Our Process Is Thorough and Transparent

Long before we formulate any specific strategies, we put ourselves in your shoes in order to get to know you and understand what is important to you, your family and your business. This helps us to create—and to help you implement—a thoughtful wealth management strategy designed to address your needs and goals.

Throughout our relationship, we will keep you apprised of changing market conditions so that you can make informed decisions about investment risk and take advantage of domestic or global investment opportunities.

We believe in collaborating with your other professional advisors, as well as with investment specialists within Merrill, as needed, to provide support for tax- minimization strategies, insurance, and estate planning services, and through access to Bank of America for banking resources.

We can also help you with discretionary portfolio management. Chuck Re Corr and Geoffrey Bell are qualified Senior Portfolio Managers, who, in addition to providing traditional advice and guidance, can help clients pursue their objectives by building and managing their own personalized or defined strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies. Senior Portfolio Managers are provided a high degree of flexibility in constructing portfolios and selecting securities. When servicing clients through the firm’s Investment Advisory Program, a Senior Portfolio Manager may manage his strategies on a discretionary basis. After meeting certain additional requirements, a Senior Portfolio Manager may use his own strategies to manage the assets of other Merrill Advisors’ clients.

For clients with a significant portion of their assets invested in their employer's business, diversification strategies can help them manage risk while maintaining appropriate levels of company stock.

Knowing Your Goals

We focus on senior executives, entrepreneurs and corporate directors who lead active, accomplished lives. Our aim is to be attentive without being intrusive. We also strive to be consistent and open to new ideas, thoughtful and relevant in our advice and unfailingly pleasant to work with over many years. We believe this approach has helped us develop strong relationships with clients, built on a foundation of professionalism and experience.

We serve a limited number of clients by design so that we can devote significant time and resources to each. To us, it is equally important to get to know you as it is to get to know about your finances.

Each member of our team has a distinct area of responsibility and experience, which helps us to serve you better. Our individual strengths and talents allow us to look at situations from various angles and viewpoints.

Members of The Bell, Bell & Cronlund Group hold a number of industry designations that help us apply a broad perspective to your wealth management needs. More important than the intellectual strength and knowledge that this education represents, we have substantial real-world experience when it comes to developing and implementing practical strategies to help meet your needs.

Philosophy

We 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, we 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, we 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.

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.

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.

Going Beyond Balance Sheets and Financial Statements

Our approach to wealth management takes a holistic view of where you are and where you want to be, seeking to gain the perspective necessary to help you coordinate every stage of your financial life.

Clients come first. Client education is at the heart of what we do. To us, it's not just about the process we use to help you pursue your goals; it's about the relationships we build as we work together.

Our primary goal is to understand and be responsive to your needs in order to offer individualized strategies and help you reduce the complexity that may be associated with managing your wealth.

We can assist with building or transferring wealth, preparing for a major liquidity event, such as selling a business, and creating a legacy by establishing your philanthropic strategies. We help you manage risk, not returns, by designing tactical strategies.