Jose Morales is a Vice President and Financial Advisor with Merrill, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Jose works closely with clients and their families, helping them discern what they want to accomplish in their financial lives and taking positive actions to pursue those goals. Collaborative by nature, Jose enjoys learning about people—their background, experiences, interests, values, and priorities. He then harnesses that knowledge to deliver integrated strategy, advice, and service that reflects each client’s unique vision and aspirations. His decades of experience in wealth management have sharpened his ability to connect clients to meaningful capabilities that help clarify their financial picture, resolve long-standing questions, broaden their opportunity set, and instill greater confidence in their ability to navigate significant financial decisions.

Jose believes that one of the critical ways he adds value is in asking insightful questions that help clients think more purposefully about their wealth. An attentive listener, he is skilled in delineating clear action steps that stem from client conversations, spearheading cohesive action with his fellow team members, in-house specialists, and a client’s external tax and legal advisors, as appropriate.

Jose’s direct understanding of the needs of high-net-worth clients has added to his facility in addressing multiple aspects of their financial lives, including investments, trust and estate planning services, retirement strategy, business succession planning, cash-flow analysis, higher education savings, and access to lending through Bank of America. He is proud to serve a hard-working clientele who remain humble despite their success. Deeply gratified to contribute to the well-being of each client, Jose measures his success by the quality of his relationships and the mutual trust he enjoys with individuals and their families.

Jose has worked in banking and wealth management since 2002. Prior to joining Merrill, he spent ten years at Citibank, where he served the needs of high-net-worth clients as a Wealth Relationship Manager. He also gained valuable experience as a Branch Manager for Citi. Previously, Jose spent nine years at Chase and its predecessor firm, Washington Mutual, where he served as a Personal Banker and Assistant Manager. He is fluent in Spanish.

Jose is married and has two teenage daughters. His wife is a special education pre-school teacher for LAUSD. His older daughter is studying Neuroscience at UC Riverside, and his youngest daughter is an aspiring chef and baker. In his free time, Jose loves traveling with his family, spending time outside, and playing sports. His hobbies include running, fishing, and basketball.
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.