The Irick Group

Private Wealth Advisors
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Your path towards success is unique and is about more than just investments. It’s about your family, your work, and your legacy. We are devoted to helping you be purposeful with your wealth.

As a multi-generational team with high ethical standards, we are focused on delivering excellence in every aspect of our work. Our diverse backgrounds, including distinguished academic credentials and unique professional experiences, give us a distinct advantage in serving 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.

Additional Resources

The following specialists do not make securities recommendations. Please contact your Merrill Private Wealth Advisor if you have questions about how a specialist might be able to assist you.

Clauter Charleston

Alternative Investments Regional Specialist

Bank of America, N.A.

Heather Smitley

Wealth Management Banking Specialist

Merrill

Kevin Ip

Investment Solutions Group Portfolio Strategist

Bank of America, N.A.

Upcoming Events

Outlook 2023 – Back to the (New) Future

March 21st, 2023|4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST

Please join our top industry experts on Tuesday March 21st at 4:00 p.m. Eastern as they share whether the coming year might bring a return to a more promising market as global economies reset. They’ll also cover regional insights and potential ways to navigate today’s new market landscape. We will end with an open Q & A, so you can ask the questions that are important to you.

Topics will include:

  • What a potential recession could mean for the markets
  • Dealing with inflation, volatility and other investment risks
  • Portfolio strategies and opportunities to consider now

Hosted by:
Chandler Root, Managing Director, MLWM Mid West Division Executive, Merrill 

Featured Speakers: 
  • Chris Hyzy, Chief Investment Officer, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank
  • Wale Adebayo, Vice President; ISG Portfolio Strategist

    For more information: 412.566.6477 or brianna.sullivan@ml.com

    Assessing the Tax Landscape

    March 23rd, 2023|4:15 PM - 5:15 PM EST

    The last six years have seen more changes in our tax laws than in the previous 30 years. Now with a new Congress in place, what does the tax landscape look like over the next few years? On March 23 at 4:15 p.m. Eastern, we will host a webinar to discuss the current tax legislation environment, what could be in store for 2023, how could the debt ceiling discussions factor into any tax proposals, and what actions clients should consider taking in the near future.

    Please RSVP here.

      For more information: 412.566.6477 or brianna.sullivan@ml.com

      Making Moves: Your Money at Every Age

      April 13th, 2023|12:00 PM - 12:45 PM EST

      We, The Irick Group, know that your path towards success is unique and is about more than just investments. It’s about your family, your work, and your legacy. Please join us for a fireside chat where we will walk through some of the biggest financial decisions that you may be faced with at each decade of your life. We will also provide insight on what you should be considering & how you should be strategic with your money at each stage.

      Hosted & Presented by:

      Myah Moore Irick, ChFC®
      Senior Vice President, Private Wealth Manager

      Bridgette Hundon
      Financial Advisor

      Brianna Sullivan, CFP®
      Financial Advisor


      Please RSVP here.

        For more information: 412.566.6477 or brianna.sullivan@ml.com

        Past Events

        Growing your Collection with Intention featuring Gavin Benjamin

        March 9th, 2023|5:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST

        The Irick Group will be hosting an intimate evening with artist Gavin Benjamin, as we embark on an exclusive tour of his studio followed by a cocktail hour at his personal residence. Together, we will hear his story and learn more about the inspiration behind his artwork.

        Benjamin’s work exudes a colorful world, conjuring an intersection of media, fashion, politics, pop culture and design. While marrying today’s culture with the past. It has appeared at the Slick Paris, Sotheby’s NY, Architectural Digest Home Design Show, Art Hampton, Affordable Art Fair, Scope Miami, Palm Beach Modern, Context Miami, Context NY, Art Silicon Valley, and the LA Art Fair.

        This event is at capacity. 

          An Evening with Madeline Triffon Around the World in 6 Glasses

          March 8th, 2023|6:00 PM - 7:15 PM EST

          Join us for an exclusive virtual evening with Master Sommelier, Madeline Triffon as we learn how to taste like a pro. Madeline Triffon, the first American woman to pass the Master Sommelier exam, loves nothing better than sharing her deep experience and tasting techniques. Madeline will lead us through a blind wine tasting of 6 exceptional wines that reflect the amazing diversity of the world’s growing regions, and will share the secrets of identifying a wine’s “tells”, their unique regional characteristics. You’ll learn invaluable tips for becoming a more perceptive, empowered wine consumer, and for deriving more pleasure from wine.

          This event is at capacity. 

