PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC®
Former business owner of Intramar Chartering, Inc.
Alumni of the University of Vermont
Married since 1993
Father of 3 boys
Member of the Keene Valley chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club to protect the Adirondacks


"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value" - Albert Einstein


Since joining Merrill Lynch in 2000, I work with a limited number of accredited and qualified investors helping them to create and maintain an institutional-style portfolio emphasizing capital preservation and risk managed growth. I use a comprehensive planning process that follows a 5-step method for their investment goal:
1) invest in a well Diversified, Low Correlated portfolio
2) diversify between both Traditional and Alternative Investments
3) invest Globally, not just Domestically
4) actively Monitor and Rebalance the portfolio
5) invest for Tax Efficiency

RETIREMENT
There's a mountain of evidence supporting the fact that Americans are living longer, healthier, more active lives - which makes their prospects for retirement all the richer. But for all the upside, there are two distinct challenges that increasingly come with what's often called the "longevity bonus". One is funding a life-after-work lifestyle that you can, in some cases, be at least as costly as your pre-retirement life. The other is making sure your income will last the 30 years or longer that you may well be spending as a retiree. Let's sit down and talk.

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS
In today’s economic environment, alternative investments such as hedge funds and private equity have become an increasingly important component of a balanced portfolio, offering a level of diversification and return potential that may be unavailable through traditional asset classes alone.

A growing number of investors are turning to alternative investments. In 2003, for example, nearly three-quarters of high-net-worth investors held hedge fund investments, according to the March 2004 Prelude to the World Wealth Report, an annual study co-written by Merrill Lynch and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.

Despite the surge of interest, however, the universe of alternative investments remains difficult to navigate for even the most astute investors. With this in mind, I have enclosed for your review a new series of informative guides designed to help you understand the benefits and risks of alternative investments.

The key advantages of alternative investments include:

> Non-correlated performance: Through exposure to nontraditional markets and the use of a diverse array of investment strategies, managers of alternative investments can generate returns independent of traditional equity and fixed-income markets, enabling portfolios to better weather adverse market conditions. Of course, past results of any alternative investment vehicle are no guarantee of future performance.

> Potential for superior risk-adjusted returns: Exposure to nontraditional markets and investment techniques can also significantly enhance a portfolio’s potential overall return.

> Unique investment management: Alternative investments typically offer access to a unique class of investment managers drawn from a variety of wide-ranging disciplines. These managers are typically distinguished by the depth, breadth and scope of their experience.

As with any class of investments, the benefits of alternative investments must be weighed carefully against their risks, which may include illiquidity, a lack of transparency and the possibility that you will lose a portion or all of your investment.

Merrill Lynch offers an excellent variety of alternative investments to meet the needs and investment objectives of sophisticated investors, including hedge funds, private equity, managed futures and exchange funds. Each offering undergoes rigorous and consistent screening, as well as ongoing monitoring, so that you can invest with confidence.

I look forward to exploring with you the opportunities described within these guides, and encourage you to call me with your questions. Together, we can determine if alternative investments can help you to achieve your investment objectives.