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Merrill lynch

Carickhoff Gordon Wealth Management Group

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Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management


By understanding our clients’ mindsets and motivations, we can help them prosper personally and professionally – especially when life’s transitions demand thoughtful financial decisions.

Welcome

At Carickhoff Gordon Wealth Management, we believe the true measure of a wealth advisory team is its ability to “be there” for clients with sensible, timely and caring financial advice and guidance – the kind that can spell the difference between a client feeling uneasy and feeling optimistic.

Our ability to develop long-lasting relationships with a largely referred clientele has resulted, in great part, from our mission to focus on each client’s overall wellbeing (from financial, to health, to passions and people). We consider ourselves to be “dedicated problem solvers” – and feel especially privileged to address complex wealth management needs that span generations of clients’ families. When helpful, we meet with clients’ grown children to discuss meaningful paths toward fulfilling outcomes and managing the responsibilities of having wealth.

What do we believe? That it’s important to keep clients from making impulsive financial decisions, often based on emotion. That’s why we proactively help clients plan and prepare for circumstances they anticipate and those they don’t. We also educate clients, so they can understand “the what’s and why’s” of what they own, their investment allocation, and their role in following a clearly defined financial strategy.

In presenting unbiased guidance with a personal touch, we deliver acumen and attention to clients across the areas that comprise their financial lives. Happy to act as facilitators in coordinating with clients’ tax and legal advisors, our 360-degree approach extends well beyond risk-managed investing – to clients’ trust and estate needs, tax situations, wealth transfer and philanthropic wishes, banking and credit needs.

Active in our local communities, we have an open ear to clients and their everyday situations. By maintaining frequent contact, we can ensure that our long-term strategies meet each client’s needs and wishes, especially, as they change over time. We recognize that our performance can help determine the success and satisfaction of each client. This is a role we take quite seriously.

Purposeful Planning

At Carickhoff Gordon Wealth Management, we are not only highly experienced and knowledgeable financial advisors, we devote ourselves to being “life advisors.” Each of us has a proud track record of “accompanying clients” through important life-driven events.

Over the years, we’ve honed a hands-on, hands-held approach that has resulted in friendly and familial relationships. In addition, our ability to focus attentively on a client when their life is in motion has led to a largely referred clientele

As part of our planning-based approach, we consider the broad canvas of clients’ lives. Despite their wealth, some clients wrestle with the right balance – for enjoying it now, saving for retirement, funding a child’s education, creating a family legacy, or supporting a worthy cause.

To help clients explore, identify and prioritize their objectives, we ask all sorts of questions, “What’s your primary concern, financial or otherwise? Who are you responsible for? What do you want for those you love? What do you want to accomplish personally? What do you envision three years from now? And what role would you like us to play?”

Revisiting questions like those above over the course of each client relationship, we can adjust a financial strategy so that decisions move in sync with a client’s needs and outside factors. We also educate clients and try to engage with both spouses and their grown children. Taking time to convey information clearly, we walk clients through relevant considerations. Then, we explain alternative paths toward meeting goals they find meaningful. 

In addition to examining clients’ goals, we look for holes in their financial pictures – areas that may have been ignored by a previous advisor. Most often, they include liabilities, protective components such as insurance, and trust documents that simply need to be updated.

As our client, you’ll likely discover our relentless consideration of the people and passions in your life. By rolling up our sleeves, opening our hearts, and provoking thoughtful discussions, we can help you enjoy the rewards that come from years of hard work and sacrifice.

A Diverse Clientele

At the Carickhoff Gordon Wealth Management Group, the lessons we learn from clients can be as valuable as the guidance we provide. With an intimate understanding of how clients view their professions, passions and people they love, we arewell positioned to help put their goals within reach and wealth to work.

Our clients span life stages, experiences and the wealth continuum – from individuals building wealth, to those in their peak earning years, selling a business, nearing retirement,and others who’ve already traded their seat in an office for one on a golf cart. While diverse in their paths to our door, clients can all benefit from our customized wealth management strategies and simple explanations of our recommendations, regardless oftheir complexity.

