Vita Sechrest is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management based in the Walnut Creek office and a member of The Sechrest Group. She began her career with Merrill Lynch in 2017 as a Private Wealth Associate in the Chicago office, supporting high-net-worth individuals, families, and businesses. Vita and The Sechrest Group provide services focused on comprehensive wealth planning and retirement plans, assisting plan sponsors, committees, and participants with plan design, oversight, investment management, and participant education.
Vita holds several professional designations including Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®), and Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor™ (SE-AWMA™). She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing and a Master of Science degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. Vita serves on the Board of Directors of The Hofmann Foundation.
Her professional expertise encompasses family office-style services such as wealth management, investment advisory, retirement planning, philanthropic consulting, and personal banking. Vita also has a client focus on areas including college education planning, endowments and foundations, defined benefit and contribution plans, new wealth management, retirement income, and services tailored for women and sports and entertainment professionals. Outside of work, Vita's personal interests include football, golfing, skiing, spending time with her family, and traveling.