Personalized advice from a dedicated financial advisor.
We get to know you and your family, your financial situation and what matters most to you.
We Serve Clients By:
Being Strategic Thinkers That Help Get Things Done
The families we serve are predominantly self-made people from varied backgrounds and share at least one important characteristic -- they are all too busy to do it themselves. We use our ability to anticipate potential upcoming circumstances, identify issues they hadn't thought about, provide proper advice and work hard to get things done so they can go on with their lives.
Providing A Tailored Approach and Innovative Strategies
Our process goes beyond just investing. We devote a great deal of time to quantify each individual's risk tolerance. We focus on outcome-based objectives to help build a path toward accomplishing your personalized goals. Additionally, we offer customized banking, including credit and lending solutions, with alternative sources of collateral, through Bank of America.
Connectivity And Unmatched Access to Resources
We deliver the proper resources, as needed, from relationships built throughout the years. We have a network of experienced in-house and third-party strategists, analysts, investment bankers, family office service providers, family education and philanthropy advisors; as well as trust, estate and legacy planning professionals.
We offer clients a breadth of strategies, premier customer service and financial tools based on their unique circumstances. No matter what your goals may be, we begin by defining and prioritizing your financial goals based on the following seven areas:
Health: Managing healthcare expenses now and in the future
Home: Upsizing, downsizing, remodeling or buying a vacation home
Family: Take 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 by defining your financial goals
We also draw on our industry knowledge and experience to offer advice and guidance for strategies around the following:
Risk management
Trust and estate planning services
Wealth management
Providing access to Bank of America for credit and banking needs
Biography
Mike Barakat joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2012. His focus is on developing strategies and providing advice for individuals, their families and their businesses by understanding their short- and long-term financial objectives. By understanding their goals, Mike is able to provide tailored strategies to help them accomplish their goals in the most efficient manner.
Mike primarily works with private equity and financial services partners, corporate executives and medical professionals.
Mike holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is member of the CFA® Society of Chicago. He is a graduate of Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, holding degrees in Finance and Accounting. Mike is an avid Chicago and Hoosiers sports fan. He grew up locally in Naperville, IL and currently resides in the River North neighborhood with his wife, Deanna, and his son, Adam.
I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.
English
Indiana University, Kelley School of Business
Merrill Personal Wealth Analysis™ can help us build and document a personalized plan, centered on your goals and focused on what you want to achieve.
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.
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.
Senior Structured Credit Executive
Bank of America, N.A.
Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer
Bank of America, N.A.
NMLS #559834
Retirement Specialist
Bank of America, N.A.
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.
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.
Your life and goals change. As these changes occur, we can update your approach to reflect them.
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
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.
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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