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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.

Owen A Thiessen

Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" 2023
Published on April 4, 2023. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2022.

Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" 2022
Published on April 7, 2022.  Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2021.

Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" 2021
Published on February 11, 2021. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2020.

Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" 2019
Published on February 20, 2019. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2018.

Profile

The Thiessen Group

Since 2006, the Thiessen Group has helped affluent individuals and families create personalized and adaptable wealth management strategies to address immediate and long-term financial goals. We offer customized financial advice and guidance through our in-depth investment experience and by blending strategies for an approach that works best for you. We rely on the expert insights of the BofA Global Research team to provide clients with the finest investment opportunities available.

Our 5-Step Approach

1. Our approach to wealth management planning begins with a thorough understanding of your needs and objectives.
2. We provide thoughtful and innovative ideas to help you manage the financial events in your life.
3. We tailor a detailed portfolio and asset allocation strategy to help you reach your goals while respecting your risk tolerance.
4. We regularly review your goals and give you feedback during market fluctuations.
5. We are always available to speak to you – and strive to provide you with an advisor answered phone call – at all times.

Wealth Management Guidance to Strengthen Your Financial Future

The Thiessen Group will help you navigate your immediate and long-term wealth management aspirations. Our process is designed to look at your financial strengths and limitations, establish objectives, implement strategies and review results. This allows clients to make informed decisions about their finances and to pursue the goals they find most important.

Focused Services Include:

Customized Portfolio Management. Thoughtful portfolio management is essential to preserving wealth. We will provide you with a skillfully diversified portfolio, personalized for your risk tolerance, expectation for future growth, liquidity needs and tax considerations.
Wealth Preservation and Transfer. We work with specialists from Merrill, in coordination with your attorneys and accountants, to develop resourceful strategies to transfer your legacy to your loved ones. We can advise you on trust investments, charitable gifting and giving, life insurance and estate planning services.
Retirement Planning. We can offer you guidance on how to structure your wealth for retirement. We will look at your options for income producing channels and evaluate the effects of taxes and inflation on your financial future.
Corporate Retirement/401(k) Plans. We provide strategies to help corporate executives and business owners balance their employees’ needs. Our process identifies business goals and finds strategies that are the best fit for the company.
Additional Benefits. When you work with us, there are many additional benefits that clients come to know and love. These benefits include:
Bank of America Premium Rewards Visa Signature® Card
o Mortgage and Auto Loan Discounts through Bank of America, N.A.
o Online Account Management and Fund Transfer Capabilities
o Credit and Lending through Bank of America
o Small Business Banking through Bank of America

Our Team

Owen Thiessen, CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®
Managing Director
Wealth Management Advisor
Portfolio Manager


Owen joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2006, and offers advice and guidance to individuals and families about portfolio management, retirement planning, corporate retirement planning and wealth transfer and preservation strategies. Owen emphasizes the importance of a long-term outlook and his asset management focus includes helping clients minimize risk to investment portfolios, and developing tax minimizing cash flow strategies.

Owen is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ CFP® certificant, a designation awarded to him in 2006 by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. He also attained the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) and the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®) designations, administered by Investments & Wealth Institute™ and taught in conjunction with the Yale School of Management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Owen was Named to Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" list in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2019(Published annually Jan – April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year).*

In his spare time, Owen enjoys recreational aviation and is a devoted golfer at The Oaks Club. He resides with his wife, Lindsey and son, Anderson in Osprey, Florida.

Gordon Thiessen, CRPC™
Vice President
Senior Relationship Manager


Gordon joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1983. As the founder of the Thiessen Group, his responsibilities include business management and researching current international economic conditions. Gordon concentrates on building strong client relationships. He uses his client-focused approach to develop a deep understanding of clients’ needs and helps them in their pursuit of their wealth management goals.

Gordon holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, CRPC designation, awarded by The College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. 


Gypsy L. Sayre
Assistant Vice President
Wealth Management Associate

Gypsy began her financial services career with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Akron, Ohio in 1999. She joined the Venice, FL office in 2016 and now applies her years of experience to the Thiessen Group. Gypsy strives to deliver unparalleled service that exceeds client expectations.

Outside of the office, Gypsy enjoys volunteering for United States Veterans, reading, and spending time with her husband, Mike, her four children, and her dogs. As a former Ohioan, she embraces every opportunity to appreciate the Florida weather.

*Any information presented in connection with BofA Global Research is general in nature and is not intended to provide personal investment advice. The information does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any specific person who may receive it. Investors should understand that statements regarding future prospects may not be realized. BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”) and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. BofA Global Research does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should consider this report as only a single factor in making their investment decision.

*Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list. Opinions provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due-diligence meetings that measure best practices, client retention, industry experience, credentials, compliance records, firm nominations, assets under management and Firm-generated revenue (investment performance is not a criterion). SHOOK’s rankings are available for client evaluation only, are not indicative of future performance and do not represent any one client’s experience and available for investor help in evaluating the right financial advisor. Compensation was not received from anyone for the study. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Details available at www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.

* Owen Thiessen NMLS ID 521841

*Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, CRPC™, and the CRPC™ logo are certification marks or registered certification marks of The College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. in the United States.


  • LANGUAGES

    English

  • EDUCATION

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical 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.

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

Every relationship begins 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.

Capabilities

Merrill’s process is designed to help deliver a customized, comprehensive experience to assist you not only in wealth accumulation and preservation, but in areas that go beyond investments. Providing you with access to the investment insights of Merrill, trust and fiduciary services from Bank of America Private Bank, and the banking and lending solutions of Bank of America offers a way to help you manage all of the pieces of your financial life. Working one-on-one with a Merrill advisor means you have a single point of contact to help you with potential strategies for transferring wealth to the younger generation.

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. Whether you’re planning your retirement, saving to buy a home or funding a child’s education, the process begins by getting to know you and how you feel about the following:

  • 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

Success will be measured by the amount of progress you are making toward reaching your goals, making thoughtfully considered adjustments as events and conditions warrant.

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. Calculating how to manage 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? It all starts with a plan intended to help you manage, grow, and preserve your wealth today, while also considering the impact it can have for years to come. With access to the investment insights of Merrill and banking solutions from Bank of America, I will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

Welcome

My mission, first and foremost, is to understand you and what matters most to you. Armed with that information I can ask thoughtful questions -- listening carefully, then understanding in detail where your wealth stands today and where you’d like it to be tomorrow. I help you design and implement a personalized plan intended to help you and your family pursue financial goals while helping manage investment risk. My approach is to focus on potential solutions that can 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.


      The Power of the Right Advisor®
      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.