1:33 pm, Oct 27, 2014
Global Corporate and Institutional
Advisory Services (GCIAS)
GCIAS
3455 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30326
Toll-free: 888.763.2327
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S), a registered broker-dealer and member SIPC,
and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation (BofA Corp.).
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Investment products offered through MLPF&S and insurance and annuity products offered through Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc.:
Are Not FDIC Insured
Are Not Bank Guaranteed
May Lose Value
Are Not Deposits
Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency
Are Not a Condition to Any Banking Service or Activity
MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, a registered investment adviser and member SIPC.
Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc. is a licensed insurance agency and wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.
Merrill Lynch makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of BofA Corp. or in which BofA Corp. has a substantial
economic interest, including BofA® Global Capital Management.
.
“Forward-thinking executives and
managers recognize that benefit
programs can have a positive
effect on employee relations and
employee motivation, and can be
a competitive advantage for their
company. GCIAS is committed to
assisting institutional clients in
establishing support and education
for benefits plans. We work with
individual employees, from the CEO
right down the line to new hires,
guiding them to help maximize
the value of their benefit plans
and provide wealth management
strategies designed to enhance
their financial wellness.”
James Wallace
MANAGING DIRECTOR–WEALTH MANAGEMENT
WEALTH MANAGEMENT ADVISOR
In 2012, 2013 and 2014,
Barron’s magazine ranked James
Wallace as one of the Top 100
Financial Advisors in America.
GCIAS—Executive Summary
More than 25 Years of Serving Institutions
and Individuals
Nobody has time for complexity these days, especially when
it comes to financial matters. That’s why for more than
25 years, Merrill Lynch’s GCIAS has offered plan sponsors
the advantage of integrating recordkeeping support for
retirement savings plans, equity and stock awards, and
personalized wealth management services with employee
education and financial wellness strategies. Ours is a
story of commitment, experience, innovative solutions and
A Unique Service Model
The GCIAS service
model begins with the
institutional relationship
and builds to providing
wealth management
strategies and execution
to help serve the needs of
individuals and families.
connecting the dots for companies and their employees.
Whether you are a corporate leader, plan administrator, an employee or a retiree
focused on achieving your personal financial goals, the more than 100 professionals
of GCIAS located throughout the United States deliver responsive, flexible and hightouch service.
GCIAS At a Glance
Access to
Institutional Services
Equity Compensation
Defined Contribution
Defined Contribution
Investment Consulting
Defined Benefit
Deferred Nonqualified
Compensation
Health Benefit
Solutions
Employee
Education
Maximizing the value
of benefit plans
Retirement readiness
Market and investment
education
Preparation for “life
event” needs
Individual Wealth
Strategies
Holistic approaches
Advice and guidance*
Situational strategies
(home financing
through Bank of America,
N.A., cost of long-term
care and education)
Debt management
Estate planning services
Philanthropic planning
services
Generational wealth
transfer
*Investment advice provided to participants relative to plan assets is solely through the Advice Access service.
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Individual Wealth
Management
Tax-efficient investing
Alternative
investments
Portfolio and risk
management
.
“GCIAS is committed to adding real value to benefit plans by
helping employees make more appropriate financial decisions
through education. We help employees create strategies that
take into consideration all available resources to meet life
event needs, pursue their retirement goals, and save and
invest for their futures.”
Deborah Howard
MANAGING DIRECTOR–WEALTH MANAGEMENT
WEALTH MANAGEMENT ADVISOR
In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Barron’s magazine ranked Deborah
Howard as one of the Top 100 Financial Advisors in America.
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Institutional Services
Streamlined and Cost-Effective Solutions
GCIAS helps companies to meet the financial benefits and total rewards challenges
they face in all industries by delivering access to the full breadth and depth of
Merrill Lynch and Bank of America.
■■
Specialized technology and services to help you administer defined
contribution, defined benefit, deferred compensation, equity and health care
savings programs.
■■
Single point of contact at the executive level offers responsiveness and
the ability to help maximize the value of company-sponsored programs.
■■
Enhanced buying power that comes from a broader and deeper relationship
with Bank of America and Merrill Lynch.
■■
Natural alignment with total rewards approach through a broad view of
benefit plans and synchronized decision making.
■■
Open investment architecture offering investment options to help meet
investor’s needs.
■■
Engaged thought leadership on industry trends, innovative strategies and
legislative issues.
■■
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Bridging benefits programs and individual financial wellness
strategies with support and execution alternatives.
.
At GCIAS, we believe that an effective benefits strategy
delivers more than just retirement-related products.
