Craig Stone

The foundation of Craig’s philosophy is a desire to build prosperous, enduring relationships with his clients based on exceptional service and guidance. Craig and his financial team focus on the creation of strategies and advice for business owners, individuals and families. He has been with Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management for over 10 years.

Through the vast banking resources of Bank of America and investment resources of Merrill, Craig customizes personalized wealth strategies for his clients’ complex financial matters. The process of establishing a clear vision with his clients require a disciplined and structured approach, which is regularly being reviewed in order to be effective in both prosperous and challenging market cycles. By working collectively with other trusted advisors, Craig is able to deliver a universal approach to wealth management, helping his clients achieve and maintain financial freedom. You may also benefit from the experience of a Wealth Management Lending Officer from Bank of America, N.A. who can provide strategic and personalized home financing guidance focused on your needs. Working together, your Financial Advisor team and Lending Officer can draw upon an expansive array of home financing solutions designed to fit into your overall financial strategy and help you pursue your financial objectives.

Craig earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Sacramento State University in Business Management. In his personal time, Craig loves spending quality time with his family, golfing, barbequing with friends and traveling. He resides in Folsom, CA with his wife Rebecca and their three young children Benjamin, Nicholas and Caroline.

The Wealth Management Lending Officer does not offer investment advice, nor make recommendations on investment products.

I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.

Daniel Cutter

Among the reasons I chose to join the financial services industry is my desire to serve others. This passion to help stems from my experience and the financial challenges I have watched friends, colleagues and families experience in the past. As witness to the challenges faced by important people in my life, I recognized the need for a professional and caring team to help others realize the life they want. My purpose is to help special needs families and private professional fiduciaries define their goals, establish a wealth management strategy centered on the priority of their loved one or their beneficiary, and then help them to adjust their strategy, as needed, as the inevitable changes in life occur.

This desire to serve others drove me to help develop the Special Needs Team at Merrill. We are a team of Financial Advisors across California who leverage training in the field of disability planning and prudent probate investing. We focus on improving the financial well-being of individuals of special need regardless of their age or disability. We advocate a collaborative approach, drawing upon an extensive network of multi-disciplined professionals and advocates to help our clients attain financial success. We seek to promote understanding of the special needs community and to improve the self-reliance of special needs persons, their families and caregivers.

We provide a turnkey service for professional or family fiduciaries throughout the nation to promote the well-being of the trust beneficiary, conservatee or ward. We are experienced dealing with the specialized legal restrictions and court accounting procedures particular to fiduciary investing. Moreover, we are well versed in the UPIA, Probate Code matters and other rules of the court. We measure our success relative to client goals and are honored to help individuals and families pursue a more secure financial future.


Daniel does not provide legal or tax advice in his role at Merrill.

Donovan Filpi

As a husband and a father I feel it is my duty to provide my family with the emotional support and financial stability we require to navigate the challenges that life presents. Understanding that each obstacle requires a different approach helps me to be that person they can rely on during both certain and uncertain times. I strive to provide a similar foundation to my business and client relationships. Given the volatile nature of the financial markets over the past several years, many people have lost faith in their ability to effectively plan and achieve their financial goals. My focus is to restore that faith and put clients back on track through the prudent balance of risk management and allocation structure within their portfolios.

I am dedicated to providing a one stop, concierge style wealth planning service. Clients leverage my knowledge and the vast network of resources I have to provide the most convenient strategies to help meet their needs. I also work with clients’ attorneys and tax advisors to address their specific financial situations and estate planning issues. This allows clients to focus on what is important to them: their families, health and professions.

My business philosophy is built on five primary goals:
1. Concierge style financial service for clients and their families
2. Understanding client’s needs and objectives
3. Providing clients capital markets understanding
4. Preserving client assets, while still participating in the markets
5. Trust

I earned my BA degree in psychology with a business specialization from UCLA in 2000. I have worked in the financial services industry since 2005, joining Bank of America/Merrill in 2006. I reside in the San Elijo Hills community of San Marcos, CA with my beautiful wife Jessica and sons Luca & Gianni. I am an active member of my church and spend my free time running, cooking and enjoying San Diego County with my family and friends.


Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S. CRPC® and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning.

I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.

Emily Vierra

Emily Vierra is a Team Financial Advisor with the Special Needs Team at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Emily focuses on client relationship management, wealth management planning, and team operations. She enjoys helping clients design and implement detailed planning initiatives that address the distinctive requirements of special-needs clients. She is particularly skilled in new account onboarding and long-term wealth strategy.

Emily began her Merrill career in 2007. She has been a member of the Special Needs Team since 2012 and has steadily taken on additional responsibilities. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from California State University, Sacramento.

Emily enjoys spending time with her family and lavishing attention on her two dogs, a black lab pit bull mix and a French bulldog.

Paul Bartschi

When you work to support Special Needs populations, your work is more than a profession. It’s a passion and a commitment to helping the vulnerable members of our society.

Like many who are involved in the Special Needs community, I draw on my own background and family experience as I have personally witnessed and worked with those with special needs. This opportunity has helped me to provide both empathy and compassion for other families who know the joys and challenges of caring for family members who cannot care for themselves. Moreover, having witnessed my beloved grandfather fall victim to Alzheimer’s, I truly understand the fragility and preciousness of those final years.

As a Senior Financial Advisor and Vice-President with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, I combine empathy and understanding with technical knowledge and insight in helping Special Needs individuals lead a more secure financial future. I work closely with clients' attorneys and professional fiduciaries, modeling the financial requirements to care for vulnerable populations and designing customized investment approaches to address those needs. I often advise on court supervised matters such as conservatorships and support family trustees who manage an estate on behalf of a loved one.

I am a skilled listener and a strong communicator. I like to take complex matters and make them more accessible and understandable for the person sitting across from me. Face-to-face contact and meaningful relationships are central to my approach.

My work is founded on one priority: the long-term well-being of special-needs individuals and families. Working in concert with my team members and colleagues, I am resolute in my efforts to uncover and address the intricacies of each situation. I recognize that each client is different, with singular circumstances, dynamics, concerns, and aspirations. By catering to the unique nature of each relationship, I believe my work testifies to the innate dignity and value of each client and family.

Scott MacDonald

Scott MacDonald is the founder and leader of the Special Needs Team at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, a group of financial advisors and client associates dedicated to enhancing the long-term well-being of special-needs, disabled and elderly individuals by offering financial advice and guidance. Scott joined Merrill in 1987 and has spent his entire career addressing the unique needs of society’s most vulnerable members.

Passionate about his work, Scott provides wealth planning and investment management for Special Needs Trusts and other court-supervised trusts, as well as probate investing for Conservatorships and Guardianships. He offers extensive knowledge of California Probate Code restrictions on investments, as well as the terms of the Uniform Prudent Investor Act. Scott facilitates close collaboration with attorneys, caregivers, trustees, fiduciaries, benefits counselors, and other professionals. A regular lecturer and media contributor, he is the author of numerous articles and publications related to special-needs and elder financial strategy.

Scott earned his B.S. in Finance and his B.A. in Economics with Honors from the California State University system. He is the recipient of the prestigious David Brady award, bestowed upon the Merrill employee who goes beyond expectations in his dedication to clients. Scott was named to the Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" list in 2020.*

Scott MacDonald

Scott MacDonald is the founder and leader of the Special Needs Team at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, a group of financial advisors and client associates dedicated to enhancing the long-term well-being of special-needs, disabled and elderly individuals by offering financial advice and guidance. Scott joined Merrill in 1987 and has spent his entire career addressing the unique needs of society’s most vulnerable members.