Rua Hekhuis
,
First Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor
NMLS #1056442
250 Monroe Avenue NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.774.4277
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Accessible, knowledgeable and experienced, I am committed to building and maintaining a strong relationship with you. I am passionate about what I do and I bring that passion to helping you and your family make what may be the most important financial decisions of your lives.
Welcome

Rua was recruited to join Merrill in 2012 after nearly a decade working as a private consultant in Malibu, California and Palm Beach, Florida. Her earliest career involved both development roles in the not-for-profit Alzheimer’s and for-profit pharmaceutical industries.


Training & Education

She holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Management from the Rinker School of Business at Palm Beach Atlantic University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management with a triple minor in Entrepreneurship, Social Sciences, and Economics from Northwood University in West Palm Beach, FL. In order to fulfill the complex needs and long term goals of her clients, she also holds the following financial services specific qualifications and training:
  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification attained through the rigorous process administered through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
  • Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor**™** designation attained through the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp.
  • Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor™ designation attained through the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp.
  • Merrill Longevity Training Program from the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology.

Client Approach: Planning Focused, Personal Touch

Rua provides all clients with customized guidance geared towards their unique goals and life circumstances. Starting with goals-based planning, Rua then pulls from the large-scale resources of Merrill and Bank of America’s global enterprise to allow evolving client goals to be seamlessly met.  

Personal Life

Rua lives in Spring Lake with her husband, Ken Hekhuis, and their two dogs: Fat Amy and Kai. Outside of work she dedicates time to support homeless animals through the Humane Society of West Michigan and enjoys running, biking, gardening, reading, doing martial arts, skiing, or laughably attempting to golf or snow board. \*A Senior Portfolio Advisor can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis custom investment strategies, selecting from a wide range of Merrill model portfolios and third-party investment strategies.
About Me
Welcome

My mission, first and foremost, is to understand you and what matters most to you. Armed with that information I can ask thoughtful questions -- listening carefully, then understanding in detail where your wealth stands today and where you'd like it to be tomorrow. I help you design and implement a personalized plan intended to help you and your family pursue financial goals while helping manage investment risk. My approach is to focus on potential solutions that can help turn goals into reality.

About Me
Welcome

My mission, first and foremost, is to understand you and what matters most to you. Armed with that information I can ask thoughtful questions -- listening carefully, then understanding in detail where your wealth stands today and where you'd like it to be tomorrow. I help you design and implement a personalized plan intended to help you and your family pursue financial goals while helping manage investment risk. My approach is to focus on potential solutions that can help turn goals into reality.

Philosophy

I believe the best financial approach is the one that helps you pursue your goals. That's why, from the start, we talk about your aspirations and encourage you to ask questions about issues that matter most to you. Calculating how to manage future health care expenses? College on the horizon? Considering the sale of a business or purchase of a home? Preparing to pass your wealth to future generations? It all starts with a plan intended to help you manage, grow, and preserve your wealth today, while also considering the impact it can have for years to come. With access to the investment insights of Merrill and banking solutions from Bank of America, I will work with you to develop an approach designed to help address your financial needs.

Approach

Every relationship begins with a conversation, helping you identify and prioritize which goals matter most to you. Whether it's transferring wealth to the next generation, customizing your financial approach to help you pursue your passions, or providing advice and guidance to help you stay informed, I start by listening to learn more about you and your family.

Your approach to investing

Drawing upon research in the field of behavioral finance, Merrill developed the Investment Personality Assessment to help us get to know you better as an investor and potentially help you refine your own investing preferences. By gaining a deeper understanding of how you think and feel about investing through this assessment, we can customize the financial approach we develop together to help you pursue what matters most to you. Our Investment Personality Assessment is one of the ways to help us get to know you - to understand your goals and priorities. These questions will help us provide you with additional insights and resources.

Understanding your goals and priorities

Your life and goals change. We have tools to help you keep track of these changes so they can be reflected in your financial approach.

Capabilities

Merrill's process is designed to help deliver a customized, comprehensive experience to assist you not only in wealth accumulation and preservation, but in areas that go beyond investments. Providing you with access to the investment insights of Merrill, trust and fiduciary services from Bank of America Private Bank, and the banking and lending solutions of Bank of America offers a way to help you manage all of the pieces of your financial life. Working one-on-one with a Merrill advisor means you have a single point of contact to help you with potential strategies for transferring wealth to the younger generation.

Our Focus

I offer clients a breadth of potential solutions, premier customer service and financial tools based on their unique circumstances. No matter what your goals may be, the process begins by defining and prioritizing your financial goals based on the following:

  • Health: Managing healthcare expenses, now and in the future
  • Home: Upsizing, downsizing, remodeling or buying a vacation home
  • Family: Taking care of your family and other people in your life
  • Leisure: Spending your free time in meaningful ways
  • Giving: Volunteering, mentoring and giving to charities
  • Work: Working in retirement, selling or starting a business
  • Finance: Bringing it all together; defining your financial goals

The team's industry knowledge and experience helps them provide you with:

  • Potential risk management strategies
  • Trust and estate planning services
  • Tax-minimization strategies
  • Access to Bank of America for your credit and banking needs

This material should be regarded as general or educational information on healthcare or Social Security considerations and is not intended to provide specific healthcare or social security advice. If you have questions regarding your particular situation, please contact your legal or tax advisor.

Meet Our Professional Staff
Larry J Johnson, CRPC™
Assistant Vice President, Wealth Management Associate
616.774.4264
Sonya Niewiek
Registered Wealth Management Client Associate
616.774.4250
Additional Resources
The following specialists do not make securities recommendations. Please contact your Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor if you have questions about how a specialist might be able to assist you.
Katelyn McMiller
Wealth Management Banking Specialist
Wale Adebayo
Investment Solutions Group Portfolio Strategist
Casey L Glisson
Wealth Management Lending Officer
NMLS #1077099
About Merrill

Bringing fresh perspectives to your financial life

The financial decisions you make today can help determine the future you build for yourself and your family. Carving a clear path forward starts with connecting your life and finances. 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.

About Merrill
Fresh perspectives

Bringing fresh perspectives to your financial life

The financial decisions you make today can help determine the future you build for yourself and your family. Carving a clear path forward starts with connecting your life and finances. 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.

Personalized planning

Helping you create a personalized plan

At Merrill, we go beyond the traditional role of an advisor.

  • Your goals, concerns and attitude about investing are the foundation of your plan.
  • We actively listen and provide personalized advice — ensuring we understand what matters most to you and your family.
  • We're committed to creating a personalized plan that evolves with you to help you live well today while preparing for the future.
Team and resources

Giving you access to our teams and solutions

Your advisor is one part of an experienced team dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. Acting as your single point of contact, your advisor provides personalized strategies and connects you with:

  • Bank of America specialists, such as mortgage or trust professionals
  • Timely insights from BofA Global Research1 to help you stay informed and navigate ever-changing markets
  • A full suite of Merrill investing and Bank of America banking solutions

1BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. ("BofAS") and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.").

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Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and the CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, CRPC™, and the CRPC™ logo are certification marks or registered certification marks of The College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. in the United States.
Rua Hekhuis is registered to do business in AK, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN.
Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor™, SE-AWMA™, and the SE-AWMA™ logo are certification marks or registered certification marks of The College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. in the United States.