Mark A. Ventresco, CEPA, CPFA, CFP

Managing Director
Wealth Management Advisor
Contact Me
Learn more about an advisor's background on
FINRA's BrokerCheck

Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management

Mark Ventresco and his team provide end-to-end exit strategies for privately held business owners, helping them navigate the largest transaction of their lives so they can preserve family wealth and nurture their aspirations.

Profile

Mark Ventresco is a Managing Director and Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Mark focuses on one overarching goal: helping business owners design and execute successful exit strategies for themselves and their families.

Business owners look to Mark and his team to help optimize the most significant transaction in their professional lives: the sale of their business. Mark notes that these transactions are dependent on three variables: (1) the readiness of the business; (2) the readiness of the owner; and (3) the personal financial goals of the owner. By devoting significant time to each area, Mark provides the intensive leadership and sustained guidance these initiatives require.

Mark believes that business owners innately recognize that exit planning yields better outcomes. However, many businesses fail to transact a successful sale. One reason, Mark contends, is that business owners have little time to devote to planning and optimization. He and his team members can help remedy that shortfall. They offer a tax-sensitive approach to investing, wealth transfer, and business structuring. Ultimately, Mark relates, his goal is to support business owners in nurturing and preserving wealth for the people they most value, connecting a business owner’s aspirations to the concrete details of a proposed exit.

Mark has worked in financial services since 1993 and joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2013. He earned his M.B.A. in business management from Pepperdine University, where his capstone project focused on transition planning for privately held business owners.

Mark has earned a number of esteemed industry designations. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., the Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation, and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor® designation.

---------

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.

  • LANGUAGES

    English

  • EDUCATION

    Pepperdine 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.

Adriana Martin

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #637483

Kayla M Beel

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Michael Powers

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

Approach

I believe an effective approach to wealth management requires working closely with you to help identify and define your goals.

My  job is to first understand what matters most to you. We will work together to create a financial approach that reflects your investment personality and is built around your life priorities.

My approach is to help you pursue your goals by providing customized service and potential investment solutions. Whether you are focused on building, preserving or transferring wealth we are committed to helping you address your financial objectives at every stage of your life.

Capabilities

Using the broad investing resources of Merrill, I can also assist with potential solutions for income management, education funding, retirement income planning, and guidance for executives with concentrated stock positions, traditional and alternative investments, wealth transfer and estate planning services. And with your permission we can also work closely with your other professionals, such as attorneys, accountants and specialists, to help you pursue your goals.

DISCLOSURE: Some or all alternative investments may not be appropriate for certain investors. Certain alternative investments carry significant risk and are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as mutual funds and other appropriate investments. For these reasons, access to alternative investments may be limited to investors who are designated as sophisticated, high-net-worth investors.

Focus On High-Net-Worth Individuals and Business Owners

I  offer clients a breadth of potential solutions, premier customer service and financial tools based on their unique circumstances.

No matter what your goals may be, I begin by helping you define and prioritize your financial goals based on the following seven areas:

  • 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 and giving to charities
  • Work: Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
  • Finance: Bringing it all together; defining your financial goals
I'll also draw on my industry knowledge and experience to offer:
  • Potential risk management solutions
  • Trust and estate planning services
  • Potential wealth management solutions
  • Access to Bank of America for your credit and banking needs
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.

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.

Philosophy

Life is always changing and growing more complex. Your needs and priorities specific to your family, work, health and home are continuously evolving. And since your finances are so deeply connected with the rest of your life, an investment approach that is specific to your unique situations can be helpful. Even if you’re accustomed to managing your wealth on your own, you may find value in having a relationship with someone who understands your priorities and who has the knowledge and resources to help you make more informed decisions, no matter where in your life you are.

Welcome

Our mission, first and foremost, is to understand you and your priorities.  To take the time, to ask hard, smart questions and to listen carefully.  To understand, in great detail, exactly where your wealth stands today, and where you’d like it to be tomorrow.

We then design, implement and periodically review a customized wealth management strategy that helps enable you and your family to pursue your personal financial goals without undue sacrifice to your lifestyle or unnecessary investment risk.

Our wealth management approach is about using wealth to help turn goals into reality. When you succeed, we succeed.

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.

    DigitalMerrill2.png 
    Transcript of Video

    #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

      I believe it’s important that you seek the advice and guidance of an experienced financial advisor who can thoughtfully analyze your situation, work with you to identify potential solutions that address your needs, and clearly communicate them to you. I want to work with you to develop your wealth management approach for the future.

      Request Appointment

      Articles

      DISPLAYING:

      Climate Risk and the Markets: 5 Key Questions Answered

      6 Surprising Benefits of Having a Financial Plan

      Will Your Social Security Benefits Be Taxed?

      Be Cyber-secure: Hone Your Password-writing Skills

      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.


      MLBrochure.png

      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 AdvisorTM
      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.