That’s why we offer a full range of employee benefit
plan services delivered on an integrated platform
and supplemented by multichannel financial wellness
support. We can also offer your employees access to
Bank of America resources for their full financial picture
such as home financing, savings and credit services.
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Employee Education
A Life Stage Approach to Employee Education
Clients enjoy employee education and communication campaigns designed to drive
employee behavior in strategic ways and integrate messages across plans. This is
accomplished through a life-stage approach, which aligns with employees’ needs based on
where they are in life.
Meeting Employees Where They Are In Life
STARTING
EARLY
ASSET
ACCUMULATION
BALANCING
GOALS AND
NEEDS
✓✓Set personal
financial goals
✓✓Increase retirement ✓✓Maintain an
plan contributions
emergency fund
✓✓Create a budget
and start saving
✓✓Think twice before
using credit
✓✓Take advantage of ✓✓Plan and save for
company benefits
large expenses
✓✓Establish an
emergency fund
✓✓Improve your
“investing IQ”
✓✓Simplify finances
and consolidate
accounts
✓✓Teach children
about saving,
budgeting and
avoiding debt
✓✓Understand
and maximize
equity awards
CATCHING
UP
NEARING
RETIREMENT
✓✓Get back on track
with catch-up
contributions
✓✓Identify sources
of retirement
income
✓✓Stick to your
budget and
focus on paying
down debt
✓✓Determine
Social Security
benefits you
are entitled to
✓✓Consider
retirement income
needs
✓✓Take care of
your physical
health and plan
for future health
care needs
✓✓Avoid taking a
401(k) loan
✓✓Take advantage
of knowledgeable
resources
✓✓Take advantage
of knowledgeable
resources
Multi-Media Delivery
ONLINE AND
ON DEMAND
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FACE TO FACE
TELEPHONE
PRINT
.
“Forty-three percent of employees indicated that the
availability of financial education and advice services
at work increases their loyalty to their employer.”
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
2012 Workplace Benefits Report
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Individual Wealth Strategies
Personalized Strategies to Help You Pursue Financial Wellness
Whether your office is in the C-suite or you devote your working hours to the factory floor, it
is critical to prepare for your financial future. That’s why, for needs that go beyond benefits
and awards education, GCIAS offers personalized wealth management support delivered by a
dedicated team of Merrill Lynch financial advisors.
Your personalized and actionable strategy takes into consideration all employer benefits and
awards, as well as savings and investment activities outside of the workplace. It includes
analysis of your total portfolio (assets and liabilities) in the context of your risk tolerance, time
horizon, liquidity needs, asset allocation preferences, and short-term and long-term goals.
The Support Continuum
The level and detail of your personalized strategy is largely determined by the dimensions of
your financial life and the complexity of your needs.
Situational Needs
■■
■■
Education funding
Moderately Complex Needs
■■
Home purchase
and refinancing
■■
Long-term care costs
■■
Life insurance
■■
Debt management
■■
Retirement savings
Equity compensation
planning (modeling, block
trading, 10b5-1 trading plans,
execution analysis)
Complex Needs
■■
■■
Securities-based
lending
Trust and estate
planning services
■■
Tax-efficient investing
■■
Wealth transfer
■■
Portfolio diversification
■■
Charitable giving
Employee Choice in Execution Strategy
When it comes to your personalized wealth management strategy, you have three choices:
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■■
Implement with GCIAS financial advisor, or
■■
Implement with advisor of your choice, or
■■
Take no action (hold the strategy for future execution)
.
Protect basic
standard of living
Enhance lifestyle
Portfolio Strategy: Quantifying Risk
Your Assets
Preserve
Lifestyle,
Liquidity and
Safety
Benchmark
standard of living
Time
Protect basic
Enhance lifestylestandard
of living
Preserve
Lifestyle,
Liquidity and
Safety
Bonds
style
Time
Alternative
Investments
Bonds
Maintain lifestyle
Stocks
Alternative
Investments
Your Assets
Preserve
Benchmark
PROTECT BASIC
Lifestyle,
STANDARD
OF LIVING
Liquidity and
Safety
Loss of earning power
Tax risk
Longevity risk
Mortality risk
ternative
vestments
“ASPIRATIONAL” RISK
Enhance lifestyle
Protect basic Your Assets
standard
Enhance
lifestyleof livingBenchmark
Bonds
Time
MAINTAIN
LIFESTYLE
Maintain lifestyle
Portfolio risk
Single country risk
Interest rate risk
Inflation risk
Bonds
Liquidity risk
Currency risk
Stocks
Taxes
Alternative
Risk
Risk
in lifestyle
“MARKET” RISK
Risk
Risk
Protect basic RISK
“PERSONAL”
Preserve
ENHANCE
Lifestyle,
LIFESTYLE
Liquidity and
Safety
Your Assets
Benchmark
Time Stock concentration
Alternative investments
Hedge funds
Private equity
Real assets
Investments
Your Portfolio
Your portfolio is the power behind your wealth strategy. It should support your goals
and be aligned with your tolerance for risk. We also consider your time horizon,
cash flow and liquidity needs, and tax sensitivities in the process of helping you to
develop a strategic asset allocation and build your portfolio framework.
