At The CBC Group, every member of our team is dedicated to helping people achieve their financial goals. We believe every client is entitled to the highest level of personalized service and care. With the global resources of Merrill, we’ll place you at the center of the wealth management process as we work together to design a goals-based financial approach to help you reach the goals that matter most to you.
Meet the Team
The private wealth advisors with Merrill Private Wealth Management are rigorously trained to help meet your specialized needs with relationships based on trust and personalized service.
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Jim Cantalupo is the managing partner of the CBC Group as well as the Managing Director and Senior Resident Director of the Ballantyne office in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been in the financial services industry since 1988. As a Private Wealth Advisor, Jim is proficient in customized wealth planning strategies for wealthy families, senior executive, and business owners. His focus on the CBC Group is trusts, estate planning services, and executive compensation.
Jim was born and raised in Union, New Jersey. Actively involved in scouting growing up, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1982. In high school, Jim received the outstanding CFO award, a national program administered by the Junior Achievement organization. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina. He is also a graduate of the Cannon Trust School and obtained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in June 2003. Jim is also a graduate from the Executive Leadership Program from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, and the Yale School of Management.
Jim is actively involved in the community, formally serving on the local Board of Trustees and Vice Chairman of the National Board of Directors for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Jim currently serves on the board as President of the Charlotte Soccer Academy, the largest non-profit competitive youth soccer club in North Carolina. Jim and his wife Joanie, daughter Julia, and son J. Connor live in Charlotte. In his spare time Jim enjoys traveling, playing golf, and collecting wine.
*Trust and fiduciary services are provided by Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.
Thomas Berger is the co-founder of the CBC Group, and a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill. He has been in the financial services industry since 1982. Having spent 10 years in retail and small business banking, Tom joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1993. As a Wealth Management Advisor, Tom focuses on development of portfolios and strategies to enable our clients to reach their financial and life goals. Within the CBC Group, he is also portfolio manager of a proprietary stock portfolio, advises the team on the use of annuities, and leads CBC investment discussion within the Group.
Tom was born in Savannah, Georgia, the eldest of three children and grew up mostly in South Carolina. By the time he graduated from High School, he had been named a National Merit Finalist, an Eagle Scout, a marginal athlete, and a professional musician. Tom attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, where he excelled academically, majoring in Economics. Upon graduation, began his career in banking, culminating as Regional Vice President of CorEast Savings Bank of Virginia (now part of BB&T). In 2004, he obtained his Certified Investment Management Analyst® certification sponsored by the Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute) at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tom is active in his community, formerly serving on the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts, Hornet’s Nest Council, and as a financial counselor for Habitat for Humanity. He has also been involved in the music ministry at St. Matthew Catholic Church, and as a volunteer within his children’s schools. Tom is currently a Board Member of Alzheimer’s Association of Western North Carolina, which provides research funding, as well as support to those suffering from the disease. He also remains active in music performance. Tom is married to Cari, and is the father of three children, Anna, Davis, and John, and they live in Charlotte.
*A Portfolio Manager can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis his own Personalized or Defined Strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies.
David has been in the financial services industry and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management since 1995 and obtained both his CIMA® and C(k)P® designations. In 2017 he was named to the Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Advisors list. He was born and raised in Parsippany, New Jersey and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a double major in Accounting and Finance. David began his career in the audit area with Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) and then served as a Divisional Controller for several southeastern companies. He is actively involved in his community serving on the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. He is married to his wife Sherry of 25 years, and they have three children, Kandice, Olivia and son Brooks. David is actively involved in his church and in his spare time enjoys working out and spending time with his family.
*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.
**Source: The Financial Times "Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisers" list (FT 401) is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times (September 2017). The FT 401 is based on data gathered from financial advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT's research. The listing reflects each advisor's status in seven primary areas, including Defined Contribution (DC) plan assets under management, growth in DC plan business, specialization in DC plan business, and other factors. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of this advisor's future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.
Diedrich D. Oglesbee, Jr., C(k)P®, CFP®, Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor – Rick is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and designated by Merrill as a Retirement Benefits Consultant. He focuses on corporate retirement plans, deferred compensation and educational planning (529 plans) for our clients. Rick received his Certified 401(k) Professional designation from The Retirement Advisor University at UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is also a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designee.
