Raj Sharma from Boston is among an elite group of financial advisors recognized in Barron’s special report on “America’s 100 Top Brokers.”  Mr. Sharma was selected for this honor for the second year in a row based upon following the industry’s best practices, having the biggest books of business, and on a range of qualifications including revenue, customer satisfaction and other factors. With 19 financial advisors on the Barron’s list, Merrill Lynch has more advisors recognized than any other single financial advisory firm.
To compile this list, Barron’s relied on the services of R.J. Shook, an independent, third-party expert who has been ranking America’s top advisors for more than 10 years in his Winner’s Circle books.  Shook screened nearly 7,000 financial advisors. 

“Making this list is an incredible honor and a testament to Mr. Sharma’s professionalism and success in serving his clients,” said Merril Pyes, managing director for the downtown Boston Financial Center. “Mr. Sharma’s outstanding dedication to Merrill Lynch and his clients is truly deserving of this recognition.”

Mr. Sharma has been with Merrill Lynch for 17years, serving individual investors, corporations and foundations with comprehensive financial planning advice, estate, philanthropic and legacy planning consultation, retirement, education planning and asset management services. Mr. Sharma is also active in the community --he serves on the board of The Island Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Boston harbor islands. He is also on the leadership council of American India Foundation, a Charter Member of TIE entrepreneur’s network and is a board member of The Sharon Education Foundation. He also serves on Merrill Lynch’s Advisory Council to Management for the Private Banking and Investment Group. Mr. Sharma and his team of seven professionals manage over $3 billion in assets for individual and corporate clients. 

 â€œThe credit goes to my entire team. I applaud their dedication to client service and satisfaction,” said Sharma. The team includes Mr. Sharma’s partners Ken Sharma and Chris Kemp, an administrative team comprised of Christina Caputo, Deanna Riccitelli and Michael Bozzi and investment analyst Binita Patel.

“This list recognizes people who do business the right way -- with a strong foundation of professionalism and ethics,” said Shook.  “With so much focus on wrongdoing in the financial markets, I want to show that there’s another side.”

Barron’s is a weekly magazine, published by Dow Jones, established in 1921 for private investors, money managers, and corporate executives involved with the financial community.  The annual “America’s 100 Top Brokers” special report appears in the June 11 issue.  For more information, visit www.barrons.com.

Merrill Lynch is one of the world’s leading financial management and advisory companies with offices in 36 countries and total client assets of approximately $1.6 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global underwriter of debt and equity securities and strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals worldwide. Through Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, the company is one of the world's largest managers of financial assets. Firmwide, assets under management total $479 billion. For more information on Merrill Lynch, please visit www.ml.com.

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