Delivering Merrill's global footprint through a boutique culture, The Hill Country Group at Merrill lives out our mission every day, to shift the paradigm around financial planning and redefine wealth management. Our team has over 100 years of experience with the world's top financial institutions, including JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, UBS, Fidelity, US Bank, Edward Jones, Morgan Stanley, and now Merrill. Utilizing the best-practices from each, we crafted a top-down, process-driven system that fuels our proactive approach to financial planning, implementation, ongoing service and support.
Our team holds the prestigious Merrill Institutional Consultant (MIC) designation, awarded to fewer than 120 advisors at Merrill. This distinction underscores our ability to deliver tailored, sophisticated financial strategies for institutions, high net worth families and business owners pursuing any meaningful transaction.
Merrill Institutional Consulting™ (MIC) is part of the Global Wealth and Investment Management (GWIM), the wealth and investment management division of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp"), and offers products and services for the benefit of institutional and ultra-high net worth clients through dually registered representatives of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or Merrill) who can provide brokerage or investment advisory services. The nature and degree of advice and assistance provided, the fees charged, and clients’ rights and MLPF&S’ obligations will differ depending upon the products and services actually provided. Banking products, services, and activities are offered by wholly owned banking affiliates of BofA Corp, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. MLPF&S and Bank of America, N.A. are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation.
MLPF&S is a dually registered broker‐dealer and investment adviser and Member SIPC. MLPF&S makes available investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of BofA Corp.
THCG was built with intention from the ground up, seeking out first round draft picks to lead each critical discipline in a holistic wealth managment framework. Our clients benefit from the collaboration across the verticals, with the following team members leading:
- Dustin - Team Lead, Asset Allocation & Credit
- Andrew - Implementation & Insurance
- David - Institutions & Endowments (401k, Stock Plans, Corp Benefits)
- Alex - M&A, Entrepreneurship, Pre & Post Transaction Planning
- Katelyn - Financial Planning & Chief of Staff
- Abby - Private Alternatives & Marketing
- Hannah - Brand Management, Events & Client Service
- Mandy - Wealth Structure, Estate Planning & Client Service
- Annie - Banking & Client Solutions
- Arun - Next Gen
The Wealth Management industry has gone through a number of major paradigm shifts in the 21st century including the rise of financial planning, the shift from brokerage to advisory business, active management via mutual funds to passive indexing through ETFs. Today, our team continues to harness change:
- Direct indexing with tax-loss harvesting can add after tax alpha annually while reducing concentration risk and mitigating significant future taxable events
- There is a reverse shift in the race to IPO – as today more companies source capital and growth from the private markets – and access to those markets through cutting edge alternatives platform and dedicated resource is critical
- Artificial Intelligence has very much arrived, albeit in the early innings, and we believe will provide never before seen real time potential solutions for teams who embrace it at the few firms who have the capacity, resources and commitment to develop and implement safely and effectively
- Individual financial consultants reacting to client requests have given way to strategic wealth management teams proactively serving multi-generational families
Some or all alternative investments may not be in the best interests for certain investors. Certain alternative investments carry significant risk and are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as mutual funds and other traditional investments. For these reasons, access to alternative investments may be limited to investors who are designated as sophisticated, high-net-worth investors. 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.
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.
