Melanie Powell is the Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch, where she oversees advisory services and risk management for the West Nyack, New York office. She also holds positions as Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill. Melanie has been in the financial services industry since 2008 and joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2010. Her professional focus includes implementing wealth management strategies that emphasize portfolio construction designed to reduce risk and minimize taxes, with client focus areas spanning managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, socially responsible and ESG investing, special needs planning, tax minimization, and retirement income. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the State University of New York at Oneonta. She has earned several professional designations including Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). As part of her community involvement, Melanie has volunteered with organizations such as the Center for Food Action and Habitat for Humanity and is a past president of the Broadacres Women's Golf League. Melanie values working one-on-one with clients to develop personalized financial strategies aimed at helping them pursue their long-term goals. She takes pride in sharing investment knowledge with the community, including holding classes to educate women investors about different investment options.