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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Profile

Missy Garapedian is a Financial Advisor with Merrill in Westlake Village. Missy provides tailored advice and guidance to individuals, families, and businesses, helping them discern what they want to accomplish with their wealth and engaging deeply with their priorities. A skilled problem solver, she enjoys resolving complex needs and streamlining multiple facets of a client’s financial framework. Clients look to Missy to serve as a steady and reliable part of their lives, whether providing new ideas and insights, uncovering possible efficiencies on both sides of the balance sheet, or educating the next generation to advance sound stewardship. Missy, in turn, welcomes the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on client well-being, demonstrating her commitment through her work ethic and responsiveness.

Missy begins each relationship by learning more about each client’s objectives, from near-term goals to long-term aspirations. An attentive listener, she places a client’s interests at the center of her work, pinpointing relevant capabilities, enterprise wide. An experienced Advisor, Missy offers the knowledge she has gained from serving an accomplished clientele, providing them with forwarding-thinking strategies, timely research, and best practices. She looks to advance client priorities through an integrated approach to multiple wealth disciplines: portfolio design, liability and risk assessment, long-term strategy, trust and estate planning services, and access to banking and lending capabilities through Bank of America.

Missy joined Merrill in 2021. Previously, she served as a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley, where she gained extensive insight into the wealth management needs of wealth creators and multi-generational families. Her career also includes tenures as a Technical Recruiter for a Fortune 500 Company and an Account Executive for a marketing and lifestyle brand.

Missy earned her B.A. in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Fascinated by behavioral finance, she strives to support clients in making more effective decisions by incorporating its findings into her approach.

A native of L.A., Missy enjoys living in her home city. In her free time, she likes to golf, salsa dance, and do acrobatic yoga.

  • EDUCATION

    Pepperdine University

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.

Kris Briones

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Robert V Clark

Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #440892

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

Wealth Management is a dynamic process. As I focus on you today and help you identify your goals for tomorrow, we can strive to work together throughout life’s ups, downs, triumphs, and transitions. Helping you pursue your goals starts with getting to know you and your family. 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. I will be here to help you make adjustments to your wealth management approach if and when necessary over time.

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 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

Life is always changing and growing more complex. Your needs and priorities specific to your family, work, health and home are continuously evolving. And since your finances are so deeply connected with the rest of your life, an investment approach that is specific to your unique situations can be helpful. Even if you’re accustomed to managing your wealth on your own, you may find value in having a relationship with someone who understands your priorities and who has the knowledge and resources to help you make more informed decisions, no matter where in your life you are.

Welcome

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


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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.

      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.