Personalized advice from a dedicated financial advisor.
We get to know you and your family, your financial situation and what matters most to you.
The Sterner Group
Wealth Management GroupMerrill Lynch
Wealth Management
The Sterner Group believes that good relationships are built through teamwork and involvement, delivered through our advisors, wealth management client associates and access to the global investment capabilities of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America. We want to be your primary source for financial advice and guidance. And we want you to value the dedication and diligence offered to you at each step of the financial planning process.
The Sterner Group
Welcome
We chose to be part of the financial services world to help others. Our passion to assist stems from collective and collaborative financial experiences—difficulties in which friends, families, and others have faced in the past. As witnesses to challenges faced by important people in our lives, we recognized the need for a professional and caring team to help individuals realize the life they want. Our purpose is to help you define your goals, establish a planning process centered on your priorities, and help guide you past the often inevitable changes life may bring.
Philosophy
It is important that you take positive steps toward your financial future, and that means getting more than just investment advice. We take the time to get to know you and your family, your financial situation and what matters most to you. Using one-on-one collarboration as a foundation, we can work with you to build your own personalized financial strategy.
Approach
Working with us means working with advisors truly dedicated to helping you pursue your goals. The approach is simple, transparent and supported by thoughtful investment guidance aligned to the goals that matter most to you.
The value of the relationship with you includes:
- helping you make informed decisions
- recognizing your life priorities and goals
- understanding your investment style
- helping you prioritize and pursue goals
- being transparent by making possibilities, fees and risks clear
- taking steps to help you preserve income during a life challenge
- educating the younger generation about investments and the markets
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
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. 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.
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.
David J Sterner
Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" 2022 and 2023
Published annually Jan- April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year.
Meet Our Team
The Sterner Group is a group of professionals that were attracted to each other because of shared belief in honesty, compassion, knowledge, and trustworthiness. We are committed to meeting the needs of our clients through straightforward, empathetic adherence to principled values. We serve people who see the world as we do. Our role is to be a companion and a guide to those who have entrusted us, not only with their wealth, but also with their life and legacy. The purpose of our business practice is to enhance the lives of our clients while ensuring that their assets make an impact on the causes that they are passionate about.
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.
Lyn Shepard
Wealth Management Banking Specialist
Merrill
Nicholas A. Beilfuss
Wealth Strategist
Merrill
Jeff Rezza
Investment Solutions Group Portfolio Strategist
Bank of America, N.A.
Create a plan that is all about you.
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.
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.
#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
We believe there is no substitute for having a relationship with a team of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisors committed to your needs, who can leverage the investment insights of Merrill and offer access to the banking convenience of Bank of America to help clients navigate the financial and economic landscapes. Let’s work together to help you pursue your goals.
Articles
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.
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.
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 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.
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