Taking care of your family and other people in your life
- Trust & Estate Services4
- Education Funding1
- Insurance3
Insights, observations, and ideas to help you in your pursuit of your financial goals.
Important Video Disclosures
We take the time to listen and learn about the needs and goals of your institution and the people it serves – it’s these real-world insights that guide our strategies and personalized service.
Extensive Experience & Deep Resources for
Individual Investors & Retirement Benefit Plan Sponsors.
Contact Us:
Our team's direct, toll-free phone number: 800-350-7782
Connect with us on LinkedIn
Click below to view:
Wealth Planning Questionnaire
Retirement Income Planning Worksheet
GRAT Employee Wellness Program Questionnaire
Welcome
The Gelb Retirement and Advisory Team (GRAT)’s mission is to provide a roadmap to help individuals, families and corporations obtain their financial objectives and goals. For families and individuals, we deliver custom strategies that implement a blueprint on how to optimize their current financial situation and reach their ultimate goals for not only themselves, but for future generations as well. For corporations and their retirement plans, we offer solutions and consult on the plan design, investment options, as well as present extensive personalized education for all employees.
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 helps our team to forecast, coordinate, & better serve our clients in an array of financial areas with access to banking, lending, healthcare through Bank of America and retirement income, through Merrill.
What can you expect from us?
Personalized advice that helps you address all aspects of your financial life, beyond individual investment transactions alone. Periodic follow-ups to help make sure you stay on course, no matter what is happening in the markets or around the world. Adjustments to your strategy, as life, and the markets can change quickly. Tools and expertise reflecting and delivering the best thinking of the Firm.
That is our commitment to you.
Retail Brokerage Wealth Management
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 leave to a charitable legacy.
Gathering detailed financial and demographic information is critical to developing an individualized goals-based wealth management approach. Our goal is to deliver customized service that meets and even surpasses client expectations. Every member of our experienced team strives to be easily accessible and readily responsive to client service requests.
Retirement Plans
We are a highly experienced team, with a passion for educating retirement plan sponsors and participants to help them make informed decisions. The Gelb Retirement & Advisory Team draws on our own extensive professional experience and the deep resources of Merrill to help clients tailor retirement benefit plans to their organization’s unique requirements and manage their plans as needs evolve. We offer guidance to sponsors of 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans, as well as non-qualified defined contribution plans and supplemental executive and equity benefit plans. Currently, we are privileged to provide service to sponsors of over 100 plans of all sizes in diverse industries.
We offer a broad range of services for plan sponsors—from guidance on designing a new retirement benefit plan or converting an existing one, to selecting or changing a plan provider, to monitoring plan performance, updating investment menus and educating plan participants. Our extensive knowledge of the retirement industry, including multiple plan providers and platforms, helps us guide sponsors in designing plans appropriate for their organization’s size, demographics, budget and other needs.
The Gelb Retirement & Advisory Team draws on our own extensive professional experience and the deep resources of Merrill to help clients tailor retirement benefit plans to their organization’s unique requirements and manage their plans as needs evolve. We offer guidance to sponsors of 401(k) and 403(b) plans, as well as non-qualified defined contribution plans and supplemental executive and equity benefit plans.
We offer a broad range of services for plan sponsors—from guidance on designing a new retirement benefit plan or converting an existing one, to selecting or changing a plan provider, to monitoring plan performance, updating investment menus and educating plan participants. Our extensive knowledge of the retirement industry, including multiple plan providers and platforms, helps us guide sponsors in designing plans appropriate for their organization’s size, demographics, budget and other needs.
We can help sponsors address the multiple facets of plan design, including:
Needs assessment: We evaluate business requirements, employee demographics and other factors to help sponsors think through what they want their retirement plan to achieve.
Legacy Planning Brochure
We focus 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. If clients request it, we will work with their CPAs, tax attorneys, estate planning attorneys and other professional advisors to help implement wealth management strategies. Our team also serves as a bridge to the broad and deep resources of Merrill for clients with particular wealth management needs.
Gathering detailed financial and demographic information is critical to developing a successful goals-based investment approach. My Financial Picture is a Merrill technology tool designed to help clients consolidate investment information, transactions and expenses in a single place and track financial progress. Clients can choose to enroll themselves in this program.
Our goal is to deliver customized service that meets and even surpasses client expectations. Every member of our experienced team strives to be easily accessible and readily responsive to client service requests.
Our team is comprised of talented and experienced individuals committed to building strong client relationships based on trust and personalized service.
Gelb Retirement & Advisory Team, when appropriate, works with other advisors and teams for specific clients’ situations.
