Merrill Advisor Development Program - Financial Advisor: Pasadena Central Market

The job

LIVE Live feed (private-sector employer) Source: The Muse public API · Data: listed 2026-11-07

Job description

Job Description:

Merrill Wealth Management is a leading provider of comprehensive wealth management and investment products and services for individuals, companies, and institutions. Merrill Wealth Management is one of the largest businesses of its kind in the world specializing in goals-based wealth management, including planning for retirement, education, legacy, and other life goals through investment advice and guidance.

Merrill's Financial Advisors and Wealth Management Client Associates help clients pursue the life they envision through a personal relationship with their advisory team committed to their needs. We believe trust comes from transparency. Our trusted advisory teams are equipped with access to the investment insights of Merrill coupled with the banking convenience of Bank of America.

Merrill is committed to an in-office culture that supports collaboration, engagement, and career development. Our approach includes clear in-office expectations, while providing an appropriate level of flexibility based on role-specific responsibilities and business needs.

At Merrill, we empower you to bring your whole self to work. We value the unique perspectives in our thoughts, business, and within our employees and clients. Our Wealth Management team represents an array of different skills and experiences that individuals bring from all backgrounds and careers; whether gained through military service, community college education, or a wide range of work and life experiences. These journeys foster resilience, leadership and innovation, strengthening our workforce and positively impact the communities we serve.

The Advisor Development Program is designed for individuals excited to make a career transition and follow their passion of becoming a Financial Advisor.

Role Specifics:

This job is responsible for working with high-net worth clients with annual revenues of $100k-$5mm, identifying needs, developing relationships, reviewing investment goals, and preparing investment recommendations. Key responsibilities include leveraging technology to achieve business growth goals, profiling activities to determine a client's financial objectives. Job expectations include driving initiatives to maximize impact to clients and prospects, assisting with the execution of business development plans, understanding guidance on privacy and regulatory matters.

As a Merrill Advisor Development Program - Financial Advisor, you will be responsible for working with high-net worth individuals identifying needs, developing relationships, reviewing financial goals, and delivering comprehensive recommendations that align with the goals of both existing and prospective clients. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate with and be mentored by Merrill Financial Advisor Teams to build upon your experience to promote portfolio growth.

The Merrill Advisor Development Program- Financial Advisor engages in:

• Developing a book of business in order to meet and exceed established performance hurdles
• Effectively prioritizes sourcing prospective clients, capitalizing on referrals, assessing customer needs, referring customers to the appropriate internal specialists, and executing highly customized solutions to meet client needs
• Recommending investment products and services that are suitable for prospects based on their objectives, resources, time horizon, risk profile and preferences
• Balancing investment growth, referral activities, customer follow up, prospect building, administrative compliance, and personal growth and development according to both a day-to-day and longer-term planning
• Organizing and managing resources (time, people, budget) to run a productive practice
• Seeking the expertise of specialists, where appropriate, to identify planning and investment strategies for a client
• Completing mandated training, assessments, performance goals and continuing education requirements

• Build a successful career at Bank of America through world class training and on-boarding programs that set you up for success.
• Get training and one-on-one coaching from our award-winning Academy at Bank of America and local leadership who are invested in your success.
• Grow your business knowledge by using a defined consultative approach to systematically identify client needs and appropriate solutions.
• Provide end-to-end comprehensive advice, deliver client reviews/presentations with confidence and recommend strategies to help achieve their financial goals and life priorities.
• Collaborate with core banking and investment partners. Connect to all the solutions we provide through Bank of America and Merrill to meet virtually all their financial needs.

• Handles inbound inquiries from leads regarding Merrill offerings
• Positions the extensive capabilities of Merrill and Bank of America
• Collects the necessary client profile data, following standard KYC procedures to open account(s) as appropriate
• Serves as interim Financial Advisor, providing recommendation of investment products and services that are suitable for prospects and clients based on their objectives, resources, time horizon, risk profile, and preferences as well as servicing client accounts
• Documents all client interactions and opportunities within Salesforce accurately

• Currently holds Series 7 and 66 (or the equivalent 63 and 65 in lieu of 66) licenses
• Minimum of one year of experience in the investments industry, including investment training and in-depth knowledge of investment products and services
• Minimum of one year of experience working in the financial service industry and/or a sales environment where goals were met or exceeded
• Proven ability to engage with and influence others
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship building skills with a proven ability to quickly build trust and credibility
• Effective communication skills (written and verbal)
• Proven ability to listen and probe for clarity and understanding; assess needs; and recommend appropriate solutions/interventions
• Proven ability to work collaboratively on a team and with key partners
• Goal and results oriented with strong follow-through skills
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a proven ability to source clients through extensive prospecting and networking
• Ability to work in an environment where the majority of your compensation is tied to your performance
• Possess computer/technical literacy and is proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel

• Bachelor's degree and/or a minimum of one year of financial services industry or sales experience
• Track record of quickly learning and adapting to new technologies, systems, and digital tools
• Proven ability to effectively manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment

• Business Acumen
• Business Development
• Oral Communications
• Prospecting
• Wealth Planning
• Analytical Thinking
• Client Experience Branding
• Client Investments Management
• Portfolio Analysis
• Risk Management
• Active Listening
• Client Solutions Advisory
• Emotional Intelligence
• Referral Management
• Trading

Explore around this job

Field: Finance and Insurance Sub-niche: Banking and wealth advisory All jobs at Bank of America Jobs in California Jobs in Bakersfield, CA Bakersfield city guide California state guide Kern County economy

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About the role

This is a Mid Level role in the Finance and Insurance field (Banking and wealth advisory) at Bank of America. Mid-level roles usually expect some years of relevant experience and the ability to work with limited supervision.

