Steven Pawlowski

How I Work With Clients

**The Process** 1. **Discovery.** We start with a conversation about your goals, your family, your career or business, and how you think about risk. 2. **Personal Wealth Analysis.** I bring your accounts, equity compensation, retirement plans, and liabilities into one view, including assets held at other institutions. 3. **Review and Recommendations.** We look at where things are working well and where better coordination may help. 4. **Coordinate and Implement.** I work alongside your CPA, attorney, and other advisors so everyone is working from the same plan. 5. **Ongoing Reviews.** We meet regularly, including a year\-end review of your tax position, and adjust as your life, your company, or the markets change. **Areas of Focus** * **Equity Compensation:** RSUs, stock options, and performance shares, including the timing of exercises and sales and reducing company stock concentration over time. * **Tax\-Aware Planning:** Coordinating with your CPA on how investment decisions may affect your tax picture. * **Retirement Income:** Distribution strategies, RMD planning, and Social Security timing. * **Business Owners:** Preparing for a sale or succession, and building wealth outside the business. * **Legacy Planning:** Estate and state residency considerations, with access to Bank of America Private Bank for trust and estate planning service needs. * **Banking and Lending:** Access to Bank of America for credit and lending solutions.\* * **Financial Industry Professionals:** Working with your firm's compliance team on account structure. *\*Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.* \**Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.*

Bio

Steven was finishing his studies at Pace University when the 2008 financial crisis hit. He watched relatives and family friends live through it. Retirement savings took a significant hit almost overnight. Many homeowners found themselves owing more than their homes were worth. Families who had worked hard and planned carefully were suddenly rethinking retirement dates, selling investments at difficult times, or rebuilding what they had spent years putting together. Many had made their biggest financial decisions on guidance that never accounted for their full situation, and they felt the effects for years. Steven never forgot it. He decided then that he wanted to be the person families could count on for honest, well\-grounded advice, and he set out to build the expertise to give it. He started with taxes, because nearly every financial decision runs through them. As a taxation accountant at IBM and Deloitte Tax, Steven specialized in partnership, corporate, and individual taxation, and saw firsthand how tax decisions shape long\-term outcomes. He then moved into wealth management at Morgan Stanley, where he served entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers, corporate executives, and ultra\-high net worth professionals. He also worked on retirement plans. For most working families, the retirement plan at work holds more of their savings than anything else they own, yet many people make decisions about it with little guidance: how much to contribute, how to invest, and what to do when they change jobs or retire. That work showed Steven how much difference the right guidance at those moments can make, and it later led him to earn his Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®) designation. At UBS, Steven became a Corporate Stock Plan Benefit Consultant for multiple Fortune 500 companies. He advised ultra\-high net worth executives on their restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance shares, and stock options, and served as their main point of contact for banking needs, along with investment, legacy, and financial planning. The role gave him a detailed understanding of how equity compensation works from the company's side as well as the employee's. Before joining Merrill, he worked at Registered Investment Advisory firms with ultra\-high net worth individuals in the music and entertainment industry, as well as business owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and families with multigenerational wealth. Each step built on the one before it, from taxes to retirement plans to equity compensation to multigenerational wealth. Today, Steven brings that experience together for the clients he serves, with the same goal that started his career: making sure the families who rely on him never have to make their biggest decisions without sound advice. Steven earned his bachelor's degree from Pace University with a double major in Accounting and Finance. Based in Stamford, he works with clients throughout Fairfield County, Westchester, and New York City, as well as across the country. Outside the office, Steven enjoys spending time with family and friends, and can often be found on or along the water, hiking, traveling, or following sports. \**Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.*

Personalized planning

**Helping you create a personalized plan** At Merrill, we go beyond the traditional role of an advisor. * Your goals, concerns and attitude about investing are the foundation of your plan. * We actively listen and provide personalized advice — ensuring we understand what matters most to you and your family. * We're committed to creating a personalized plan that evolves with you to help you live well today while preparing for the future.

Team and resources

**Giving you access to our teams and solutions** Your advisor is one part of an experienced team dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. Acting as your single point of contact, your advisor provides personalized strategies and connects you with: * Bank of America specialists, such as mortgage or trust professionals * Timely insights from BofA Global Research1 to help you stay informed and navigate ever\-changing markets * A [full suite](https://www.ml.com/solutions/all.html) of Merrill investing and Bank of America banking solutions ^1^~BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. ("BofAS") and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker\-dealer, [Member SIPC](http://www.sipc.org/), and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.").~

Recognition