The Human Side of Financial Advisory

An Open Letter to 美林证券 and 美国银行

I never thought I’d find myself in this position.

After years of building, growing, and reinvesting, I found myself having to draw from the very accounts I’ve always worked to fortify. To say it feels uncomfortable is an understatement.

It feels like failure, like I’m violating some unspoken contract with my former self—the one who was always accumulating, not withdrawing. This is the part of financial success no one talks about—the moment when you pivot, when you take a step back financially so you can take a leap forward elsewhere.

And yet, in all of this discomfort, I’ve found something I never expected: a financial team that treats me like a person, not just an account balance.

The Unseen Emotional Weight of Financial Transitions

Typically, when we think about financial advisors, we often reduce the conversation to numbers: rates of return, tax benefits, portfolio diversification. What we don’t talk about enough is the emotional complexity that comes with managing wealth—especially when wealth isn’t just about luxury, but about sustaining a mission.

My work isn’t about chasing the highest return on investment in a traditional sense. I’ve put my money, time, and energy into building projects that serve others—supporting mental health, wellness, and community-driven initiatives. This means financial solvency isn’t just personal security; it’s the infrastructure that allows me to do meaningful work...

And yet, for all my understanding of systems, money, and human behavior, I still felt a deep sense of shame when I had to acknowledge that I needed to start making withdrawals. I even overdrafted for the first time. I had stupid, frustrating issues moving funds between accounts.

I was trying to bridge the space between financial security and new investments in my future, and I was drowning in the complexity of it all.

Enter Ryan Haslett, SE-AWMA? and His Team

Let's be real: financial institutions are often portrayed as cold, impersonal monoliths—necessary, but detached. We’ve all seen the sentiment: Big Finance doesn’t care about the little guy. Advisors only prioritize their highest-value clients. If you’re not in the ultra-wealthy elite, you’re just a number.

And yet, here I was, in one of the most vulnerable financial transitions of my life, and I felt nothing but supported. Ryan Haslett, SE-AWMA? and his teams at 美林证券 , 美国银行 and 高盛 shattered every expectation I had about what working with a financial advisory team should feel like for my enterprise, and for my personal life. They didn’t just tolerate my questions—they welcomed them. They didn’t make me feel small for not having all the answers—they empowered me with information.

They never once made me feel like I was failing, even when I was ashamed of my own situation. They treated me as a whole person, not just a portfolio.

Ryan, in particular, has gone beyond the standard advisory role and I struggle with how to honor that, and him. He has helped me optimize and maximize my accounts during this transition, taking time out of his schedule to explore unique financial models that aren’t just about gains, but about sustainability.

He has even facilitated relationships with other financial institutions, opened doors that few advisors even attempt to, and—despite my not being his most lucrative client-today—has often waived fees simply because he believes in what I’m building.

That’s not just service.

That’s stewardship.

That’s someone who understands that enterprise and even personal wealth isn’t just about money—it’s about mission, about momentum, about making sure the right people and projects have the support they need to move forward.

The Bigger Conversation: What Kind of Financial System Do We Want?

We’re in a cultural moment where trust in institutions—whether it’s healthcare, finance, or government—is fragile.

People don’t believe that banks care about them.

They assume advisors are only in it for the commission...And while skepticism is often warranted, I think we’re missing the stories that prove otherwise.

Merrill Lynch, whether they realize it or not, is represented by people like @Ryan Haslett. He isn’t just a financial expert—he’s someone who understands the human side of money. And that matters.

Because, at the end of the day, wealth isn’t just about capital. It’s about the ability to build, to create, to sustain. It’s about the lives that are impacted when financial strategies align with real human needs. And that is something worth talking about!

So, to Ryan and his teams—thank you. And to Bank of America Merrill Lynch —if you’re paying attention, these are the relationships that define your brand. I understand (yes we ran this through their compliance) that you cannot comment directly here, but I appreciate your openness to my genuine desire to talk about this kindness. It is a real moment for my teams and for me, and I hope to somehow pay this forward by sharing this story with my network.

This is the kind of advisory work that transcends transactions and builds true loyalty.

People don’t just need financial guidance. They need someone who sees them. And I feel truly seen.

What Do I Want From This Letter?

I don’t just want to say thank you. I want to shine a light.

This isn’t just about my businesses, my family, or even the communities we serve. It’s about changing the way we think about financial relationships—about who gets to feel supported, respected, and empowered when they walk into a financial institution.

It’s about recognizing the people behind the numbers, the advisors who don’t just manage wealth, but who help people navigate the deeply personal and often overwhelming emotional landscape of money.

We refer doctors, therapists, even car mechanics—but how often do we talk about the financial advisors who actually make us feel safe? The ones who don’t just talk strategy but make us feel human in the process?

People are always looking for a “good” financial advisor, but what Ryan and his team at Merrill Lynch have provided is something much greater: financial partnership.

And that’s something worth celebrating.

I hope it serves as a reminder.

These are the relationships that define your brand, that build loyalty, that create trust in an industry where trust is often scarce. And to those looking for someone who truly cares—not just about their bottom line, but about their future, their peace of mind, and their ability to move forward—I want them to know that advisors like Ryan exist.

Because when you help one person, you help a family. When you help a family, you help a community. And when you help a community, you create the kind of momentum that changes lives.

And that’s exactly what Ryan has done for me. #MERGE