A focus on multigenerational relationships

The Friese-Phillips-Bock Group is committed to building relationships that last.  We take a long-term view of wealth management, with the objective of guiding you through the cycle of wealth accumulation, preservation, and distribution.

Many of our client relationships extend deep into families, often encompassing multiple generations.  We dedicate considerable time to meeting with you and other members of your extended family to learn what is most important to you, now and in the future.  By understanding and working to anticipate your needs, we can recommend the wealth management strategies we believe are appropriate for your circumstances.

We are especially aware of the financial concerns of families caring for someone with special needs.  As we deepen our relationships with families, however, we find that many clients are concerned about making their wealth last through future generations.  Even if they do not have a loved one with a special need or disability, they may question whether some family members have the capabilities to be good stewards of wealth.  We are sensitive to their concerns and can help develop strategies aimed at transitioning and preserving wealth in these situations.

Informed, empathetic guidance for families with special needs

Caring for a family member with a special need or disability presents complex financial challenges.  The Friese-Phillips-Bock Group combines personal insight and empathy with professional experience to assist families in meeting these challenges. 

Typically, families are especially concerned about making their wealth last so they can provide the care and services their loved one may require throughout his or her life.  We help families establish realistic financial objectives for providing lifetime care.  Then, we recommend strategies designed to help increase the likelihood of reaching those objectives. 

At your discretion, we can coordinate with other family members and outside advisors (including legal, tax, and estate-planning professionals), as well as internal Merrill specialists, to help ensure that all the pieces of your strategy – such as guardianship for children with special needs – are in place and working together.  We recognize that families with special needs often require nonfinancial services, and we can help you connect with additional resources, organizations, and support groups in the local community.

When a child, elder, or someone else close to you has special needs or disabilities, it can be difficult to focus on the rest of your family.  Yet, it is important not to overlook their financial well-being.  You may want to consider strategies for retirement income, estate planning services, insurance, and funding children’s or grandchildren’s college education.  We can work with you to integrate special needs concerns into your broader wealth management approach.

A disciplined approach to investing

The management of risk is central to our investment philosophy.  We help clients determine the acceptable level of risk for any investment based on the desired level of growth expected.  In general, we advise taking the least amount of risk required in pursuing your financial goals. 

The amount of risk you can and should take in your investment portfolio will depend on your personal circumstances, risk temperament, liquidity needs, and time horizon.  For example, the families of children with special needs will typically have a longer time horizon because they are looking beyond their own lifetimes to provide financial support for a loved one.  Clients preparing for retirement may have a shorter time horizon, but they are also concerned about preserving the assets they have worked hard to accumulate. 

The investment portfolio we help you to design will take into account your long-term goals, as well as liquidity and income needs and tax considerations, in addition to risk tolerance and time horizon.  We believe that a diversified portfolio, actively managed and tracked over time, is the key to pursuing your investment goals.

For some clients seeking to reduce risk, we may recommend investing in sector-based index funds rather than individual stocks.  These broadly diversified funds are structured to mimic the performance of specific indexes or benchmarks.  They offer investors cost-efficient ways to invest across a number of market sectors or in specific sectors.  In our view, these funds may help to mitigate market risk and respond to changes in the investment climate and economic environment.

Philosophy

We 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, we will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

Approach

We 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, we 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 us get to know you better as an investor and help you refine your investing preferences. Together, we can help customize your investment approach. Using an understanding of your priorities and investment personality as a foundation, we 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

Our 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. Our 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. We view ourselves 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

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. So whether you’re planning your retirement, saving to buy a home or fund a child’s education, We 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.