Rua was recruited to join Merrill in 2012 after nearly a decade working as a private consultant in Malibu, California and Palm Beach, Florida. Her earliest career involved both development roles in the not-for-profit Alzheimer’s and for-profit pharmaceutical industries.
Training, Education, & Honors
She holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Management from the Rinker School of Business at Palm Beach Atlantic University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management with a triple minor in Entrepreneurship, Social Sciences, and Economics from Northwood University in West Palm Beach, FL.
In 2025 she was named to the Forbes "Top Women Wealth Advisors Best in State" list. (Published on February 11, 2025. Rankings based on data as of Sept 30, 2024.)
In order to fulfill the complex needs and long term goals of her clients, she also holds the following financial services specific qualifications and training:
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification attained through the rigorous process administered through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
- Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ designation attained through the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp.
- Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor™ designation attained through the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp.
- Merrill Longevity Training Program from the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology.
Client Approach: Planning Focused, Personal Touch
Rua provides all clients with customized guidance geared towards their unique goals and life circumstances. Starting with goals-based planning, Rua then pulls from the large-scale resources of Merrill and Bank of America’s global enterprise to allow evolving client goals to be seamlessly met.
Personal Life
Rua lives in Spring Lake with her husband, Ken Hekhuis, and their two dogs: Fat Amy and Kai. Outside of work she dedicates time to support homeless animals through the Humane Society of West Michigan and enjoys running, biking, gardening, reading, doing martial arts, skiing, or laughably attempting to golf or snow board.
\*A Senior Portfolio Advisor can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis custom investment strategies, selecting from a wide range of Merrill model portfolios and third-party investment strategies.
2025 Forbes “Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-in-State” list. Opinions provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due-diligence meetings that measure best practices, client retention, industry experience, credentials, compliance records, firm nominations, assets under management and Firm-generated revenue (investment performance is not a criterion). SHOOK’s rankings are available for client evaluation only, are not indicative of future performance and do not represent any one client’s experience and available for investor help in evaluating the right financial advisor and should not be considered an endorsement of the advisor. Compensation was not received from anyone for the study. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Details available at www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.
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.
