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Gelfand, Marsh & Associates

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Gelfand, Marsh & Associates focuses on all facets of its nonprofit clients’ most important financial priorities and goals. We work with clients to understand their financial situation, risk tolerance, time horizon and liquidity needs. We help articulate short- and long-term goals, and to establish a financial approach aligned with client goals. We combine our high-touch professionalism with Merrill’s investment insights and convenient access to Bank of America’s banking services.

We start with what’s important to you

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.

About Us

Meet the Team

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Our team is comprised of talented and experienced individuals committed to building strong client relationships based on trust and personalized service.

Click on photos to read our biographies!

Additional Resources

Gelfand, Marsh & Associates is supported by talented specialists who have experience working with institutions and share a strong commitment to guiding investment programs and strategic decision making.

Our Value Proposition

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Our mission for assisting nonprofit institutions is to augment their fiduciary and financial well-being by providing objective advice and individually tailored portfolios, and prudently building on the value that they have already created. Our service model is high touch with an experienced financial advisor as the direct and main point of contact. Our goal is to earn the trust of, and thus be the preferred financial advisor to, the nonprofit community.

Learn More About Our Nonprofit Investment Services

Approach

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We can offer boutique-like attentiveness and accessibility combined with the global perspective and industry experience of Bank of America Global Institutional Consulting. Our team is passionate about helping clients strengthen and grow their organizations and about helping institutions fulfill their goals and missions. When you work with Gelfand, Marsh & Associates, you can expect a high level of commitment, teamwork, personalized service and customized strategies.

Global Institutional Consulting

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As a Bank of America Global Institutional Consulting team, Gelfand, Marsh & Associates is among a select group of highly qualified and credentialed consultants who can provide the in-depth knowledge and customized service and assistance institutional investors need to navigate today’s financial landscape and respond to evolving market trends.

Drawing on the expertise of specialists throughout Bank of America & Merrill, we serve a wide array of institutional clients, including a number of tax-exempt charitable organizations:

  • Mission-based social services organizations
  • Religious organizations
  • Trade associations and other industry associations
  • Hospitals and health care organizations
  • Retirement Communities
  • College, university and secondary school endowments
  • Public and private foundations
  • Community foundations
  • NGOs
  • Native American Nations & Tribes
We also provide consulting and investment services to qualified staff, board members and donors to our nonprofit clients whose exceptional wealth demands institutional-quality investment and wealth management.

Underscoring every service we offer is the conviction that, to be effective, strategies must be carefully integrated with an organization's strategic objectives, governance framework, investment policy and risk-management function. As such, we take the time to understand the broader challenges and goals of the organizations we serve before devising strategies for them.

Solutions for Institutions

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And More

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.

Investment Solutions

We provide access to a broad suite of potential investment solutions for non-profit organizations, foundations, endowments and corporate retirement and pension plans. Our level of involvement is based on your preference — from traditional consulting, to client-directed implementation, to full discretionary outsourced CIO services. We work with your CFO, board  of directors and investment committee to develop a tailored investment strategy that is consistent with your culture, goals, preferences and risk profile.

Disciplined Investment Process

We follow a disciplined process that helps to address your organization’s changing needs and provides you with a potentially higher probability of achieving your long-term investment goals.

1

Investment Policy Statement Development and Review

Act as liaison between institutional clients and Merrill's Investment Policy Statement (IPS) service, which creates and modifies an IPS, based on the client’s investment goals and objectives.

2

Strategic Allocation Modeling

Customizable asset allocation based on the Chief Investment Office capital market assumptions.

3

Investment Manager Due Diligence

Recommend investment solutions leveraging Merrill's thorough and rigorous due diligence process.

4

Investment Manager Search and Selection

Advanced portfolio construction techniques combined with client specific objectives and Merrill's capital market guidance.

5

Portfolio Strategy

Leverage Merrill's global intellectual capital including tactical tilts to potentially help increase returns.

6

Performance Measurement

Review, quantify and evaluate performance to identify opportunities to refine the portfolio’s overall strategy, based on the Investment Policy Statement.

Endowments, Foundations and Nonprofits

We understand the issues nonprofits, endowments and foundations address in funding their missions in an ever-changing financial climate. Drawing on the global resources of Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates, we offer insight, guidance and personalized service to help institutions develop and execute investment strategies focused on what matters most to them and the people they serve.

