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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.

Young Lee

Forbes "Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors Best-in-State" 2023
Published on August 8, 2023. Rankings based on data as of March 31, 2023.*

Forbes "Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors" 2018
Published on July 25, 2018. Rankings based on data as of March 31, 2018.

Forbes "Best-in-State Next-Generation Wealth Advisors 2022
Published on August 3, 2022. Rankings based on data as of March 31, 2022.

Profile

FAMILY FIRST by Tim Newton (February 2023)

Young Lee has packed a lot into 38 years.

He is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill. He spoke at his commencement ceremony in 2005, received the Young Alumni Award from Purdue in 2015, and earned the Bernie Flowers Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sports from the Joe Tiller Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2021. He and his family also have endowed a scholarship in honor of Sara Stein Koch, former director of undergraduate programs at the business school.

But the most important thing in his life? “Be a better husband. A better father,” says Lee, father of two girls with a third child on the way.

Lee grew up in New Jersey the youngest of four children. One of his brothers went to Purdue, and he says, “I always wanted to do what my siblings did, only better of course!” They set quite a standard — his oldest brother, Jae, is a professor at the University of Miami and helps leads a lab at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. His second brother, Ho, graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Purdue and is a lieutenant colonel in the Space Development Agency of the U.S. Marine Corps. His sister, Rami, is an immigration attorney.

Lee decided to follow Ho, choosing Purdue. He was active on campus and found a number of mentors, including Stein Koch, advisor Erik Props, and Roger Stewart, who served in a number of roles in the business school at Purdue after a successful career at Procter & Gamble.

Those influences helped shape his desire to give back to others. “I feel indebted to people who believed in me, and I want to pay that forward to the next generation,” he says.

His decision to join Merrill was based on a couple of factors.

“I wanted to work somewhere where diversity was promoted and where I could advance on my merits,” he says. Perusing a list of Fortune 500 CEOs, he saw Stanley O’Neal, the Merrill CEO who was once named the “Most Powerful Black Executive in America” by Fortune. Dow Kim, a Korean-American executive, was a past president of global markets and investment banking at the firm as well.

“Being raised in a single-parent home, I know how important parental influence is,” Lee says. “My father’s goal in life was simple…to have his kids finish one step ahead of him. I hope to honor him and have my kids do the same, do more and make a larger impact than I did.”

We are also involved in the communities in which we serve, volunteering as leadership and staff for organizations we're involved with Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, United Way of Greater Lafayette, NFF Tiller Chapter and have endowed the Sara Stein Koch Scholarship at the Krannert School of Management.

  • LANGUAGES

    English

  • EDUCATION

    Purdue University

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.

Brent H Mannix

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #652407

Joe Rabinowitz

Senior Investment Advisory Specialist

Merrill

Karum Afana

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

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

I was recently featured in a Purdue School of Business article.  I hope you enjoy this story about my career and family.  

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FAMILY FIRST by Tim Newton (February 2023)

Young Lee has packed a lot into 38 years.

He is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill. He spoke at his commencement ceremony in 2005, received the Young Alumni Award from Purdue in 2015, and earned the Bernie Flowers Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sports from the Joe Tiller Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2021. He and his family also have endowed a scholarship in honor of Sara Stein Koch, former director of undergraduate programs at the business school.

But the most important thing in his life? “Be a better husband. A better father,” says Lee, father of two girls with a third child on the way.

Lee grew up in New Jersey the youngest of four children. One of his brothers went to Purdue, and he says, “I always wanted to do what my siblings did, only better of course!” They set quite a standard — his oldest brother, Jae, is a professor at the University of Miami and helps leads a lab at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. His second brother, Ho, graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Purdue and is a lieutenant colonel in the Space Development Agency of the U.S. Marine Corps. His sister, Rami, is an immigration attorney.

Lee decided to follow Ho, choosing Purdue. He was active on campus and found a number of mentors, including Stein Koch, advisor Erik Props, and Roger Stewart, who served in a number of roles in the business school at Purdue after a successful career at Procter & Gamble.

Those influences helped shape his desire to give back to others. “I feel indebted to people who believed in me, and I want to pay that forward to the next generation,” he says.

His decision to join Merrill was based on a couple of factors.

“I wanted to work somewhere where diversity was promoted and where I could advance on my merits,” he says. Perusing a list of Fortune 500 CEOs, he saw Stanley O’Neal, the Merrill CEO who was once named the “Most Powerful Black Executive in America” by Fortune. Dow Kim, a Korean-American executive, was a past president of global markets and investment banking at the firm as well.

Lee connected with Bart Burrell and David McGaughey, who run the local Merrill location, and moved back to Greater Lafayette after beginning his professional career with the company in New Jersey. He’s actively involved at Purdue and the community, but always keeps an eye on the home front.

“Being raised in a single-parent home, I know how important parental influence is,” Lee says. “My father’s goal in life was simple…to have his kids finish one step ahead of him. I hope to honor him and have my kids do the same, do more and make a larger impact than I did.”

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.

    #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 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.

      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.

      Anthem video thumb.jpg 
      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.

      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.