Profile

In a wealth management career that has spanned more than 25 years and multiple generations of client families, Ed continues to attract successful individuals by delivering a highly personalized, planning-based approach – one that continues over time through frequent and friendly contact.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Ed speaks the language and cultures of a diverse, high-net-worth clientele on both coasts and in a dozen countries. They include active and retired senior-level corporate executives including those at major financial institutions with significant equity positions, as well as physicians, domestic and international business owners, and “millionaires next door” who’ve built a sizable nest egg.

“The referrals I receive tell me I’m proficient in assisting a wide range of clients – those with straightforward financial needs and others whose complex financial situations demand sophisticated strategies. While diverse in their talents, clients typically share an entrepreneurial mindset and the goal to monetize their years of hard work. Time and again, I remind clients that their job is to create wealth, and my job is to help manage it,” Ed says.

Having managed clients’ money and emotions amid the volatility of 2000, 2008 and 2020, Ed feels proud that virtually all of those clients remain with him today. He believes that’s due to two factors. The first is his enlightened perspective on mitigating investment risk. The second is his focus on clients – what’s on their minds and in their hearts. Specifically, he asks about their workdays (and nights), what they do in their free time and what they wish they had more time to do. Whenever possible, Ed works with both spouses and encourages meetings with entire families to appreciate underlying dynamics and satisfy all stakeholders.

When it comes to investments, Ed relies on the firm’s Chief Investment Office for overall insights and core strategies. From there, he formulates each client’s portfolio to match their risk tolerance, timeline and liquidity needs – with what may include equities, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, separately managed accounts and alternative investments*.

Beyond risk-managed investing, Ed is committed to working closely with clients’ CPAs and attorneys, to help align tax-minimization and estate planning strategies. He also offers access to Bank of America, N.A. for residential and securities-based lending, practice-based solutions for physicians and commercial lending solutions.

Ed holds the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designation awarded by the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) and the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation from the Investments & Wealth Institute™ through the Yale School of Management. In addition, Ed is a Portfolio Manager who can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis his own personalized or defined strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies. 

In recognition of Ed’s devotion to clients, he received the Bank of America Spirit Award of Excellence in 2004. He joined Merrill in 1998 after spending ten years at Citibank as a bank manager – helping clients understand and access relevant products and services.

Ed was born in California to parents of Lebanese and Cuban descent and attended St. Thomas University in Miami, where he’s lived since 1977. An avid fan of the Dolphins and most sports, Ed’s passions include movie trivia, theatre, and watching football with his Colombian-born wife, Rosa – a long-suffering New York Jets fan – at their home in Aventura.

*Some or all alternative investments may not be in the best interests for certain investors. Certain alternative investments carry significant risk and are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as mutual funds and other traditional investments. For these reasons, access to alternative investments may be limited to investors who are designated as sophisticated, high-net-worth investors.

*The Chief Investment Office (CIO) provides thought leadership on wealth management, investment strategy and global markets; portfolio management solutions; due diligence; and solutions oversight and data analytics. CIO viewpoints are developed for Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., (“Bank of America”) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S” or “Merrill”), a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.

*Edward K Fazzah NMLS ID 522115