Jim Salsman is a Financial Advisor with Merrill, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Jim provides customized advice and guidance to business owners and their employees, helping them design, enhance, and administer company-sponsored group retirement plans. Drawing on decades of direct experience, Jim is an effective problem-solver who offers technical insight and practical knowledge. Clients look to him to help select a robust slate of investments, educate employees about the powerful savings vehicles at their disposal, mitigate the fiduciary risk of business owners, and help attract and retain a high caliber of employees.

 

Jim leads a team of professionals who look to provide end-to-end plan design, administration, and servicing for defined benefit plans, including pension and cash balance plans, as well as defined contribution plans, including 401(k), 403(b), and profit-sharing plans. Together, they offer a suite of services to plan sponsors and employees, addressing their financial needs with forethought and care. Jim is particularly gratified to help employees become “retirement ready,” underscoring the power that consistent saving can have on their long-term trajectories. He and his team also provide wealth management guidance to business owners, embracing a multi-disciplinary approach that looks to optimize varied aspects of their wealth. A skilled communicator, Jim provides relatable guidance that helps inspire employers and employees to take measurable steps toward a more secure financial future.

 

Jim has an extensive career serving the needs of business owners and corporate executives. He spent 24 years consulting to business owners in the telecom industry prior to becoming a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2012. In 2014, Jim moved to ADP, one of the largest providers of 401(k) plans, where he served as a Retirement Services District Manager. Four years later, Jim was named a Wealth Financial Advisor with Bank of the West, where he continued to serve the needs of business owners and executives prior to rejoining Merrill in 2021. His “homecoming” to the firm allows Jim to focus on the work he most enjoys: cultivating the mindsets and behaviors that can result in measurable progress towards meaningful milestones in clients’ lives.

 

In his free time, Jim loves spending time with his children and grandchildren, and his sociable cat, Thomas. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys driving his Jeep off-road in the desert exploring ghost towns and abandoned mines. He also likes to spend time on the river in his boat. Jim is currently writing a book on sales, drawing on the life lessons he has gleaned from decades of experience.
I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.