Darius Bakhtiar, CLU, ChFC, CFP®, MSFS, RFC – President
Darius has over 30 years experience in the Financial Services industry, working in personal production, general agency management, and in brokerage general agency management.
From a sales perspective, his areas of expertise include basic and advanced estate planning, business succession planning, executive compensation planning, charitable giving, and traditional premium financing.
Operationally, he specializes in assembling jumbo cases for both term and universal life policies. In 2001, he put together 250 million of term coverage for a corporate client, using all domestic carriers.
Darius graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and received his Master’s degree in Financial Services from The American College. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and has his Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Registered Financial Consultant designations. He is a member of various Industry Associations, serving on a variety of boards. He lives in Clarksville, Maryland with his wife and two children.
Bradley N. Mercer, CLU, ChFC – Senior Director of Brokerage
Brad is a financial advisor specializing in the areas of qualified retirement plan design and implementation as well as estate planning for business owners.
Brad has more than 46 years experience in the financial services industry. He is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He was the President of the Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, one of the largest chapters in the nation.
Brad received his certification from the American College as a “Chartered Financial Consultant” as well as a “Chartered Life Underwriter.”
In addition to working with his clients in the areas of estate and retirement planning, Brad also provides continuing education courses in these same subjects for CPA’s, financial planners and insurance professionals.
Jeffrey V. Merwin, CLTC, CLU, RHU – Senior Director of Brokerage
Jeff Merwin has more than 36 years in the financial services industry, developing personal production in both individual and group insurance markets. He also partners with financial advisors and insurance professionals to assist them with implementing long term care plans for their individual and business group clients.
His value to consumers and advisors’ clients in long-term care planning includes the underwriting qualification process, contract evaluation, plan design suitability, and planning strategies to implement the most efficient long-term care plan.
He has been a featured speaker and CE instructor at local chapter meetings of the Maryland Association of Health Underwriters, National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors, Financial Planning Association of Maryland, and Maryland Association of CPAs. He has provided training and consultation to over a thousand agents and advisors. He has been the Senior Issues Chair for MAHU and developed the 8 hour training day sponsored by MAHU & NAIFA in June of 2008. His efforts at Capitol Metro earned him the Best in the Nation Agency Achievement Award from the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance in their premium category.
Jeff graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick ME with a B.A. in History. His professional designations include Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC), and Life Underwriters Training Council Fellow (LUTCF). He lives in Baltimore with his wife and has 3 children.