The Williams Group

Private Wealth Advisors
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Our team, located in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated to providing independent objective financial advice to families and institutions.  The success of our team is built around three simple yet enduring tenets: leadership, stewardship, and goals based wealth management.

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.

Reggie Johnson

Structured Credit Executive

Bank of America, N.A.

Jana Hunter

Alternative Investments Regional Specialist

Bank of America, N.A.

Recognition

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.

Shawn E Williams

Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" 2022
Published on April 7, 2022.  Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2021.

Barron's "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-By-State" 2022
Published on March 11, 2022. Rankings based on data as of September 30, 2021.

Barron's "Top 100 Institutional Consulting Teams" 2021, 2022
Published annually in April. Rankings based on data as of December 31 of prior year.

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

Welcome!

The Williams Group is a multi-generational wealth management team dedicated to providing independent objective financial advice to affluent families and institutions.  We serve various types of institutional clients and high net worth families with total assets over $5.0 billion as of December 31, 2023. 

The success of our team is built around three simple yet enduring tenets: Leadership; Stewardship; and Understanding Your Goals. Whether you are an institution or a multi-generational family, our stewardship begins with a deep discussion of your core values, goals and objectives. We view ourselves as stewards of the assets entrusted to us by every client.  Stewardship encompasses the ideas of ethical and prudent decision making, objectivity, responsibility and proper governance.  Simply stated we put the needs of clients first.

In times of market stress too many investors make rash decisions that are fueled by emotion rather than the conviction that comes with a principled academic approach to investing.  Grounded in the science of finance, our approach allows us to stay the course with confidence as markets fluctuate rising above reactionary thinking. We apply our disciplined approach with diligence, accounting for the particular circumstances of each client. By focusing on these three tenets, we have promoted client satisfaction and retention which are the potent testimonials to our work. Our client's experience is the benchmark for the quality of our work.

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.

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.

Our Dual Focus

Our group is distinctive in its focus on institutions and families, a duality that enables us to leverage best practices where it makes sense. We have over 30 years of experience in providing consulting services to endowments, foundations, corporate retirement plans, Taft-Hartley plans, hospitals, associations, insurance companies and tribal nations.

Individual clients benefit from our service to institutional clients because we apply the same rigor, discipline and structure in addressing a family’s needs. We provide cash flow and balance sheet analysis to individual clients. We also apply an institutional investment process to high net worth assets with a focus on tax efficiency. For high net worth families we believe strongly that it is not what you earn, but what you keep.

Our investment recommendations are both time tested and forward looking customized to the needs of each client. Our investment approach focuses on asset allocation, diversification, strategic and tactical portfolio management. We use both passive and active strategies in order to help meet our client’s objectives.

Our relationship with you is highly personalized and proactive so you that receive the highest quality client experience. We are not a mass market retail type of wealth management operation. We meet regularly with each client to review investment performance, portfolio rebalancing and current strategy to plan for their future needs. We leverage our connection to Bank of America banking services to provide strategies for clients on both sides of their balance sheet, both for assets and liabilities. The power to maintain oversight of both banking and investing on one platform is an advantage our clients enjoy.

*Global Institutional Consulting is part of the Global Wealth & Investment Management business of BofA Corp. Institutional Investments & Philanthropic Solutions (“II&PS”) is part of Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp. Trust and fiduciary services and other banking products are provided by wholly owned banking affiliates of BofA Corp., including Bank of America, N.A. Global Institutional Consultants mentioned herein are registered representatives with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) and may assist you with investment products and services. The nature and degree of advice and assistance provided, the fees charged, and clients’ rights and Merrill’s obligations will differ depending upon the products and services actually provided. 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 registered broker-dealer and investment adviser and Member SIPC.

*Banking and Lending Services are through Bank of America, N.A.

Technology Entrepreneur

As a technology entrepreneur, you focus relentlessly on what’s next. Yet as you look ahead to each new venture or cutting-edge innovation, it’s important to maintain the financial foundation that helps power your success and helps you take advantage of potential opportunities as they arise. We have experience helping entrepreneurs and business owners balance their personal lives with their life’s work. We understand the challenges you face every day, whether managing your newly achieved success or gaining access to the liquidity you need as seed capital or for personal expenses. We are dedicated in providing the experience and resources to help support your ongoing success.

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 rising 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.

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.

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.

Foundations and Endowments

An investment portfolio tailored to your needs is crucial to advancing your organization’s mission and carrying on its important work. We have extensive experience working with endowments and foundations and have a keen understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of board and committee members for investment management and financial oversight. The strategies we construct are carefully designed to help promote stability, efficiency and growth under a variety of market conditions. We also offer advice on board governance and reporting, and help in meeting regulatory and operating challenges. We provide access to the customized services your organization needs with discretion and skill.

Family Offices

As private wealth advisors with Merrill Private Wealth Management, we work with prominent families to help them manage the ongoing complexities they face. Our deep experience with family offices enables us to tailor a range of services to help meet your specific needs. We can provide access to Merrill for investment and wealth management strategies, and to Bank of America for governance, asset custody and administration, as well as assisting in the financial education of younger family members. In working with you to create and implement plans reflecting your specific intentions, our goal is to help your family enterprise succeed, and that your knowledge and values are passed along to the next generation. Together, we will focus on strategies that recognize the unique nature of your family’s mission, history and goals.

Private Equity and Hedge Fund Principals

Your investment expertise as a hedge fund or private equity principal has likely resulted in substantial personal success. We have experience working with a select group of individuals in your industry. Drawing on our extensive capabilities and the broad resources of a global institution, we work to help you coordinate and manage your finances with the aim of simplifying the complexities of your financial life, including wealth transfer advice and guidance from Merrill and access to the banking convenience of Bank of America for your banking, lending and trust needs. We also provide access to Bank of America for your working capital needs in support of the day-to-day needs of your business.

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.

Professional Athletes

As a professional athlete, you understand how grit and determination have helped you succeed in a challenging environment, as well as the unique financial needs that come with your success. At Merrill Private Wealth Management, 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 financial life and build the legacy you envision.

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.