What do you think of the latest advertising campaign by Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, a division of Bank of America? That's right; Merrill Lynch is the company that went bankrupt and was resurrected by U. S. government bailout money and acquired by Bank of America with over 20,000 brokers.Print ads show consumers in the 50-plus age group holding up placards that read: “help2 retire.” A blank box appears underneath, along suggested words like “problems,” “cold feet” and “guesswork.” In March, a billboard from the campaign has debuted in Times Square, where viewers can text in their own answers.
The $20 million campaign which broke last week began with TV and print.
As a Canadian, I saw one of the ads over the weekend and thought it rather clever. After all, there are many boomer investors shell shocked by the volatility the last couple of years and wonder how they should invest their money for retirement.
Will Merrill Lynch and other investing firms continue to garner a few percentages of investors' hard earned money with their 'expert' investment advice?
