Your privacy, treated like everything else we manage: carefully.

Merkel Wealth Management (“Merkel,” “we,” “us”) respects your privacy. This notice explains what information we collect through this website and in the course of serving our clients, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. Advisory services are offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS) and securities through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS); this notice covers information handled by Merkel directly.

What we collect

• Information you give us directly: name, email address, phone number, and the contents of your message when you use our contact form, email us, or schedule a call.
• Client information: for households we serve, the personal and financial information needed to open accounts, build plans, and meet regulatory obligations (for example, identity, employment, income, and account data), collected under the privacy notices provided at account opening.
• Basic technical data: when you visit this site, our hosting provider may record standard log information such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited, used only to keep the site secure and reliable.

Cookies on this website

This website does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. We use a single functional record stored in your browser to remember your cookie preference. If we add optional analytics in the future, they will be off by default and activated only after you accept them through the cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time by clearing this site’s data in your browser settings; the banner will appear again on your next visit.

How we use information

• To respond to your inquiries and schedule conversations you request.
• To provide advisory and brokerage services to our clients, including planning, account servicing, and required recordkeeping.
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including those of the SEC, FINRA, and state regulators.
• To keep this website secure, reliable, and relevant.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for third-party marketing. We share information only as needed to serve you: with Kestra IS and Kestra AS in connection with your accounts; with custodians, product sponsors, and service providers bound by confidentiality obligations; and with regulators or other parties when required by law, subpoena, or to protect against fraud.

Third-party client portals

The Client Login menu links to independent platforms operated by eMoney, Albridge, BlackRock, Wealthscape, and SEI. When you use those portals, your information is governed by each provider’s own privacy policy and security practices. We encourage you to review them.

Your state privacy rights

Depending on where you live - including California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws - you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to access or receive a copy of it, to correct inaccuracies, to request deletion, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of your information for targeted advertising. As noted above, we do not sell or share information for advertising. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

California residents: under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA, you have the rights described above, including the right to limit the use of sensitive personal information (which we do not use beyond providing services to you) and the right to non-discrimination. To exercise any right, contact us using the details below; we will verify your identity before acting on a request.

Safeguarding and retention

We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that meet federal standards to protect your information, and we restrict access to people who need it to serve you. We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes above and to satisfy regulatory record-retention rules, after which it is securely destroyed.

Children

This website is intended for adults and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children online.

Changes to this notice

If we change this notice, we will post the updated version here with a new “last updated” date. Material changes affecting existing clients will also be delivered as required by law.

Contact us about privacy

Merkel Wealth Management, 1901 Northwest Boulevard, Upper Arlington, OH 43212 · (614) 481-4455 · info@merkel-inc.com. You may also contact us through the form on our Contact page.