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Daniel R Armstrong, ChSNC, CPFA, CPWA

Senior Vice President
Wealth Management Advisor
Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor
Learn more about an advisor's background on
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Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Care and consideration are hallmarks of my approach.
I want to appreciate where clients are coming from, not just where they want to go.
If their goal is a comfortable retirement, I explain that “before every day becomes Saturday,”
we should explore the meaning of their wealth.

Profile

Dan’s long career at Merrill has afforded him relationships and friendships beyond what he ever expected. Since 1987, he has attracted a loyal circle of successful women and men in the Chicago area and on both coasts. They include physicians, attorneys, teachers, business owners with 401k plans, young couples beginning to accumulate wealth, and generations of families (including those with special needs children). 

“I need to appreciate clients’ motivations and ambitions,” Dan says. “What are their proudest achievements? What are their biggest worries for themselves and their families? And why have they come to me?”

In early discussion, Dan focuses clients on what he calls “wealth beyond you” and its purpose – for a fulfilling retirement, or a creating a family or philanthropic legacy. Meeting with both spouses as often as possible, Dan asks about their visions of the future – pointing out that “retirement is not a finish line and that – when every day is Saturday – clients need to find meaning and joy in their endless free time.”

To serve clients’ best interests, Dan works to provide unselfish and unbiased guidance. Aiming to educate at every opportunity, Dan helps clients appreciate the risk they take with their investments and across their financial lives. He also encourages wise financial habits – from disciplined spending to consistent saving. It is Dan’s practice to simplify financial matters and explanations for clients. By distilling facts and figures into easily understood recommendations, he finds that clients are better able to follow the strategy they’ve agreed upon.

When it comes to investments, Dan utilizes the strategic recommendations of the firm’s Chief Investment Office professionals to build an asset allocation that can help each client stay on track through periods of volatility. Ultimately, Dan’s objective is to create a mix of investments that helps clients be successful and feel positive about the road ahead. He also aligns his tax-minimization and estate-planning strategies with clients’ CPAs and attorneys.

A lifetime learner, Dan believes that his rigorous industry training has given him an extra measure of knowledge that can benefit clients and their families. He holds the Certified Private Wealth Advisor®  (CPWA®) certification administered by the Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute), the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designation awarded by the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), and the Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC®) designation from the American College for Financial Services.

Dan also holds the firm’s Senior Portfolio Manager title – allowing him to help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis his own Personalized or Defined Strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies. A Senior Portfolio Manager may also make their strategies available to clients working with other Merrill advisors.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota and a place in his heart for sailing – having competed in America’s longest freshwater race (the 333-mile, Chicago-to-Mackinac Race on Lake Michigan) more than 20 times. On dry land, Dan and his wife, Therese, follow their teenage son’s travel baseball team and enjoy cooking and baking together at their home in Lemont, Illinois.


*Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.

*Asset allocation, diversification and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.

  • LANGUAGES

    English

  • EDUCATION

    University of South Dakota

Professional Staff

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.

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.

James G Nagrant

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #444459

Molly Lamphier

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

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

Every relationship begins 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.

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 Individuals, Families and Small Businesses

I 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. Whether you’re planning your retirement, saving to buy a home or funding a child’s education, the process begins by getting to know you and how you feel about the following:

  • 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

Success will be measured 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.

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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      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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      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.