One of our first analytical steps is to look at your total net worth through a risk
prism. This helps us quantify the risks in your financial life and gives us a valuable
insight into how your wealth is allocated by degree of risk and liquidity.
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Individual Wealth Management
Working With Individual Clients
GCIAS financial advisors work with individual clients to develop and implement
wealth management strategies. With the ability to recommend from among a wide
array of investment choices offered by hundreds of asset managers and other investment
providers, your financial advisor can help you to assemble products and services to
help meet your needs.
Our Investment Approach. In most situations,
The GCIAS approach to
offering investment advice
is based to a great extent
on the risk evaluation work
we do with you. Your risk
profile is a key determinant
of how we allocate your
investments across
different asset classes,
each of which has different
market risk characteristics.*
the objective is to optimize the expected returns
for a given level of acceptable risk that is
associated with an individual’s risk profile. In
order to help you build a diversified portfolio of
investments and develop a wealth management
strategy designed to fit your needs, we work
to understand your tolerance for risk, your
experience as an investor, and your goals
and objectives.
The GCIAS approach is based on the principles
of Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT). PMPT
incorporates the widely accepted theorems of Modern Portfolio Theory with behavioral
economics and a modernized way to analyze—and define—market risk. Our investment
approach is supported by the critical strategic thinking of three groups in particular, the
Research Investment Committee (RIC), the Investment Management & Guidance group,
and BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research.
Open Investment Architecture
The Merrill Lynch products and services platform is remarkably broad and deep, and gives
us tremendous flexibility to recommend strategies that may be appropriate for you. For
instance, the platform includes more than 125 mutual fund families, offering more than
4,700 investment options.
FOCUS ON
RISK REDUCTION
(PREDICTABLE RETURNS)
MITIGATE
DOWNSIDE
RISK
*Investment advice provided to participants relative to plan assets is solely through advice access.
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FOCUS ON
CONSISTENCY
OF RETURNS
.
A Consistent Investment Approach Supported By
Deep Resources And Critical Strategic Thinking
Investment Universe
Investment Management & Guidance
GCIAS
Financial Advisor
CLIENT
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Please call us for more information, or to
discuss how GCIAS can assist you, your
company or your company’s employees.
GCIAS
3455 Peachtree Road NE
Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30326
Toll-free: 888.763.2327
Investing involves risk. There is always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities.
Asset allocation and diversification do not ensure a profit or protect against a loss in declining markets.
Some, or all, alternative investments may not be suitable 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.
BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research is equity research produced by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and/or one or more of its
non-U.S. affiliates. MLPF&S is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Any information presented in connection with BofA
Merrill Lynch Global Research is general in nature and is not intended to provide personal investment advice. The information does not take
into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any specific person who may receive it. Investors
should understand that statements regarding future prospects may not be realized.
Borrowing against securities may not be appropriate for everyone and should be carefully evaluated before being used. If securities decline
in value, the account holder may be required to pay down the loan or deposit additional securities as collateral. If they cannot do so, all or a
portion of their collateral may be liquidated and the proceeds used to pay down the loan balance. A forced liquidation could also have adverse
tax consequences or trigger potential capital gains taxes.
All guarantees and benefits of an insurance policy are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. They are not
backed by Merrill Lynch or its affiliates, nor do Merrill Lynch or its affiliates make any representations or guarantees regarding the claimspaying ability of the issuing insurance company.
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Merrill Lynch offers a broad range of brokerage, investment advisory (including financial planning) and other services. There are important
differences between brokerage and investment advisory services, including the type of advice and assistance provided, the fees charged, and the
rights and obligations of the parties. It is important to understand the differences, particularly when determining a service or services to select.
Barron’s magazine April 19, 2014; April 13, 2013; April 16, 2012, America’s Top 100 Financial Advisors list. Advisors considered for the
“America’s Top 100 Financial Advisors list” ranking have a minimum of seven years financial services experience and have been employed at
their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the Advisor rankings include: client assets,
return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others. Barron’s does not receive
compensation from Advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow
Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
L-09-14
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