In 1988, Jeff Price sat in an economics class at Lewisville High School. Little did he know that the passion he developed for business in his senior year at LHS would impact the future course of his life in such a great way.
Price who grew up as a “PK”, the universal nickname for “Pastor’s Kid”, is the son of the late Rev. Bobby Price and wife Judy, who still resides in Lewisville.
“My parents never had money in the stock market and therefore I didn’t grow up knowing about money,” said Price.
After graduating from Lewisville High School, Jeff moved away from Southern Denton County for the first and only time of his adult life when he enrolled in Baylor University.
Earning his way through school working nights at Academy Capital Management in Waco, Jeff’s understanding of the global financial culture ripened while conducting financial research for the portfolio managers. He graduated from Baylor with a BBA, double majoring in Financial Planning and Human Resource Management and moved back to the Metroplex where he met his wife Cara at church while she was still a senior in high school and the daughter of the Senior Pastor. “Cara’s Mom and Dad had become friends with my parents while I was away at Baylor, and Cara became my best friend when I came home. We married when she was 19.”
Currently Jeff serves as Director and Senior Vice-President of Merrill Lynch in both Flower Mound and Las Colinas and was recently named into the Barron’s Winners Circle as one of the Top Financial Advisors in the US. Selected by Merrill Lynch as one of 50 chosen national faculty members, he trains senior members of the firm nationwide through Peer to Peer training.
“I like to consider what I do as being a CFO for the family unit, giving helpful advice on the critical decisions of life that, unfortunately, some people don’t ever consider until they are too far into a crisis,” said Price.
His firm not only handles retirement, estate planning, and investment decisions, but banking decisions, including cash management for both retail and commercial needs with the recent addition of personal banker Lauri Waisman to his staff. “We are equipped to handle the basic checking, savings, or mortgage needs of our clients, as well as specialty lending for luxury items such as airplanes, yachts, or art collections,” said Waisman.
Another specialty product offered by Merrill Lynch Mortgage is the “one time close” in which securities are pledged in lieu of a down payment, enabling 100% financing. This is helpful to clients who don’t want to liquidate a stock portfolio. For instance, if clients want to assist an adult child who is a first time home buyer, but do not want to gift cash, they can pledge accounts to help with the down payment.
Having previously served the city of Hickory Creek as a town council member and eventually Mayor, Price continues to serve his community by volunteering for roles in the non-profit sector. He was a founding Board member of Southern Denton County Neighbor to Neighbor and currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of CCA, Board of Directors of Lake Sharon in Corinth, and CFO of Valley Creek Church in Flower Mound. He has extensive knowledge in the area of church loans, land loans, and lines of credit for companies.
Additional members of Price’s staff include COO Kathy Bickhaus and up and coming standout Brooks Bowman of Argyle who is a financial planner and Price’s right hand man. Additionally, Bickhaus holds an MBA in Finance and has made a major impact in her community for families and in particular financial literacy for women. “Women generally outlive men. The worst feeling in the world is walking through the anguish of losing a loved one and being forced to make life-changing decisions throughout this turbulent time,” said Bickhaus. “We provide a point person, so when the time of need arises, there has already been some forethought and planning for the future.”
When he’s not planning and providing advice on every financial decision of his clients’ lives, Price enjoys his family ranch and resides in Flower Mound with his wife Cara and their two kids.
The Merrill Lynch Team does regular seminars on various topics, such as an upcoming class on the impact of Social Security and Medicare benefits that equips families to make informed retirement decisions for themselves or aging parents in the current healthcare climate. For dates and registration on seminar, contact Brooks Bowman at 972-830-6463 or [email protected].
