Next-Gen · rank 60 · Cincinnati, Ohio · listed firm: Merrill Wealth Management
Identity & firm
- Firm — Merrill Lynch Wealth Management — The Cottrell & Klaus Group (high)
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 5905 E Galbraith Rd Cincinnati OH 45236” — firm_official
- “MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Parent company — Bank of America (high)
- “We offer access to working capital through Bank of America, N.A, that helps you meet day-to-day expenses while providing for employees' pay, benefits and costs.” — firm_official
- “A Merrill advisor provides access to the investing insights of Merrill and banking capabilities of Bank of America to help you make informed decisions as you pursue your goals.” — firm_official
- Firm type — wirehouse (high)
- “MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Team name — The Cottrell & Klaus Group (high)
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group - Financial Advisors in Cincinnati, OH 45236 | Merrill” — firm_official
- Team size — 7 (high)
- “Our team of seven is equipped to serve those employed at the highest level, especially, though not exclusively, those receiving restricted stock, options, and/or profit share.” — firm_official
- CRD — 5757119 (high)
- “"ind_source_id": "5757119", "ind_firstname": "ANDREW", "ind_middlename": "F", "ind_lastname": "COTTRELL"” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Years experience — 14 (high)
- “"ind_industry_cal_date": "2011-09-18"” — sec_finra_regulatory
- Designations — CPWA, other:CEPA (high)
- “Andrew Cottrell , CEPA®, CPWA® Managing Director , Wealth Management Advisor” — firm_official
Book of business
- Team AUM ($M) — 780 (high)
- “Team Assets (Custodied): $780M” — forbes_shook
- Account minimum ($M) — 0.5 (high)
- “Minimum Account Size for New Business: $500K” — forbes_shook
- Typical client net worth ($M) — 30 (high)
- “Typical Net Worth of Relationships: $2-30M” — forbes_shook
- Client niche — corporate executives and business owners with concentrated equity compensation (high)
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group serves a unique but important set of clientele— executives, owners and the senior leadership of publicly-traded and private companies across the country. We are fluent in planning with clients ” — firm_official
- “Our team shares a common goal: to help corporate executives and business owners pursue meaningful outcomes.” — firm_official
- Custodians — gap: not_applicable
- Fee model — fee_plus_commission (medium)
- “Our team provides fiduciary services through Merrill’s Investment Advisory Program .” — firm_official
- “"ind_bc_scope": "Active", "ind_ia_scope": "Active"” — sec_finra_regulatory
Positioning & marketing
- Website url — https://advisor.ml.com/sites/oh/cincinnati-oh/cottrellgroup (high)
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group - Financial Advisors in Cincinnati, OH 45236 | Merrill” — firm_official
- Value proposition (verbatim) — Our team was formed with a passion for helping clients with the challenges of managing their financial lives. We combine the vast resources of Merrill with our brand of an intimate family office boutique to provide clients with tailored family business plans and highly personalized service. (high)
- “Our team was formed with a passion for helping clients with the challenges of managing their financial lives. We combine the vast resources of Merrill with our brand of an intimate family office boutique to provide clien” — firm_official
- “Our client experience centers around a simple philosophy: funded contentment .” — firm_official
- Differentiators — "intimate family office boutique" service backed by Merrill's scale, "funded contentment" as the stated client-experience philosophy, Deliberately young team — "an advisor that is not going to be retiring at the same time you will", Concentrated-stock and executive-comp specialism (10b5-1 plans, Rule 144, deferred comp), Structured Two-Step Planning Process ending in a retirement readiness test and Action Plan (high)
- “Our team demographic breaks the traditional mold . We understand you want an advisor that is not going to be retiring at the same time you will.” — firm_official
- “Our team is intentionally built with a unique mix of experience yet longevity ahead to serve you and your family for decades to come.” — firm_official
- Content marketing — occasional (medium)
- “Insights Beyond the page: How a successful writer pursues financial security Four for the Quarter: Top questions investors are asking right now Stay ahead of student scams Inside the American wallet Emerging Trends in Cy” — firm_official
- “Watch our latest webcast where expert panelists share ideas that can help you prepare for potential opportunities and risks in the second half of 2026 and beyond.” — firm_official
- Has podcast — no (medium)
- “Insights Beyond the page: How a successful writer pursues financial security Four for the Quarter: Top questions investors are asking right now Stay ahead of student scams Inside the American wallet Emerging Trends in Cy” — firm_official
- Books published — 0 (medium)
- “Andrew Cottrell , CEPA®, CPWA® Managing Director , Wealth Management Advisor” — firm_official
- Linkedin url — gap: not_found_after_search
- Social presence — none (low)
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 5905 E Galbraith Rd Cincinnati OH 45236 Visit us (513) 985.5946 (513) 985.5946 Contact us” — firm_official
- Press awards — Financial Planning "Top 40 Brokers Under 40", 2026, Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, 2021-2025, Forbes Best-in-State Next Generation Wealth Advisors, 2019, 2022-2025, Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams (Cottrell & Klaus Group), 2023-2026 (high)
- “Financial Planning's "Top 40 Brokers Under 40", 2026 (Published on February 10, 2026. Rankings based on data as of September 30, 2025.)” — firm_official
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams", 2023-2026 (Published annually in January. Rankings based on data as of March 31 of prior year.)” — firm_official
Visual brand
- Has distinct logo — no (high)
- “The Cottrell & Klaus Group - Financial Advisors in Cincinnati, OH 45236 | Merrill” — firm_official
- Logo url — gap: not_applicable
- Visual brand notes — Standard Merrill microsite template: corporate navy and white with the Merrill bull, sans-serif type, team-photo hero. No team mark or custom palette; differentiation is copy-led, not visual. (high)
- “Learn more about financial and wealth management services from The Cottrell & Klaus Group, Merrill financial advisors in Cincinnati, OH 45236.” — firm_official