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Profile

After graduating from UCLA with an honors degree in Economics, Sal began his career as a brokerage house mail room clerk and quickly rose through the ranks in his quest to become a financial advisor. The combination of his university studies along with a work history that ranges from back-office operations to the trading floor of the NYSE has given him a thorough understanding of the investment industry that he utilizes in his business on a daily basis. Sal is currently based out of the Pasadena Merrill Lynch Wealth Management office where he is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor nearing the completion of his 21st year in the finance industry. Sal has been a Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill since 2004. He takes great joy in developing and maintaining long-term relationships with clients as he helps guide them through all aspects of their financial lives in order to reach their financial goals.|Sal understands the unique challenges facing people at all stages of life especially during transition periods when individuals, business owners nearing retirement, or those already in retirement are concerned about income and making their savings last. This perspective has led Sal to aid the growing number of families entering these transition years when guidance may be needed to help individuals, their family members, and their friends navigate rapid financial changes that may confront a person during turning points in life whether related to health, lifestyle, or strategy planning for passing on wealth to the next generation.

In addition to his own areas of extensive knowledge, Sal has a network of internal specialists at Merrill who have the ability to provide specialized advice to help ensure that you will always receive the highest level of help available in today’s market. In addition to our internal specialists, he works closely with clients’ trusted advisors including attorneys and accountants in order to address their tax, trust, philanthropic and estate issues- including wealth transfer strategies – to truly be an essential resources.

Sal, a native of Southern California, resides here with his wife, Melissa, and his children, Estelle and Sal.

  • LANGUAGES

    Spanish & English

  • EDUCATION

    UCLA

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.

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

No two investment approaches are alike because no two investors are alike. Working closely with you the team examines key components of your life plan to help you create a financial strategy with personalized advice and measurable goals. The team helps you track progress to your goals and works with you to adjust your investment style and strategy over time, as needed.

Capabilities

Whatever your goals may be, I can help you by working together with you to address your financial concerns that might otherwise stand in your way. You can take advantage of a wide variety of investment products and services we can offer to help develop your personalized financial strategy, including your goals for wealth preservation and growth, intergenerational wealth transfer, and insurance and annuity products.

Focus On Individuals, Families, and Small Businesses

I 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.

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

I 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, I will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

Welcome

My mission, first and foremost, is to understand you and what matters most to you. Armed with that information I can ask thoughtful questions -- listening carefully, then understanding in detail where your wealth stands today and where you’d like it to be tomorrow. I help you design and implement a personalized plan intended to help you and your family pursue financial goals while helping manage investment risk. My approach is to focus on potential solutions that can help turn goals into reality.

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


      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.