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.

Watch now

Donald Stegall, CPFA, CFP, CRPS

Vice President
Wealth Management Advisor
Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor
Learn more about an advisor's background on
FINRA's BrokerCheck

Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Whatever your personal goals may be, I will work with you to develop a personalized financial approach designed to help you pursue what’s most important to you.

Our Videos

Insights, observations, and ideas to help you in your pursuit of your financial goals.

Important Video Disclosures

Take charge of your financial future with a plan that is all about you.

Take charge of your financial future with a plan that is all about you.

My team and I will help you fulfill your vision for your family's financial future.

Watch my video to see how my team and I can help you achieve your financial goals for your business and your family.

My team and I will help you fulfill your vision for your family's financial future.

How we help clients prepare for the joys and challenges of retirement.

Profile

Donald Stegall is a Financial Advisor who has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification awarded to individuals who meet rigorous education, examination, experience, ethics and other requirements set by the CFP Board. Don also earned the CRPS, Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist designation from the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp along with the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor designation awarded to individuals who take fiduciary responsibility on corporate retirement plans. Since 2011 Don has been focusing on retirement plan counseling for companies as well as creating income based retirement portfolios for their current and retired employees. He graduated from Montclair University in 1993 with a Business Communications BA.  Mr. Stegall currently resides in Lewes, DE after living for 45 years in New Jersey.  He lives with his wife of ten years Morin along with three young children Liam, Talia and Aidan.


*Source - As published online and in the January-February 2015 issue of PLANADVISER. To be considered for the annual PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Adviser list, advisors had to either submit information and references or be nominated and enter the award process for 2015 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year—individual, team or multi office team. Nominees were then asked to complete a form, providing various details about their practice, some of which appear on the lists. Advisors who were not nominated for the PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards could also submit such information unsolicited, although not to be considered for the awards. The PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers list is drawn solely from quantitative factors and information supplied by the advisors themselves. PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER are not affiliates of Bank of America Corporation.

  • LANGUAGES

    Hebrew & Portuguese

  • EDUCATION

    Montlcair University

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.

Jennifer Calista

Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #535313

Casey Caudill

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

Welcome

Why I love what I do?

Its a great feeling creating financial strategies that help you live the best life possible. Wealth isn't just about the performance of your portfolio-it is about how you live your life and the meaningful goals you want to achieve.

How am I different from other advisors?

Devotion to your success-

I work with business owners, senior executives, entrepreneurs, and multi-generational families and help them grow, steward, preserve and transfer their wealth effectively.

Networking-

Not for us, but for you! You are the business, career or family we need to promote and we will use our vast network to introduce you to key people that may be the lead that impacts your life. You will always be on our mind when meeting the right person that can help or support you.

Philosophy

Listening and Understanding-

Taking the time needed to know what is important to you and what your priorities are, we can customize investments to reflect your unique preferences, time horizons, and cash flow needs, wealth transfer objectives, and tax implications.

Instant Customer Service-

No voice machines and no emails a week later. If you have something that needs to be addressed a person on our team will take care of it instantly so its one less thing you have to worry about. With a text or email or a phone call we want to be there 24/7 for you.

Credibility & Competence-

The markets, tax laws, estate trusts and work benefits are in a constantly changing environment. In my commitment to serve you I go through the strenuous challenges of maintaining the following academic achievements, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional , Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor designations.

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.

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.”).

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.

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.

    DigitalMerrill2.png 
    Transcript of Video
    #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.

      Request Appointment

      Articles

      DISPLAYING:

      CIO Market Update Audiocast Series

      Where are you on the road to retirement?

      Market Briefs

      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.

      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.