Women’s superpower: Investing

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Helen O'Hara, CPFA, CFP

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

Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

We'll deliver the investment insights of Merrill® to you and offer access to the banking convenience and lending solutions of Bank of America. We'll help you explore financial possibilities that may be available in today's changing markets.  And we can leverage additional support by calling upon our global network of specialists to assist you.

Profile

Ready to live confidently? Regardless of the life event – career change, growing family, retirement, college, divorce, sudden wealth - or priority, getting control of your finances, investing more effectively, improving your cash flow - my focus and ultimate responsibility to every client is to help them build a solid foundation on which to make their financial decisions with confidence.

My philosophy is built upon providing sound, objective financial and investment advice to individuals, families and business owners seeking to simplify their lives.

You can expect that:
• I will listen intently to understand your values, goals, and expectations.
• I will focus on what’s important to you, your family or business.
• I will educate and propose coordinated financial strategies that align with your resources and needs.
• I will stay connected with you on a regular basis.
• I will track your progress toward your goals and recommend appropriate adjustments in response to situational and/or market conditions.

About Me
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Villanova University School of Business. I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Deloitte alumni, although as a Financial Advisor I do not provide tax advice to clients. I joined Merrill after a successful career as CFO/CIO in the real estate industry and earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 2014. I live with my husband Tim, twin boys, Tim and Sean, in West Chester, PA and enjoy the companionship of the adopted shelter dogs. As an avid cyclist I have participated in the MS Bike to Bay for many years and volunteer at various community events.

Your Next Steps

Currently working with a Financial Advisor? Seeking a second opinion may confirm you are on the right track or potentially open your eyes to new viewpoints that are more aligned with your goals. Similar to how you may manage a health issue, a second opinion is a prudent action.

Going it alone? I welcome the opportunity to learn more about you and how we might work together. If we're a fit just maybe you'll earn back time better spent with family, growing your business or a round of golf - and gain more confidence in your financial direction.

Make today the day you decide to live confidently! Call or email me to learn more about my wealth management process, the resources available at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and how I can help you achieve your financial goals.


Helen O’Hara, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.

  • EDUCATION

    Villanova University - School of Business

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.

Sondra Gee

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Christopher Caradec

Wealth Strategies Advisor

Bank of America, N.A.

Alison Guard

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #535296

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

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.

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.

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, your family and developing a plan. My job is to understand what matters most to you. We will work together to create a financial strategy that reflects your investment personality and is built around your life priorities. I will be here to help you make adjustments to your plan if and when necessary over time.

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

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 Women

While virtually all investors can receive help pursuing their unique financial goals, my primary focus is on working with women investors. Whether you’re contemplating retirement, deciding on a career change, wondering if you can afford to fund a child’s education or care for an aging parent, the process begins by getting to know you and understanding how prepared you may be to pursue your financial journey.

Your goals, your family and your finances are interrelated, and your financial future and that of your family can be shaped by the decisions you make. Listening carefully to your priorities the team can help you take the steps necessary to move forward. We can help you with strategies for healthcare costs (even if you’re decades away from retirement), and help you evaluate whether your income is sufficient to meet living expenses without having to make lifestyle adjustments. With a dedicated advisor at your side you can gain personalized investment strategies from Merrill, with access to the extensive banking capabilities of Bank of America.

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.

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    #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

      I believe it’s important that you seek the advice and guidance of an experienced financial advisor who can thoughtfully analyze your situation, work with you to identify potential solutions that address your needs, and clearly communicate them to you. I want to work with you to develop your wealth management approach for the future.

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      Articles

      DISPLAYING:

      Market Briefs

      Women’s Superpower: Investing

      How should taxes factor into your investment decisions?

      6 Surprising Benefits of Having a Financial Plan

      Social Security: Aiming for Smarter Payments

      5 questions to help plan for healthcare costs in retirement

      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.