In an increasingly complex financial world, high-net-worth clients and their families, business owners and executives, and professional services leaders are looking for more than one-off financial transaction. They seek trusted, long-term partnerships that understand the full picture of their lives and enterprises. For many clients, their Private Banker becomes a trusted advisor to spouses, children, or business successors, ensuring your values and vision endure long after major transitions.
No two clients have the same priorities—and Private Bankers understand that deeply. Whether you're a multigenerational family stewarding inherited wealth, an executive preparing for retirement, or a business owner managing succession planning, your Private Banker often serves as the entry point to deliver custom lending and deposit strategies aligned to your life, business, and goals. When preserving wealth across generations, expanding a business, or navigating a liquidity event, working with a Private Banker gives you direct access to personalized financial strategies, discreet support, and a collaborative advisory network. Working closely with the broader wealth management team, including wealth advisors, wealth managers, and portfolio managers, your Private Banker ensures every financial decision is connected to the bigger picture.
Liquidity is often the key to opportunity. Private bankers are particularly skilled in assessing strategic credit and liquidity planning and can offer sophisticated credit solutions. One such solution includes Securities-Based Lending (SBL) that allow clients to access capital while preserving their long-term investment strategies.
Securities-Based Lending allows clients to borrow against the value of eligible investment accounts, such as a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, without selling assets. This strategy helps preserve tax efficiency and market exposure, while providing fast access to funds for major expenses or opportunities. Many common use cases include the following scenarios:
- Real estate acquisitions without liquidating assets
- Business investment or expansion, especially for owner-operators
- Bridge financing for anticipated liquidity events
- Tax planning by deferring capital gains or avoiding taxable events
When used strategically, SBL enhances your financial flexibility, particularly when time-sensitive decisions arise.
For entrepreneurs, physicians, attorneys, and other professionals, financial planning is closely tied to both personal and business concerns. One of the key advantages of working with a Private Banker is their ability to serve as a central point of contact across all areas of your personal financial life. Our connection to your Wealth Advisor, Commercial Relationship Manager, and external professionals creates a unified approach that ensures nothing gets lost between teams or advisors. We work in lockstep with commercial relationship managers to support your personal cash flow, capital needs, and partner transitions, ensuring your financial strategy evolves as your business does. By being well-connected within the bank’s broader ecosystem, your Private Banker can bring in the right expertise at the right time to assist with practice buy in financing to your firm/practice and help with overall personal balance sheet management.
From wealth preservation and lending solutions to balance sheet management with professionals, executives, and intergenerational families, Private Banking offers a unique combination of tailored advice and relationship-driven services. By being proactive and forward-thinking, our Private Banking team is designed to evolve with you and your families over time. We look forward to serving you.
First Merchants Private Wealth Advisors products are not FDIC insured, are not deposits of First Merchants Bank, are not guaranteed by any federal government agency, and may lose value. Investments are not guaranteed by First Merchants Bank and are not insured by any government agency. This material has been prepared solely for informational purposes. First Merchants shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the data or information, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Any views or opinions in this message are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the organization.
