How we help

We employ a proactive and collaborative process to understand who you are and what you want to accomplish so we can implement a customized plan for all areas of your financial life: Investments, taxes, estate planning, insurance, charitable giving, and more.

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eBook: First Time Homebuyer's Guide

Are you getting ready to buy your first home?

In First Time Homebuyer’s Guide, Merriman Advisor Geoff Curran gives some important advice to home buyers based on his own experience and the help of mortgage brokers, insurance agents, and inspectors.

Whether it’s general negotiating skills or tactics to receive assistance with financing from the seller, understanding the whole home buying process before you even start can make it all go much more smoothly.

Download your free copy today!

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The Transparent Legacy

Conversations you must have with your loved ones before it’s too late.

Merriman advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Cheryl Curran provides advice and encouragement on educating young children about money to talking with your spouse about spending, and making health care or end-of-life decisions.

Through her own real-life experiences, and those of her clients, Cheryl shows what to do – and what not to do.

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Who we are

Merriman was founded in 1983 as a fee-only investment advisory firm with a strong focus on excellent service, smart investing and long-term goals. We’ve grown significantly since then, and have also come to realize that investment advice is only a small piece of the puzzle.

Our process

To help our clients be truly successful in achieving their goals, we offer a comprehensive approach to wealth management that includes not only investment planning, but also encompasses taxes, estate planning, insurance, risk management, charitable giving and more.

How we think about investing

Investing is a sort of science. Our investment philosophy is grounded on decades of academic research, and relies on objective data rather than emotions and forecasts. Above all, we seek to balance return and risk considerations over longer-term time horizons.

Why We Now Incorporate Your Held-Away Accounts in Your Investment Plan

When creating and monitoring a retirement plan, and providing advice on how to best achieve your financial goals, we often run into a roadblock on implementation when a large portion of your wealth is tied up in an employer retirement plan. This isn’t to say that...

Why Unrealized Gains/Losses Isn’t the Best Way to Look at Performance

When trying to figure out your own performance, it’s common to look at your unrealized gain and loss first on your statement (Charles Schwab, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade). The problem with trying to evaluate performance based upon the gain and loss column alone is that it...

Determining Which Term Life Insurance Policy Makes the Most Sense

Term life insurance is used primarily for pure income replacement (i.e., your human capital). When you apply for term life (non-permanent) insurance, you have to choose the amount of coverage you want ($50,000 to more than $2,000,000) and the term of the policy –...

Provide Support for Disabled Family Members with an ABLE Account

ABLE, short for Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, is a type of savings plan established in 2014 to provide support for those with disabilities. The accounts are similar to traditional 529 plans in that contributions can grow and be distributed tax-free for...