Who do we serve?

Successful women and men – active and retired business owners and their employees, physicians and engineers (including members of the LGBTQ community), and generations of families.Many clients are referred to us when a financial or life transition demands an informed perspective on how to proceed – retirement, a major liquidity event, a career change, or the loss of a loved one.

Driven by a desire to make intelligent financial decisions, many clients want to know what’s required to enjoy a desired retirementlifestyle with predictable cash flow, create a family legacy, purchase a second home, sell an enterprise or pass it along. Our planning-based approach is designed to “meet clients where they are in life.” In fact, we meet clients where it’s convenient for them – at theirhome, a restaurant, our office, by phone or WebEx.

Our clients are individuals whom we admire. Their successes are noteworthy professionally and for striving to assist people andcauses around them. We enjoy hearing about clients’ backgrounds, colleagues, families, friends, recent vacations and personal interests. These conversations remind us of the value weprovide and our roles in helping them share good times with important people.

What You Can Expect

At the Carickhoff Gordon Wealth Management Group, we are dedicated to increasing the probability of each client’s financial success. In looking to provide an enlightening and engaging wealth management experience, we want clients to enjoythe ride, without unnecessary stress along the way.

As our client, you can expect that we will:

  • View you as part of a family tree. In most cases, we consider the multi-generational impact of any consideration. When helpful, it is our practice to meet with spouses, domestic partners, parents, children and grandchildren. Doing so informs our perspective on achievinglong-term outcomes that are financially and personally beneficial to several stakeholders.
  • Seek to understand your unique perspective on your finances, the value you place on money, and what role we should play inyour financial life. Appreciating your priorities and values is ongoing. The more time we spend with you, the better able we are to craft appropriate strategies and adapt in timely fashion to changing conditions.
  • Encourage you to see us as a “first call” and usa “go-to” resource.” We are quick to respond and provide a thoughtful perspective. When clients have become ill or spouses have passed, we have met with them in hospitals and elsewhere.It is in our nature to care for clients and their loved ones.
  • Take a long-term view of investing. We utilize the award-winning research of Merrill and the firm’s extensive due diligence.Based on each client’s risk tolerance, investment timeline, need for liquidity, objectives and other personal preferences, we select asset managers and ETF models that offer the opportunity to preserve and grow their assets. We also offer ESG (environmental,social and governance) investments for those who want their portfolios to reflect their values.
  • Blend our investment management with tax awareness in a way many advisors do not. In fact, by maintaining a watchful eye on clients’ tax consequences throughout the year, we allow for benefits to be realized earlier, on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, with the tax code changingfrequently, we have sharpened our focus on new regulations. We also work closely with clients, their CPAs and attorneys – to align our wealth transfer, business succession, tax-minimization and estate planning strategies.
  • Look for ways to utilize debt wisely and enhance both sides of your balance sheet – assets and liabilities. To simplify andexpedite matters, we can provide ready access to specialists at Bank of America, N.A. for residential and securities-based lending, business expansion financing, as well as short- and long-term cash management.
  • Explain what actual outcomes look like. Going beyond spreadsheets and simulations, we will illustrate alternate, real-worldscenarios and discuss them with you – from college savings strategies to income distribution strategies, to Social Security, Medicare and other retirement considerations. We are here to act as a responsible steward of your wealth and wishes, not show how muchwe know.

*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.

Get To Know Us

Supported by the global resources of Merrill, our 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.

Alison Guard

Senior Wealth Management Lending Officer

Bank of America, N.A.

NMLS #535296

Sondra Gee

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Christopher Caradec

Wealth Strategies Advisor

Bank of America, N.A.

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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    Your advisor is a click away within our site or mobile apps

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    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 we can help you create a financial approach that reflects your personality. Only then can we 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.

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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.