Jessica Zhou is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, CRPCTM and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor, CPFATM designations. She strives to provide a premier level of wealth management and investment services to affluent and high-net-worth clients.
Jessica is a specially qualified Senior Portfolio Advisor who, in addition to providing traditional advice and guidance, can draw from her experience to help clients pursue their objectives by building and managing custom investment strategies, selecting from a wide range of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management model portfolios and third-party investment strategies. When servicing clients through the firm’s Investment Advisory Program, a Senior Portfolio Advisor may manage those strategies on a discretionary basis. Jessica is committed to keeping the client’s best interest in mind while offering customized financial recommendations designed to help her clients reach their goals. She begins her engagement by gaining a deep understanding of the client’s priories, concerns and aspirations. She will then provide clients with sophisticated, robust and thoughtful strategies to help them reach their goals. Specifically, Jessica works with her clients in the following key areas:
• Investment management: traditional and alternative investments*
• Retirement Planning (incl. 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, employee benefits, executive benefits & etc.)
• Trust & estate and wealth transfer planning services
• Credit and lending services through Bank of America, N.A.
• Insurance planning
• Education Planning
Jessica Zhou started her career in the financial industry in 2001. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2010, Jessica had worked with Citigroup Global Wealth Management and American Express Financial Advisors. She obtained her MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, concentrating on corporate finance and strategic planning. She has a BA degree in international economics from Shanghai International Studies University.
Jessica also has extensive working experiences in Asia. She worked at McKinsey & Co management consulting firm for 7 years in their Shanghai and Hong Kong offices. Besides English, she is fluent in speaking and writing Mandarin. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys reading novels, traveling to the other parts of the world, exploring culinary delights and practicing hot yoga occasionally. Jessica and her family live in Irvine, CA.
*Some or all alternative investment programs may not be in the best interest of certain investors. No assurance can be given that any alternative investment’s investment objectives will be achieved.
Client Commitment
At Merrill, we believe that wealth isn't just about the performance of your portfolio—it is about how you live your life and the personally meaningful goals you want to achieve. This could be saving for retirement, planning for a college education, saving for a second home, caring for a family member or starting a business. Our advisors draw upon the investment insights of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management thought leaders and can offer access to Bank of America's banking products and services to help unlock opportunities tailored to clients' needs. Starting with your life priorities as a foundation, your Merrill advisor can recommend a wide variety of financial strategies to help you pursue your goals, assist in tracking progress and make adjustments along the way, putting you—not the market—at the center of all we do.
*Merrill Life Agency's California License Number 0522776
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.
Bringing fresh perspectives to your financial life
The financial decisions you make today can help determine the future you build for yourself and your family. Carving a clear path forward starts with connecting your life and finances. A Merrill advisor provides access to the investing insights of Merrill and banking capabilities of Bank of America to help you make informed decisions as you pursue your goals.
