Women’s superpower: Investing

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David J Gray

Vice President
Senior Financial Advisor

Learn more about an advisor's background on
FINRA's BrokerCheck

Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Understanding your life priorities is an important part of the relationship with you. It’s not just about markets and returns, it’s about what matters most to you.  I can collaborate to help create a personalized plan designed around you, your family, your goals and your aspirations.

Profile

David Gray began his career at Merrill in February of 2015. Prior to coming on board with Merrill he was in the United States military for 8 years. He was deployed in 2012 and then since retired in 2016. His diversified experience allows him to help clients with a wide range of financial needs including: asset management, insurance, estate planning services, financing options, retirement planning, stock options and more.

David uses a client-focused approach combined with a disciplined investment process. He takes the time to understand clients, who you are, and what matters to you personally and professionally. David follows a holistic approach that enables individuals, families, and small businesses to truly understand their entire financial picture and not just one piece. David partners with a team of planning experts and gives you access to Merrill's top specialists for the best strategies and outstanding service.

David is a Northern Kentucky native that was raised with 8 other siblings and went to Covington Catholic High School. He attended the University of Kentucky where he played rugby and graduated from Northern Kentucky University with two majors. David enjoys spending time with his wife Julie and their three children, (Nolan, Brooks, & Blakely) family, golfing, and traveling. He loves helping the community and was one of 13 recipients in 2019 to receive a $50,000 grant in a global/company wide essay/application to give to a charity of his choice.  He has been a part of many non-profits, but was able to donate that grant to The Barracks Project who has a mission of helping veterans reintegrate back into society with a place to stay, food, clothing, and hopefully a job.

Our advisors and Wealth Management Client Associates are actively involved in the communities they serve. They devote significant time, energy and resources to help create positive change in the areas in which they live and work. Our team is enthusiastically involved with assisting charitable organizations such as 1 Heart 2 Souls, The Barracks Project, Yellow Ribbon, Whiskey and Wishes, St. Pius X to name a few. .

  • EDUCATION

    University of Kentucky

    Covington Catholic High School

    Northern Kentucky 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.

Joseph Ritter

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Don Livio

Investment Solutions Group Portfolio Strategist

Bank of America, N.A.

Jeremy Floberg

Wealth Strategies Advisor

Bank of America, N.A.

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

It’s important to plan for your financial future, which means getting more than investment advice. You may find value in a one-on-one relationship with someone dedicated to knowing who you are and what you want to accomplish. Someone who knows your children’s names, how hard you worked to get where you are and how you view investing. My commitment is centered on helping you achieve your goals by making your needs a priority. My advice and financial planning approach are guided by what’s important to you.

Approach

No two investment approaches are alike because no two investors are alike. Working closely with you the team examines key components of your life plan to help you create a financial strategy with personalized advice and measurable goals. The team helps you track progress to your goals and works with you to adjust your investment style and strategy over time, as needed.

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

A major advantage in working together is to provide you with access to a Wealth Management Lending Officer from Bank of America, N.A., who can review and help with your home lending needs.

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

      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.

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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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      Learn more about the dedicated one-on-one relationship you can have with a Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor.

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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.