
on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to measure best practices; also considered are: client retention, industry
experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management
and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and
advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the
right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is
not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking.
For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.

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

    Santa Clara University

    University of Houston System

    University of Virginia

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.

Joaquin J Barrios

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #953282

Isabel Terrero

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

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 begin every relationship 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.

Drawing upon research in the field of behavioral finance, Merrill developed the Investment Personality Assessment to help me get to know you better as an investor and help you refine your investing preferences. Together, I can help customize your investment approach. Using an understanding of your priorities and investment personality as a foundation, I help you access the full breadth of resources from Bank of America’s banking products and services and Merrill’s investment insights to address all aspects of your financial life.

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.”).

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. So whether you’re planning your retirement, saving to buy a home or fund a child’s education, I start by getting to know you and how you feel about the following seven life priorities.

  • 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

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. Worried about managing 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? With access to the investment insights of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America, I will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

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.

    #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

      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.

      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.


      MLBrochure.png

      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.

      Anthem video thumb.jpg 
      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 AdvisorTM
      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.