Profile

Jay started his wealth management career with Merrill in 1986. He has been recognized as a Top 1200 Financial Advisor by Barron’s in 2022 for the 14th consecutive year(Published annually in February-March. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year) and in Forbes Best in State Wealth Advisors in 2022 for the 4th consecutive year(Published annually Jan – April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year). He has a depth of experience working with high wealth creators including business owners, entrepreneurs, and senior executives. He works with families helping them implement customized strategies to grow and preserve generational wealth. Jay has guided clients through critical transitions in their financial lives, including the sale or transfer of a business, corporate liquidity events, retirement, inheritance , divorce, or the death of a loved one. Jay has been with Merrill for over 36 years, and this is a trademark of his effectiveness, leveraging an extensive network of contacts inside of the enterprise to advance client’s needs and goals .

Jay is also an active member of the Atlanta community and is involved with several charitable and civic organizations including the Westminster Schools, past president of Buckhead Baseball, past president Atlanta Roundtable, past board member of Capital City Club, Crabapple Chairman, Peachtree Presbyterian Church and Northside Youth Organization. Jay is a graduate of Auburn University and lives in Buckhead with his wife and two children. In his free time, Jay practices transcendental meditation and enjoys strength training, golf, fly fishing and spending time with his family at Lake Burton.

*Source: The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State” list, published annually in February-March. Rankings based on data as of September 30 of prior year.

 The Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” ranking considered advisors with a minimum of seven years financial services experience and who have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. This is a list of the top advisors in each state, with the number of ranking spots determined by each state’s population and wealth. Other quantitative and qualitative measures include assets under management, revenues generated by advisors for their firms, and the quality of the advisors’ practices, regulatory records, internal company documents, and 100-plus points of data provided by the advisors themselves. Rankings and recognition from Barron’s are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Years prior to 2014, this Barron’s list consisted of 1,000 advisors.

**Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published annually Jan - April. Rankings based on data as of June 30 of prior year.

 Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to measure best practices; also considered are: client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC..

I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.