Rick has been in the financial services industry since 1995 and has been with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management since 1998. Rick was born in New Orleans, LA and spent time in Connecticut, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Florida growing up. Rick is a graduate of Roanoke College with a BA in History. Rick is a former Board of Trustee for Roanoke College and was also the President of the Alumni Association and served on the Alumni Executive Council. Rick currently serves on the Board for B The Difference - The Brandon Merritt Charitable Foundation. Rick lives in Charlotte, NC with his daughter Laine and son Lawson. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, deep sea fishing and snowboarding.
Christine is a partner of the CBC Group, and Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been in the financial services industry since 2000. As a Senior Financial Advisor, Christine focuses on customized wealth planning, as well as retirement and investment strategies for families and executives to aid in reaching their goals. She obtained her Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM (CRPC®) designation in 2009. Also passionate about helping individuals and families navigate through difficult life transitions, Christine earned the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) designation in 2016. In addition to working with individuals and families, Christine is also a Retirement Benefit Consultant (RBC), and works with corporate clients with their retirement benefits providing access to Bank of America for retirement plan services such as plan design, investment selection and monitoring as well as participant and investment committee education and support.
Christine was born in Charlotte and while wasn’t raised there, moved back in 2000. She is a graduate of North Carolina State University. Christine is actively involved volunteering in the community, as well as in her children’s schools. Christine and her husband Eric, sons Josh, Christian and Daniel live in Charlotte. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, running, spending time with her family, and traveling.
*Bank of America is a marketing name for the Retirement Services business of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp."). Banking activities may be performed by wholly owned banking affiliates of BofA Corp., including Bank of America, N.A., member FDIC. Brokerage and investment advisory services are provided by wholly owned non-bank affiliates of BofA Corp., including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”), a dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser and Member SIPC.
Craig has been with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management for over 20 years. Craig is a CFP® certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. He has studied many aspects of wealth and investment planning and can assist clients in planning effectively for future needs. Craig is diligently involved in identifying the most appropriate money managers for our clients using both quantitative and qualitative methods. His selection process has aided the team in providing excellent performance to go along with outstanding service. Craig is a graduate of The University of Notre Dame. He received his BA in Marketing and earned his MBA from East Carolina University, also studying abroad at the Ecole Superiure de Commerce de Tours in Tours, France. Craig enjoys reading and playing golf. He lives in Charlotte with his wife, Ann, two sons, Mason and Clay, and daughter, Charlotte.
Rebecca has been a member of our team since 2002, when she joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She is passionate about assisting our clients to reach their financial goals. She obtained her Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM designation in May of 2013. She has a diversified background in the financial services industry. Rebecca has worked with pension plans with a Merrill team and previously served as Operations Manager for a major financial services firm. Rebecca relocated to Charlotte from Florida in 1996 and enjoys reading, travel and her grandchild.
Wes has been in the financial services industry since 2004 and joined Merrill 2013. He graduated from Appalachian State University with a finance and risk management double major. Wes' area of focus is on wealth management strategies for clients and businesses, including tax-efficient strategies.
*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.
Will Braude, Financial Advisor, graduated from Jacksonville University (FL) with a degree in Finance in 2012. In addition to his studies, Will was a member of the Men’s Golf Team. Upon graduation, Will started his career in financial services as a Financial Advisor at Merrill before joining a team at Wells Fargo in 2014. In 2017, Will joined UBS in Charlotte, NC where his focus was financial planning and advising clients that received equity compensation. He became a member of the CBC Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Spring 2020. Outside of the office, Will enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, skiing, and playing tennis.
Alex Luna, Financial Advisor, graduated from Hampden Sydney College (VA) with a degree in Business and Economics in 2017. Upon Graduation Alex started his career in Financial Services at Vanguard. In 2018, Alex joined UBS in Charlotte, NC where his focus was equity compensation strategy, Financial planning, and institutional retirement plans. Alex joined the CBC group in the Summer of 2021. Outside of the office Alex enjoys playing soccer, snowboarding, and traveling.
Brady, Financial Advisor, graduated from the Catholic University of America in 2021 with a degree in Finance. In addition to his studies, Brady was a member of the Men’s Football Team where he played Quarterback. Brady started his career in financial services for the CBC Group during the summer of 2019 as a Wealth Management Intern. He then worked in the ADP program for Bank of America where he developed a deep understanding of the Wealth Management business. Upon graduation, Brady started a position within the CBC Group as a TFA with a targeted aspect of Business Development. Outside of the office, Brady enjoys spending time with his friends, family, and playing golf.
