Walton Brown Jr.

Advisor at Merrill

Updated today

Location

Oakland, CA 94607

Credentials

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

Industry experience

18 years

About

Walton Edward "Buzz" Brown, Jr. is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Oakland, California. He has been managing investments and providing financial guidance to both individual and institutional clients since 1998. In his role, Buzz focuses on creating personalized wealth management strategies tailored to clients’ unique financial situations and goals. He works closely with clients navigating significant life changes such as sudden wealth, approaching retirement, and those in need of stock option, tax minimization, and estate planning strategies. Additionally, he has particular expertise supporting women who are newly divorced or widowed.

Buzz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Pepperdine University and carries the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. A third-generation Californian, he has deep roots in both Northern and Southern California and resides in the Lincoln Highlands District of Oakland. Beyond his professional commitments, Buzz participates actively in community service through volunteering, reflecting the Merrill tradition of community involvement. His personal interests include adventure sports such as rock climbing, skydiving, and bungee jumping, as well as biking, cooking, gardening, hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Client services

Based on Merrill

Portfolio management Pension consulting Selection of other advisers Educational seminars or workshops
Performance measurement reports, allocation modeling, ips, research reports and services, see schedule d

Expertise

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Stock option exercise strategy General estate planning guidance Divorce financial planning

Occupation focus

Based on Merrill

Executive Founder/Business Owner

Demographic focus

Divorced Women Women's Finance Approaching retirement Values-based investing

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Fee options

Percentage

$0 - $2,000,000: 1.10% (for Managed Strategy with MFSA under $2 million) $2,000,000+: 1.00% (for Managed Strategy with MFSA at and above $2 million)

Other

Account minimum: $2,000,000 minimum to qualify for Premium Access Strategy per SEC data and Merrill brochure context; no other firm-wide minimum clearly stated

Location

1111 Broadway

Oakland, CA 94607

Most active in

California · Illinois

Work history

Bank Of America, N.A.

2016 - Present (10 years)

Merrill

2015 - Present (11 years)

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

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Farid N

Series 63, Series 65

Greenbrae, CA

Farid Consulting

Farid Nadjibi is the principal of Farid Consulting and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with two years of industry experience. Prior to his financial advisory career, he has been involved with Burlwood Gallery since 2006, engaging in jewelry, collectibles, decor, and building contracting. Farid Consulting is a sole-proprietorship investment advisory firm that offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement/employee benefit account services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm employs a tailored, goals-based investment approach across a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, options, private funds, real estate investments, and digital assets.

Options & derivatives strategies Concentrated stock management
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Gary L

Series 63, Series 65

San Francisco, CA

Leonard Jr., Gary A.

Gary Leonard is a financial advisor based in San Francisco, CA, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Montrose Securities since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he provides consulting related to hiking activities for a local cooperative. His firm offers discretionary investment management and advisory services primarily to individual clients, managing approximately $800,000 across about 20 accounts. The firm constructs balanced portfolios tailored to client risk tolerance using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, employing strategies that include equities, fixed income, options, and hedging techniques.

Options & derivatives strategies Active portfolio management
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Lydia I

Series 65

Oakland, CA

FM Capital Group

Lydia Idem is a financial advisor with FM Capital Group in Oakland, CA, holding a Series 65 designation and 11 years of industry experience. FM Capital Group provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, groups, corporations, and other business entities, offering portfolio management and handling due diligence and negotiation of private investment term sheets. The firm follows a strategic allocation approach across public securities and alternative investments and distinguishes itself by charging performance-based fees on private placements and producing educational content such as workshops and radio broadcasts.

Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner

Dave B

CFP®, CFA®

Orinda, CA

Private Financial Management LLC

Dave's experience in investment management and financial planning uniquely position him to serve as his client's independent trusted advisor - a personal chief financial officer that can discreetly navigate the tides affecting your financial life. ​ Professional highlights include portfolio management on Union Bank municipal investment team which earned recognition as the best in the industry by Barron's in 2008 and 2009; lead investment management responsibility at a $300M financial planning firm; and working with amazing entrepreneurs, executives, and families. ​ David's education includes a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation, and a U.C. Berkeley bachelor's degree where he conducted a study on evidenced based investment management with Haas Professor of Investments David Distad. ​ David launched PFM to continue building upon his vision of complete personal financial management: discreet and unwavering focus on how expert financial management can help a client achieve her goals. From setting and achieving goals, to preparing you for all of life's contingencies and investing for your future - David helps his client's understand what they should be doing, and then helps them get it done.

Business ownership considerations Business succession planning Technology Professional Intergenerational Families
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Cassandra C

Series 63, Series 65

Oakland, CA

RC Wealth Management

Cassandra Cummings is a financial advisor at RC Wealth Management with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with RC Wealth Management since 2015. Outside of her advisory role, she provides financial literacy services through online courses and in-person events aimed at the general public. RC Wealth Management offers investment management and financial planning services, focusing on fundamental analysis and a risk-aware approach. The firm typically recommends and oversees third-party investment managers and conducts educational workshops alongside limited-scope, hourly planning engagements.

Cash flow / budgeting Debt management College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General retirement planning General estate planning guidance
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Shailesh P

Series 66

San Francisco, CA

Patel Capital Management

Shailesh Patel is the founder of Patel Capital Management and holds a Series 66 designation with 14 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Brokerage Services. He maintains an inactive insurance license that he intends to let expire and does not sell insurance products. Patel Capital Management is an independent, fee-only advisory firm serving a small number of high-net-worth individuals. The firm provides wealth management and financial planning, combining passive and active investment strategies and operating a direct-indexing program that employs institutional optimization and tax-management techniques.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing
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