            Outlook 2023: Investment management for endowments and foundations

            January 24th, 2023|4:00 PM EST

            Join us on January 24 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a virtual event, Outlook 2023: Investment Management for Endowments and Foundations.

            We will discuss the current economic, market and governance trends for endowments and foundations you may want to consider as we navigate 2023.

            Hosted by:
            Jennifer Chandler, Head of Philanthropic Solutions, Bank of America Private Bank

            Moderated by:
            William Jarvis, Philanthropic Executive, Bank of America Private Bank

            Panelists:

            • Dianne Bailey, National Philanthropic Strategy Executive, Bank of America Private Bank
            • Namaine Coombs, Senior Institutional Portfolio Manager, Bank of America Private Bank
            • Chris Hyzy, Chief Investment Officer, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank

            Register Here

              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

              Our Philosophy

              We believe your unique goals should be at the center of all of your financial decisions and form the foundation of your financial strategy. Because significant wealth requires customized goals-based financial strategies, we believe in building lasting relationships with a limited number of clients, taking the time to understand your most important priorities for today, tomorrow and your long-term future. Our philosophy celebrates collaboration. Working with a team of specialists, we draw on the resources and insights of a global financial institution to create strategies that reflect your aspirations for yourself and current and future generations of your family. Finally, we believe that while significant wealth brings complex challenges, our experience, passion and perspectives can help you simplify your life.

              Our Approach

              Inclusion, respect, and empathy are the Irick Group’s core values. We are dedicated to serving our clients and our community. We believe in doing well by doing good.

              We help people use their wealth to lead purposeful, fulfilled lives.

              We are a team of advisors within a global financial services powerhouse who are devoted to helping people build, preserve and manage their often sudden wealth. We take very seriously the responsibility of sharing insights and strategies to help you sustain wealth across generations. We offer resources to support all aspects of your financial life - including banking, credit, investment management, philanthropy, and wealth planning. We focus on the complete financial picture – not just a single account.


              *Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.

              Investment Statement

              Investment Manager – We compose the asset allocation for your portfolio in response to several variables specific to you including market conditions, family goals, time horizon, risk tolerance, liquidity needs and income requirements. As these criteria evolve, so too will the composition of the portfolio. We align your personal values with your investments through various implementation strategies including customized value based portfolios and screens. We utilize the expansive platform available to us at Merrill to implement investment vehicles that span both global public and private markets, with an eye towards cost efficiency. We should be aware of what we own and why we own it. 

              Wealth Coach – Emotions can skew perceptions of risk and result in dramatic impacts on not just portfolios but also achieving financial goals. We discuss your values, goals and intentions at length so that in times of both turmoil and euphoria, we act as a sounding board to stay on plan. Our focus is long-term. Short-term market performance can be a distraction and a lure away from good discipline. The way we communicate with you and report on progress is designed to mitigate reactive behaviors and make your portfolios purposeful.  

              Risk Manager – Understanding your risk tolerance, and incorporating it into investment portfolios, is just one aspect of risk management. We help to define risk in a way that goes beyond market volatility and addresses obstacles specific to a family’s wealth plan and estate plan. We define success not by benchmarks but by the realization of your stated goals and the impact that you would like to achieve. 

              Sudden Wealth

              Receiving a substantial amount of money quickly, presents opportunities as well as challenges. As someone new to wealth-- whether you are an entrepreneur, professional athlete, lottery winner or inheritor-- you understand the significant decisions that you have ahead of you. Your grit and determination has helped you to succeed in challenging environments in the past, and will also provide a foundation for the unique financial needs that come with wealth. Our team works with a select group of ‘sudden wealth’ individuals and families, as they pursue their financial and legacy goals.

              We act as your guide and help you be purposeful & intentional with the impact that your wealth has on your family and your community. We are focused on helping you enjoy the lifestyle you have worked so hard to achieve while striving for the financial future you want for yourself and your family. Drawing on our extensive capabilities and the broad resources of a global institution, we offer strategies designed to simplify the complexities of your financial life. This includes access to trust and estate planning services from Bank of America and, through Merrill, investment strategies and education of family members to help bring your legacy vision to life.

              Impact Investing

              Inclusion, empathy and respect are our core values. We believe that you can do well while doing good.

              How can your dollar invested have an impact? Impact investing is investing for the potential to make a financial return as well as generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact. Today, more and more people from all walks of life want to learn about how their money can be used to create social and environmental impact.

              Impact investing allows us to expand the dialogue from, "What goals do you want to pursue for your life?" to include, "What goals do you want to achieve for the world around you?"