Anna is the head of client and service administration for the CBC Group. She oversees all operational aspects of the team, including delegating client associate workflow. In addition, she is the event planner each year for the group's annual client dinner seminar, catering to over 120 clients and spouses. She has served as a branch coach, Client Associate mentor, and has coordinated Client Associate events at both the branch and complex level. She also previously served on new hire Wealth Management Banker panels to offer perspective and advice.
Anna graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BS in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance. She has over 20 years in the financial services industry serving in various roles from wire operator and cashier to Registered Senior Client Associate. She quickly learned how to manage a variety of tasks and execute complex trades while maintaining a high level of quality service to clients.
Away from the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Chris, and their two boys, Web and Wynn. When not chasing after her boys, she likes to keep a healthy lifestyle by regularly exercising as a way to relieve stress.
Julia has been in the financial services industry with Merrill since 1991. She is a Wealth Management Associate and heads up client administration for the team. This includes coordinating and ensuring clients are receiving a high level of service by following the CBC Group’s service model. More specifically, she is a skilled problem-solver who seeks to address any account issues and resolve them to a client’s satisfaction.
Julia earned a B.A. in Communications and a B.S. in Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Anna began her Financial Industry career with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2018 as a Wealth Management Client Associate in Fort Worth, TX. Anna enjoys building close relationships with the clients she serves, noting their priorities and preferences, and helping them organize and streamline multiple aspects of their financial lives. Anna works closely with individual and their families, assisting with opening accounts and organizing client seminars. She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is an alumna of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.
Matthew Scott is a decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps with two deployments to Afghanistan who earned a Naval Achievement Medal before being honorably discharged as a Sergeant after 9 years of service. Matthew previously worked for Target corporation in their distribution network and won manager of the year. Matthew also attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, graduating in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in both supply chain management and management information systems with a minor in history. In 2022, Matthew changed careers to join the CBC group with the goal of becoming a Financial Advisor. He has several hobbies including airsoft, video games and reading. On most weekends you can find Matthew at brewery with friends somewhere in Charlotte.
Merrill is proud of our advisors who’ve received recognition from financial industry publications or directly from Bank of America Corporation. We believe they are setting the standard for exemplary client service.
Jim E Cantalupo
Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors in 2020
Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” 2021- 2022
David K Finby
Financial Times –“Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisers” 2017 - 2018
Strategies designed to help you achieve your goals
As a client of Merrill Private Wealth Management, you have access to services and resources ordinarily reserved for the world’s largest institutions. We work with individuals, families spanning multiple generations, business owners and executives. Using a goals-based wealth management approach, we put our clients at the center of every personalized strategy.
Our Approach
A Commitment to Service
Merrill Private Wealth Management is committed to providing a select group of clients with highly personalized one-on-one service. When you work with us, our knowledgeable, rigorously trained private wealth advisors will gain a deep understanding of your goals, help you develop a multigenerational wealth strategy, and help you update your strategy as needed. We are committed to providing you access to the investment insights of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America, and Merrill will continue to invest in client tools and new technology to enhance your overall experience as you and your private wealth advisor pursue what’s most important to you.
Philosophy
We believe the best financial approach is the one that helps you pursue your goals. That's why, from the start, we talk about your aspirations and encourage you to ask questions about issues that matter most to you. Worried about managing future health care expenses? College on the horizon? Considering the sale of a business or purchase of a home? Preparing to pass your wealth to future generations? With access to the investment insights of Merrill and the banking convenience of Bank of America, we will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.
A Commitment to Service
Our Philosophy
Who We Work With
Create a plan that is all about you.
Merrill Personal Wealth Analysis™ can help us build and document a personalized plan, centered on your goals and focused on what you want to achieve.
For clients of substantial means, Merrill Private Wealth Management provides an experience that is both powerful and personal. We are dedicated to helping you pursue your goals for today while developing an approach designed to support your family members for the years to come.
Your private wealth advisor and team of specialists work with a limited number of clients, enabling them to focus their time, training and passion on helping you simplify your personal and business finances and prepare your next generation.
Boutique-like service with the access to the investment resources of Merrill and banking convenience of Bank of America
We combine the personalized attention and feel of a smaller firm with the power and insights of a global financial institution, creating financial strategies tailored to your unique situation.
A relentless commitment to transparency and customized strategies
As our client, know we are working in your best interests, providing goals-based financial strategies designed to anticipate and help meet your evolving financial needs.
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