Armstrong Fay & Associates

Wealth Management Group
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Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

At Armstrong Fay & Associates, every member of our team is dedicated to helping people achieve their financial goals. We believe every client is entitled to the highest level of personalized service and care. With the global resources of Merrill, we’ll place you at the center of the wealth management process as we work together to design a goals-based financial approach to help you reach the goals that matter most to you.

Our Videos

Insights, observations, and ideas to help you in your pursuit of your financial goals.

Important Video Disclosures

How we help clients prepare for the joys and challenges of retirement.

Merrill Personal Wealth Analysis® can help us build and document your personalized plan, centered on your goals and focused on what you want to achieve.

Our Group

Supported by the global resources of Merrill, our group is comprised of talented and experienced individuals committed to building strong client relationships based on trust and personalized service.

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.

Jermaine Gomes

Retirement Specialist

Bank of America, N.A.

Maggie Sobczyk

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Nicholas A. Beilfuss

Wealth Strategist

Merrill

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

Our mission is to understand you and what matters most to you. To take the time, to ask hard, smart questions and to listen carefully, then to understand, in great detail, exactly where your wealth stands today, and where you’d like it to be tomorrow. We help you design and implement a customized wealth management approach that helps you and your family pursue your personal financial goals while helping manage investment risk. Our wealth management approach is about using wealth to help turn goals into reality.

Philosophy

We 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. Worried about managing 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? With access to the investment insights of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America, we will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

Approach

We 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, we 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 us get to know you better as an investor and help you refine your investing preferences. Together, we can help customize your investment approach. Using an understanding of your priorities and investment personality as a foundation, we 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.

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

Our 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. Our 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. We view ourselves 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 Individuals, Families and Small Businesses

We 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. So whether you’re planning your retirement, saving to buy a home or fund a child’s education, We start by getting to know you and how you feel about the following 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 others and giving to charities
  • Work: Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
  • Finance: Bringing it all together and defining your financial goals

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.

Upcoming Events

Education Planning

October 3rd, 2023|1:00 PM CDT

Learn how you can help make higher education for a child or grandchild possible and take advantage of estate planning benefits. While the prospect of investing enough money to pay for college may seem daunting, integrating education planning into your overall financial strategy can have its benefits. For both parents and grandparents, the key to developing an education investment strategy is to understand the options available.

In this informative webinar, we'll Discuss:

  • Education funding options: borrowing versus saving
  • Tax-advantaged education planning solutions
  • How Merrill can help you pursue your education funding goals
Join us to learn how you can help make higher education for a child or grandchild possible.

Register for the WebEx here, or call Lana Katsnelson at 847-780-0518 or email lana_katsnelson@ml.com. 

    For more information: 847.780.0518 or lana_katsnelson@ml.com

    Social Security - Preparing for Retirement

    October 18th, 2023|12:30 PM CDT

    Deciding when to file for Social Security can have a significant impact on your long term financial strategy - for you and potentially your family. Join this informative webinar to explore options to consider, including:

    • Considerations for filing early versus late
    • How continuing to work and earn income impacts Social Security Benefits
    • Taxation of Social Security Income
    • Recent legal changes impacting retirement strategies
    • Benefits for spouses, widows, divorcees, and other considerations
    Please feel free to share this invitation with family and friends you think may be interested in this topic.

    Register for the WebEx here, or contact Lana Katsnelson at 847-780-0518 or email lana_katsnelson@ml.com.

      For more information: 847.780.0518 or lana_katsnelson@ml.com

      The Future of Asset Management - Direct Indexing

      November 15th, 2023|12:30 PM CST

      Taxes are a key consideration when investing in a non-qualified brokerage account. How you diversify and rebalance your portfolio may have significant tax costs.

      Along with a personal wealth analysis, learn how you can incorporate personalized tax solutions into your investment strategy in collaboration with your accountant and your Merrill Wealth Management Team. 

      Join this webinar to learn about the future of asset management and tax efficiencies.

      Presented by:
      Bill Bailey, Jr., JD | Goldman Sachs Asset Management
      Client Portfolio Manager | Quantitative Equity Solutions (QES)

      Register for the WebEx here, or contact Lana Katsnelson at 847-780-0518 or email lana_katsnelson@ml.com.

      Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs do not provide tax advice, and we encourage you to discuss tax implications with your accountant.

        For more information: 847.780.0518 or lana_katsnelson@ml.com

        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 we can help you create a financial approach that reflects your personality. Only then can we 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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            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 AdvisorTM
            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.