We could not match this job title to one occupation in the official wage statistics, so no pay estimate is shown. Pay is not in the source listing; ask the employer for the range and compare in the 240 job niches.

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How to prepare and behave

This is editorial guidance, not information from the employer.

• Read the whole description and match your examples to its requirements; use the same words the posting uses where they are true for you.
• Research the employer before the interview: what it does, who its customers are and recent news; prepare two or three questions about the work.
• Arrive early (or log in early for a video call), dress one step above the daily dress code, and test your camera and audio beforehand.
• Answer with short stories: the situation, what you did and the result. Give numbers when you have them and never invent them.
• Be honest about gaps; say what you did to learn and how fast you can close them.
• Ask about the team, the first 90 days, how success is measured and the schedule; do not open with salary and time off.
• When pay comes up, know the market range for the occupation and your lowest acceptable offer before you answer; ask for the full package in writing.
• Send a short thank-you message within a day, mentioning one thing you discussed.

Know your rights as a candidate and an employee:

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: prohibited employment practices
• U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
• CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor): job search help, interview tips and resumes
• USA.gov: avoiding job scams

The city

The job is in Bakersfield, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How Bakersfield compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, Bakersfield is #9 by population, #5 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #14 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #130 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Kern County, is #29 of 58 counties for average pay ($60,066).

The place in numbers

Bakersfield has 411,986 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.0% of the population of California. It covers 150 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,742 people per square mile. The median age is 32.1, 15% younger than the state median (32.1 against 37.9).

Housing

The median gross rent is $1,472 a month (rent plus utilities), 28% below the state median ($1,472 against $2,036). Over a year that is 21.9% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $371,700, which is 4.6 times the median household income ($80,540). 60.6% of households own their home, 8% above the state average (60.6% against 55.9%).

Work and pay

The Bakersfield-Delano, CA metropolitan area has 338,230 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,470 a year, 7% below the national median ($47,470 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are farming, fishing, and forestry (35,660 jobs, median $34,620); transportation and material moving (34,650 jobs, median $45,320); office and administrative support (29,410 jobs, median $48,880). The area is most specialised in farming, fishing, and forestry (37.7 times) and community and social service (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($120,970) and architecture and engineering ($110,040). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Kern County was 7.9%. 62.1% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Kern County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 79.1% drive alone, 0.4% use public transit, 0.8% walk, 8.2% work from home. 9.1% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 53% below the state average (9.1% against 19.4%).

People and education

23.6% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 36% below the state share (23.6% against 37.1%). 20.2% of residents were born outside the United States, 25% below the state share (20.2% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 16.3%, 36% above the state rate (16.3% against 12.0%).

Climate

The warmest month is Jul, averaging 80°F (26.9°C), and the coolest is Dec at 46°F (7.9°C). About 206 mm (8 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (40 mm) and Jun the driest (1 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: Lancaster (67 miles, rent 20% higher); Visalia (69 miles, similar rent); Santa Clarita (72 miles, rent 73% higher); Palmdale (75 miles, rent 22% higher). Rent differences are against Bakersfield; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to Bakersfield →California guideAll jobs in Bakersfield

Official links for Bakersfield

• Official website of Bakersfield: visitbakersfield.com
• Census Bureau data profile for Bakersfield
• Official website of Kern County: kerncounty.com
• Official state website: ca.gov
• BLS Economy at a Glance: California

These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.

Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of Bakersfield, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. No pay estimate is shown because the title did not match one occupation.

Career paths

We could not match this title to one occupation, so here are the other sub-niches in Finance and Insurance, where your skills may carry over:

Insurance and claims (428) Accounting, audit and tax (413) Treasury, payments and risk (653)

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far Bakersfield, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Nearby cities with open jobs (within 120 miles)

The employer

Bank of America is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

Company description (from The Muse): Bank of America provides people, companies, and institutional investors with industry-leading financial products and services.

size: Large Size; industries: Financial Services; locations on The Muse: Charlotte, NC.

It is among the 200 largest US-headquartered employers in our list, with about 213,000 employees worldwide (2025). Company page with headquarters, state economy and official links →

Official links for Bank of America

• Official website of Bank of America: bankofamerica.com
• SEC EDGAR: company filings search
• Official state website: nc.gov

These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.

The employer's profile on The Muse →

What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

Other open jobs at Bank of America

Similar jobs

Same sub-niche: Banking and wealth advisory

More jobs in Bakersfield, CA

All Banking and wealth advisory jobs → · All Finance and Insurance sub-niches →

FAQ

What is the Merrill Advisor Development Program - Financial Advisor: Pasadena Central Market job at Bank of America?

A mid level role in finance and insurance (banking and wealth advisory) listed yesterday. The full description is on this page and on The Muse.

Where is this job?

Bakersfield, CA.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on The Muse" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in Bakersfield is $1,472 a month and median household income $80,540 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-11-07 (yesterday). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse banking and wealth advisory jobs in California.

Sources and terms

• Job data: The Muse public API (listing dated 2026-11-07). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Muse, the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)