Phillip A. Zayas
At Merrill, we believe building a strong financial future starts with a plan that reflects your specific goals, values, and stage of life. I work with clients across all walks of life, with particular depth in helping young professionals and growing families navigate the pivotal early years of wealth-building, career growth, home ownership, starting a family, and laying the groundwork for long-term goals like education planning and retirement.
My approach centers on clear communication and a plan that evolves as your life does. Clients can expect a highly attentive, hands-on level of service, timely responses, proactive check-ins, and the kind of personal attention that comes from working with a dedicated advisor. I take the time to understand the full picture before recommending any strategy, whether you're balancing debt repayment with saving, planning for a growing family, or simply trying to get organized.
I work collaboratively with clients' accountants and attorneys when needed, to help align strategies around tax efficiency, insurance needs, and long-term goals, and I provide ongoing check-ins as your circumstances change.
I invite you to reach out to schedule a conversation about your financial picture.
*Merrill Life Agency’s California License Number 0522776
Every relationship starts with a conversation. Before I talk strategy, I want to understand you. What keeps you up at night, what you're working toward, and what a good financial future actually looks like in your own words. Whether that means preparing for a big life change, figuring out how to balance saving with living your life now, or just getting a handle on where you stand, it starts with listening.
Getting to know you as an investor:
Everyone's relationship with money is different, shaped by experience, personality, and what they've seen work (or not work) in their own lives. I use tools rooted in behavioral finance to better understand how you think about risk, decisions, and long-term planning, not to fit you into a category, but to help make sure the strategy we build actually fits how you operate.
Keeping up as life changes:
Your goals today probably won't look exactly like your goals in five years, and that's normal. I check in regularly and adjust as things shift, so your plan keeps pace with your life instead of sitting frozen from our first meeting.
From client service to digital innovation, Merrill consistently earned national and global recognition as a leader in the financial services industry.
1. WealthBriefing WealthTech Americas Awards, February 2025. The judging process is guided and assisted by a panel of independent experts, each of whom has been actively involved in the family office and wealth management industry for many years and have an in-depth knowledge of the WealthTech sector.
2. The Digital Banker Digital CX Awards, April 2025. Nominees are selected on the qualitative and quantitative depth of their nominations. The Digital Banker research team will shortlist four institutions or individuals per category, which will then be put to our impartial panel of expert judges who will undertake a rigorous audit type process to carefully select the winners.
3. Bank of America employs Ipsos, in conjunction with Qualtrics to continuously measure Merrill Lynch Wealth Management client satisfaction via an online survey. Results quoted are from surveys conducted June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025, with a total sample of 40,742 clients randomly drawn from the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management client base after eligibility (minimum $100,000 in household assets, advised relationships) and privacy exclusions (deceased, in litigation, bad email address, etc., and had they been included percentages may be different). When asked how satisfied the client was with their primary financial advisor, 95% rated them a 9 or 10; 4% a 6–8; and 1% a 1–5.
4. Money Management Institute (MMI) / Barron's Industry Awards, October 17, 2024. Winners were selected by a specially appointed MMI Industry Awards Steering Council. The Steering Council consists of representatives from all segments of the MMI membership. After carefully reviewing the nominations submitted, the Steering Council determined a slate of finalists in each award category. The primary contacts at each of MMI's member firms were eligible to vote to determine the winners.