Now’s the time to have the bull at your back, with Merrill.

Now’s the time to have the bull at your back, with Merrill.

Merrill believes the future is bullish, even in the most unpredictable of markets. To see you through uncertainty and help you to find opportunities, we invite you to check out the latest investment insights from our Chief Investment Office.

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Kayla M Gardner, CPFA, C(k)P

Vice President
Senior Financial Advisor
Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor
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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.

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.

Kayla M Gardner

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Profile

Our team focuses on working with affluent individuals and families to address wealth management needs that extend beyond retirement income planning. We often assist these clients with financial strategies designed to preserve their wealth and pass it on to future generations, or to leave a charitable legacy. Gathering detailed financial and demographic information is critical to developing a successful goals-based investment approach. Our goal is to deliver customized service that surpasses client expectations. Every member of our experienced team strives to be easily accessible and readily responsive to client service requests.
 
Kayla joined Merrill in 2014, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Kayla focuses on providing a holistic and customized wealth management approach. This method starts with discussing a client’s current and future goals, and assessing how the team’s capabilities could support them. Additionally, Kayla leads the team’s education program for 401(k) clients, through on-site and virtual seminars that are provided on a monthly basis.

Kayla prides herself on her ability to listen to and help clients verbalize their ideas about their financial situations, preferences and goals. She is an energetic problem solver who finds ways to address the needs of clients using the strengths of various resources of the firm. Kayla lives in Evanston and enjoys traveling and cooking. In her free time, she fosters animals with Wright-Way Rescue and serves on the Associates Board with The Cradle, an adoption agency for infants.

  • EDUCATION

    University of Saint Thomas

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

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.

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 Retirement Planning

Our primary focus is on helping clients with retirement income planning. Our focus is on developing an approach that takes into account your feelings about 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 and giving to charities
  • Work: Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
  • Finance: Bringing it all together; defining your financial goals
We’ll measure success together over time 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

Life is always changing and growing more complex. Your needs and priorities specific to your family, work, health and home are continuously evolving. And since your finances are so deeply connected with the rest of your life, an investment approach that is specific to your unique situations can be helpful. Even if you’re accustomed to managing your wealth on your own, you may find value in having a relationship with someone who understands your priorities and who has the knowledge and resources to help you make more informed decisions, no matter where in your life you are.

Mission Statement

We use the integrated resources of Bank of America and Merrill to help meet the customized needs of our clients. By delivering holistic and comprehensive wealth management strategies, we enable our clients to reach their goals and ultimately attain financial success. In order to make these critical differences in our client’s lives, we follow a prudent process that involves extensive planning, due diligence, and experience.

Our team is continuously adapting to the ever-changing industry. We strive to connect with our clients on a personal level, being a part of their everyday lives. Understanding personal goals and aspirations allows our team to forecast, coordinate, and better serve our clients in an array of financial areas including banking, lending, healthcare, retirement income, estate planning, & additional financial services.


*Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.

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

      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.

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      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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      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.