Tune out the noise: Wealth planning for the year ahead

Hear from a panel of experts as they explore how rising interest rates, high inflation and increased volatility are impacting the economy, how family dynamics are changing estate planning and hear some actionable strategies for investors to consider in 2023.

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Laffitte, Braschi, Leason & Associates

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Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management


Whatever your personal goals may be, we will work with you to develop a personalized financial approach designed to help you pursue what’s most important to you.

Welcome

Our mission is to understand you and what matters most to you. To take the time, to ask hard, smart questions and to listen carefully, then to understand, in great detail, exactly where your wealth stands today, and where you’d like it to be tomorrow. We help you design and implement a customized wealth management approach that helps you and your family pursue your personal financial goals while helping manage investment risk. Our wealth management approach is about using wealth to help turn goals into reality.

Helping Address Each Client’s Unique Needs

Affluent Individuals and Families
Our team understands the demands and responsibilities of significant wealth. We can help you build, preserve and transfer your wealth through disciplined investment and tax minimization strategies, as well as retirement planning services. We also provide access to a Wealth Management Lending Officer from Bank of America, N.A., who can assist with an expansive array of lending strategies. Additionally, working with Bank of America trust and estate planning specialists, we can assist you in finding strategies designed to help minimize estate taxes and address philanthropic and other legacy planning needs.

Business Owners
Closely held businesses can raise myriad emotional and financial issues. We can assist in coordinating your business and personal finances by providing retirement plan and business succession services, and helping develop gifting and customized insurance strategies. Through Bank of America, we can also provide access to cash and liability management and lending strategies.

Corporate Clients
To keep your business’s money working more effectively, we collaborate with you to help optimize your working capital and minimize risk. Through Bank of America, we provide access to cash management, loans and credit lines, and other commercial and investment banking services.

*Wealth Management Lending Officers do not offer investment advice, nor make recommendations on investment products.
*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.

With You Every Step of the Way

Our team follows a disciplined process of goals-based wealth management. We start with an in-depth conversation in which we seek to form a complete picture of your current financial situation, your aspirations for yourself and your family and any concerns you have about your wealth. We also determine the level of risk you are comfortable with. Based on what we learn, we construct a wealth management strategy designed to help you pursue your goals, and then assist you in implementing it.

Our involvement doesn’t stop there. Throughout our process, we maintain regular contact with you—to keep you apprised of your progress toward your objectives and to stay informed about events in your life that could affect your financial situation. As necessary, we will suggest adjustments to your strategy to keep it aligned with your objectives and to help you anticipate potential challenges or prepare for possible opportunities.

Ideally, we want to meet not only with you but also with any other family members you would like to involve in your decision-making process. Building relationships that to us.

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Diversification and Risk Management

With our extensive knowledge of the Puerto Rican financial services market, our team has special insight into the issues that confront people and businesses on the island. We are aware that tax considerations have often led Puerto Rican investors to focus on local opportunities. However, we are of the opinion that diversification, both geographically and within and across asset classes, should be at the core of a portfolio strategy. Our aim is to help you build a diversified portfolio based on your personal objectives, time horizon, liquidity needs and risk profile.

Working, at your request, with your tax advisor and attorney, we create highly customized investment portfolios drawing on a wide range of assets—including equities, fixed income, real assets, hedge funds, private equity and cash—and on the Puerto Rican, U.S. and international markets. Our approach is not static. We pay close attention to the potential tax implications of any portfolio changes and can collaborate with your tax advisor to actively manage your wealth management strategy with the aim of providing attractive after-tax returns.

Delivering Strategy and Thought Leadership
Through Merrill, we can provide access to an expansive array of investment choices and help you select ones that are aligned to your long-term objectives. We can also draw on the Merrill Investment Management and Guidance (IMG) Group for portfolio construction information and advanced portfolio management research that integrate style-based investing with BofA Global Research.

Meet Our Experienced Professionals
Teamwork is at the heart of our culture. When working with us, you are paired with a lead advisor, but the entire team collaborates on every account. All our members pool their diverse talents, knowledge and skills to help you pursue your goals through insightful, disciplined wealth management. We share a deep respect for clients and for each other. Individually and collectively, we are dedicated to delivering service that meets and even exceeds your most exacting standards.

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

*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.

*Any information presented in connection with BofA Global Research is general in nature and is not intended to provide personal investment advice. The information does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any specific person who may receive it. Investors should understand that statements regarding future prospects may not be realized. BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”) and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. BofA Global Research does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should consider this report as only a single factor in making their investment decision.

Meet the Team

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.

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.

    #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

      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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      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.

      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.