Impact investing and/or Environmental Social Governance (ESG) investing has certain risks based on the fact that ESG criteria excludes securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons and therefore, investors may forgo some market opportunities and the universe of investments available will be smaller.

Defined benefit plans

Whether your defined benefit plan is an active part of your overall benefit offering, is closed to new participants, or fully frozen, Bank of  America's service model allows you to outsource the many administrative tasks associated with the maintenance of a pension plan to fulfill plan obligations and manage risk.

Key services include:
• Investment consulting service
• Open architecture investment management platform
• Liability driven investment implementation
• Actuarial services and discretionary investment management

Helping institutions meet their investment needs

We put the resources and intellectual capital of Merrill to work for institutional clients like you by delivering thoughtful advice and sophisticated investment strategies through focused client-centric consulting. We help organizations like yours address today’s complex investment challenges through an integrated, goals-based investment process that enables them to redefine success, manage risk and help fulfill their missions.

We’re committed to a high standard

Putting clients’ interests first isn’t new, and this isn’t a one-time event. Our clients have been at the center of everything we do since Charles Merrill founded Merrill over a hundred years ago.

Solutions for Individuals

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Approach

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We begin every relationship with a conversation, helping you identify and prioritize which goals matter most to you. Whether it's customizing your financial approach to help you pursue your goals, or providing advice and guidance to help you stay informed, we start by listening to learn more about you and your family.

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 help you refine your investing preferences. Together, we can help customize your investment approach. Using an understanding of your priorities and investment personality, we help you access the full breadth of resources from Bank of America’s banking products and services and Merrill’s investment insights to address all aspects of your financial needs.

Capabilities

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Our process is designed to help deliver a customized, consistent experience to assist our 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.

Services for Individuals

Drawing on the expertise of specialists throughout Bank of America & Merrill, we serve high net worth families with services that include:

• Trust and estate planning
• Tax aware investing
• Professional trustee services
• Trust administration
• Customized lending using a wide range of collateral choices
• Philanthropic advice about your objectives and efficient charitable vehicles

Underscoring every service we offer is the conviction that to be effective, financial strategies must be carefully integrated with a family's lifetime objectives, investment goals and tolerance for risk. As such, we take the time to understand the broader challenges and goals of the clients we serve before devising strategies for them.

Philosophy

We believe the best financial approach is the one that helps you pursue your own 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. “Worried about managing 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?” With access to the investment insights of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America, we will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

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.

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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.

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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.

Wealth Management Your Way

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

Your Financial Approach

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.

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FAMILY
Taking care of your family and other people in your life
  • Trust & Estate Services4
  • Education Funding1
  • Insurance3
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HEALTH
Planning for healthcare expenses now and in the future
  • Long-term Care Insurance3
  • Health Savings Account2
  • Disability Insurance3
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HOME
Upsizing, downsizing, remodeling or buying a vacation home
  • Home Loans2
  • Home Equity Lines of Credit2
  • Securities-Based Lending2
  • Credit Cards2
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WORK
Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
  • Bank of America Business Banking2
  • Exchange Funds1
  • Concentrated Stock Management1
  • Succession Planning1
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LEISURE
Spending your free time in meaningful ways
  • Credit Cards2
  • Securities-Based Lending2
  • Structured Lending2
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GIVING
Volunteering, mentoring others and giving to charities
  • Donor-Advised Funds4
  • Private Foundations4
  • Charitable Trusts4
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FINANCE
Using your finances to bring it all together
  • Merrill Investment Accounts1
  • Investment Advisory Accounts1
  • Alternative Investments1
  • Exchange-Traded Funds1
  • Mutual Funds1
  • Closed-end Funds1
  • Fixed Income Products1
  • Options1
  • Annuities3
  • Impact Portfolios1
  • Market-Linked Investments1
  • Securities-Based Lending2
  • Margin1
  • Home Loans2
  • Bank of America Checking and Savings Accounts2
  • Credit Cards2
  • Online Account Access1,2

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.

Join us

Let’s Have a Conversation

There is no substitute for a one-on-one relationship with a Merrill financial advisor committed to your needs.