GRAT Employee Wellness Program - Questionnaire
Fiduciary Fundamentals - Brochure
Lifestyle Spending Accounts - Flyer
Better Money Habits - Videos & Articles
Employee Banking and Investing Program - Video
Merrill Bank of America Integration - Video
Employer Toolkit: Health & Benefits - Resources
See our events in Participant Seminars
All Times Below are CST
January 26: Reasons to Invest Today
Register for 10:00am Session
February 23: How Social Security can affect Your Retirement
Register for 10:00am Session
March 16: Couples & Finance
Register for 10:00am Session
April 6: Guide to Today's Markets
Register for 10:00am Session
May 11: Retirement is Right Around the Corner
Register for 10:00am Session
June 1: How Long-Term Care can benefit You
Register for 10:00am Session
Better Money Habits - Videos & Articles
Videos & Podcasts
ON-DEMAND Seminars (videos)
Career transition - 10 min watch
The journey of caregiving - 19 min watch
The Early Retirement Trend - 9 min watch
Education Funding - 9 min watch
Benefits of Your 401(k) Plan - 10 min watch
Financial Fundamentals - 8 min watch
Financial Matters for Women - 15 min watch
Financial Tips for Your 20s and 30s - 17 min watch
Financial Tips for your 30s and 40s - 23 min watch
Financial Tips for your 50s and 60s - 16 min watch
Financial Wellness for Changing Times - 13 min watch
Healthcare Costs in Retirement - 13 min watch
Investing - 15 min watch
Navigating Market Volatility - 13 min watch
Performance Awards - 6 min watch
Plan for the retirement you want - 7 min watch
Preparing for Homeownership Part 1 - 15 min watch
Preparing for homeownership part 2 - 14 min watch
About Restricted Awards - 10 min watch
Retirement Income Sources - 12 min watch
Social Security - 10 min watch
Stock Appreciation Rights - 7 min watch
Stock Option Exercise Methods - 9 min watch
About Stock Options - 10 min watch
Strengthening Your Financial House - 6 min watch
Teaching kids about money - 7 min watch
ON-DEMAND Podcasts
Budgeting & Saving
Investment accounts 101 - 6 min podcast
Budgeting and spending - 6 min podcast
Establishing emergency savings - 7 min podcast
Bridging financial gaps - 6 min podcast
Credit & Debt
Managing debt - 12 min podcast
Understanding credit - 9 min podcast
Retirement
Choosing how much to contribute to your 401(k) - 13 min podcast
How does Social Security work? - 14 min podcast
Investing for retirement - 14 min podcast
Caregiving
Family decisions for caregiving - 15 min podcast
Planning ahead for caregiving costs - 14 min podcast
Legal documents for caregiving - 15 min podcast
Women & Finance
Social Security considerations for women - 10 min podcast
Empowering women through investing - 12 min podcast
Equity Awards
Using your equity awards strategically - 6 min podcast
MyMerrill Security - Video
MyMerrill Overview - Video
MyMerrill Mobile App - Video
MyMerrill Mobile Enrollment - Video
My Financial Picture - Video
Merrill Bank of America Integration - Video
Mobile & E-signature - Video
Send Documents to Your Advisor - Video
Digital Welcome Kit - PDF
Five 401(k) Options - PDF
401(k) Participant Vendors - PDF
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.
Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams” 2023
Published on January 12, 2023. Rankings based on data as of March 31, 2022.*
Financial Times "401 Top Retirement Advisers" in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020
Published annually May - Oct. Rankings based on data as of Dec 31 of prior year.
Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" in 2018-2023
Published annually Jan- April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year.
The retirement and financial needs of your employees, as well as the responsibility those needs create for you as an employer, are important to you. We offer the solutions your employees may need to help pursue their financial goals and maintain financial wellness. Our array of resources and experience is designed to help meet your employees’ financial needs in ways that make sense for your company — strategically, operationally and financially. You and your employees will have a team of experienced and passionate advocates for financial wellness on your side. Our team will make your priorities their own so you can focus more on your business.
Your role as a plan sponsor is more challenging than ever, and it’s not something to face alone. We bring the resources and thought leadership from Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates to bear in helping you provide a strong, healthy and fully compliant program that runs smoothly, engages your employees and makes your job easier. We can help you focus on the areas that may be helpful to plan success, including Fiduciary Advisory Services 1 and Education and Plan Services 2 appropriate for your plan.
1 Fiduciary Advisory Services is an investment advisory program sponsored by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”). Merrill offers a broad range of brokerage, investment advisory and other services. There are important differences between brokerage and investment advisory services, including the type of advice and assistance provided, the fees charged, and the rights and obligations of the parties. It is important to understand the differences, particularly when determining which service or services to select. Please refer to the Fiduciary Advisory Services Brochure for information on the program including a description of the series and related fees.
2 Education and Plan Services are non-fiduciary services required for Advisor Alliance clients and optional for MLII clients.
3 IPS service is not available for FAS Discretionary. The plan sponsor is responsible for the approval and final adoption of the IPS.
Beyond our experience, we offer access to the deep intellectual capital and broad capabilities of Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates. If we identify a need we can’t service ourselves, we can connect you with the people and resources to help you. Through our network of advisors, we strive to deliver strategies to help you manage the day-to-day and long-term responsibilities required in pursuing your institution’s goals. As we work together to address your evolving needs, we can help make the broad capabilities of Bank of America Corporation feel more accessible.
Wealth Management is a dynamic process. As we 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 and your family. Our job is to first understand what matters most to you. We will work together to create a financial approach that reflects your investment personality and is built around your life priorities. We will be here to help you make adjustments to your wealth management approach if and when necessary over time.
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.”).
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.
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.
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
We offer you access to the investing insights of Merrill, trust and fiduciary services from Bank of America Private Bank, and the banking convenience of Bank of America to help you pursue your goals. We will work to help you stay on track, regardless of what the markets are doing.
¹ Investment products are offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.
² Banking, mortgage and home equity products offered by Bank of America, N.A.
³ Insurance and annuity products offered through Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc.
4 Trust and fiduciary services are provided by Bank of America Private Bank.
No two people are alike. Consequently, there is no single wealth management approach that is appropriate for everyone. What matters most to us is what matters most to you. Once we get to know you, your priorities, your goals, risk tolerance, time horizons, liquidity needs and what you want to accomplish over time, only then can we help you position yourself to identify and address financial challenges and potential opportunities. To that end, we will thoughtfully employ our experience and resources to help guide you as you pursue your goals.
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