              We know that structuring portfolios to help foster good corporate practices has enormous potential to change investments, lives and communities.

              We at the Irick Group build deep relationships with our clients by talking with them about their goals and most importantly about their personal values. During these discussions, clients are increasingly articulating impact-oriented goals alongside their overall financial priorities and we can offer a broad range of impact investing opportunities, including custom portfolios, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and Separately Managed Accounts to help clients pursue their goals. In particular, we can build portfolios in line with your religious beliefs, desire to support women & girls, environmental goals, or your personal values around social equality & inclusion.

              Your investments can generate social and environmental impact alongside the potential for financial returns. Now ask yourself, “How do I want to be the change and is my wealth invested aligned with my purpose?”




              *Impact investing and/or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) managers may take into consideration factors beyond traditional financial information to select securities, which could result in relative investment performance deviating from other strategies or broad market benchmarks, depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. Further, ESG strategies may rely on certain values based criteria to eliminate exposures found in similar strategies or broad market benchmarks, which could also result in relative investment performance deviating.

              Corporate Executives

              We understand the complexities that come with your executive position and the extreme demands on your time. We can help you develop a customized strategy that your finances and compensation require. We can help with risk management strategies for your concentrated stock position while navigating complex SEC rules, trading restrictions and reporting requirements. If you’ve just been promoted and would like help evaluating your new compensation plan, or if you’re looking to develop a long-term financial strategy for you and your family — designed to enable you to live life as you want it, with reliable access to cash — we can help simplify your financial life, as well as develop new strategies as your career and goals evolve.

              Company Founders, Private Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

              When you have built your own business, your personal finances and the life of your company are closely intertwined. You may be thinking about how to invest in your company’s growth while also deciding how best to use your personal assets. Helping ensure the future of your business likely involves employee benefits, retirement plans and succession planning. Helping secure your family’s legacy could entail wealth transfer strategies, trusts and philanthropy. Whatever your specific needs, we at Merrill Private Wealth Management can help entrepreneurs and business owners balance their personal financial lives with their life’s work. We are dedicated in providing the experience and resources to help support your ongoing success.

              Nonprofit organizations

              Your passion drives your organization’s mission, and you depend on an investment portfolio and an effective staff to carry on its important work. As private wealth advisors with Merrill Private Wealth Management, we have experience working with nonprofit organizations. We possess a keen understanding of the challenges you face, including maintaining operational efficiency and productivity through uneven market circumstances, growing competition for donations, and increased fiduciary requirements. Drawing on our extensive capabilities to help you fulfill your organization’s mission, we can provide access to the customized services your organization needs with discretion and skill, such as strategic planning, portfolio management, administrative and board support, and advisory solutions.

              Intergenerational Family Wealth

              As a family that spans multiple generations, you have needs that go beyond preserving assets, tax minimization strategies and designating heirs. Your goals also likely include passing on values and helping the next generation become effective stewards. We can help with personalized wealth transfer strategies, family wealth education and developing and implementing philanthropic visions. In working with you to create an approach that reflects your family’s intentions and helps ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes, we proceed in a manner that recognizes the complexities of your life challenges and the unique nature of your goals. Our extensive experience working with other families of significant wealth helps  us to see and share best practices to help you achieve them.

              Women

              As a woman, you are well aware of how inaccurate stereotypes about gender and money can be. Beyond some specific challenges — for example, planning for the statistical probability of outliving a spouse — managing your finances means avoiding preconceived assumptions while gaining a full understanding of who you are as an investor and what you want to achieve for your career, your family and your legacy. Merrill Private Wealth Management works with a select group of wealthy individuals and families to help them pursue the goals that matter most to them. We strive to get to know our clients on a personal level so we can offer boutique-like services and the resources of a global firm to create financial strategies specifically for their life and needs.

              Professional Athletes

              As a professional athlete, you understand the significant rewards that sports can provide, the grit and determination that help you to succeed in a challenging environment, and the unique financial needs that come with your success. Merrill Private Wealth Management works with a select group of current and former professional athletes as they pursue their financial and legacy goals. We are focused on helping you enjoy the lifestyle you have worked so hard to achieve while striving for the financial future you want for yourself and your family. Drawing on our extensive capabilities and the broad resources of a global institution, we offer financial strategies designed to help simplify the complexities of your life. This includes access to trust and estate planning services from Bank of America and, through Merrill, investment strategies for the operation of a business, and education of family members to help bring your legacy vision to life.

              Let's have a conversation

              Your dedicated Merrill Private Wealth Management team is ready to help you pursue what’s most important to you.

              Our Vision

              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.