Man of the Moment
Chamber honoree Moran shares some perspective on the LGBT community and financial security
On April 25, the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (aka The Chamber) held its annual awards dinner and gala at Washington’s prestigious Mayflower Renaissance Hotel. The dinner showcases LGBT business leaders throughout the Washington region, paying special tribute to those whose contributions to the local community made a particularly positive impact.
Among the outstanding members of the community honored at the gala was William J. Moran Jr., CRPC, senior vice president and wealth management advisor for global financial services firm Merrill Lynch & Co. Moran received The Chamber’s Business Leadership award for his work as a leader in the LGBT community.
“This is a great honor,” said Moran, who indicated that the award was a pleasant surprise. “I’m very fortunate to be the face of a great firm like Merrill Lynch. I want to acknowledge the many people making our quality service to the community happen.”
A longtime sponsor of Chamber events and activities, Moran feels that it’s important for business leaders such as himself to have “skin in the game” when it comes to being a visible member of the community, contributing time, money, or other resources. He is an ardent supporter of the mission of The Chamber as it presents an opportunity for leaders to get together to discuss the needs of the LGBT community and work to provide solutions to any problems.
“Involvement is important in all communities, but especially in ours,” he said. “It gives us the opportunity to come together when we see a particular need or area in which we can improve. The LGBT community tends to be a little more philanthropic than many other groups.”
Moran said anyone can find a particular passion to which they can apply their own special talents. Moran’s own memberships have included terms on the boards of Food & Friends and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.
Moran began his career with Merrill Lynch in 1986 in New York, moving to Washington in 1990. As the leader of Merrill Lynch’s Gay and Lesbian Financial Services team, he is actively engaged with members of the LGBT community developing investment strategies designed to meet their own distinctive needs and provide financially secure futures.
“Merrill Lynch is a highly gay-friendly company. It was one of the first Wall Street firms to offer domestic-partner benefits, and has been very supportive of the LGBT community for many years,” he said.
Speaking of the need for long-term financial planning, Moran indicated that one area where many people fall short is in not taking the time to sit down and actually do it.
“Many people spend more time planning a two-week vacation to Europe than they do organizing their finances,” he observed. “Putting off creating a financial strategy is not a good idea. Planning should start as soon as possible. A savvy investor should enlist the services of a competent financial planner, along with an attorney and a tax professional, to design a plan for financial security.”
“All the horses should be pulling the sleigh in the same direction. That’s why it’s important to have a team that is focused on your needs and that can work together.”
For further information on William Moran and the services he provides, please visit http://bit.ly/R8ulvP.
The Chamber Means Business. For more information visit caglcc.org or facebook.com/CAGLCC. On Twitter, follow @DCLGBTBIZ
John F. Stanton, a CAGLCC member, is the president of SRP & Associates Inc., a strategic marketing and public relations firm in Northern Virginia.
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