Make a plan for your money

Alex Merriman ’16 is also known by his other moniker: the Financial Painter. That’s his persona on LinkedIn, where he combines his passion for art with his work as a financial adviser at Valor Investments and Planning in Easton, Pa.

After studying studio art under Ed Kerns at Lafayette, Merriman worked in retail management and insurance sales before landing at Valor, where his advising includes investment management, estate and tax planning, and cash flow analysis.

His approach includes building connections with his clients, understanding the why of their goals before helping them plan for the how. “For me to build genuine connections with people at work, I have to tell them who I am, and that includes my art,” he says. “And to put together a good comprehensive financial plan, I have to figure out who they are and why they want what they want to build it the right way for them.”

Because of his background, part of his expertise is helping creatives with the business side of their affairs. “It can be really difficult for creative people to build businesses for themselves, but as I met more and more people those conversations became easier for me because I could offer up information about myself and my business, and it took off from there,” he says.

Outside the office, he has continued to paint. He works primarily in gestural and color field abstraction, and runs the Colors for Cancer fundraiser, which has featured local artists and raised over $10,000 for pancreatic cancer research over the last five years.

What’s a common misconception about saving for retirement?

One of the most common things I see is people in a ‘waiting until they can retire’ mindset—and being more reactive rather than proactive to their goals. Retirement is something you can work toward at any time during your life, either by yourself or with the assistance of others.

What’s a piece of financial intelligence that’s important to pass along to kids today?

Pay attention to your money. Too many people only take financial inventory when there is a disruption, like a car breaking down, a medical expense, or a family emergency. Know your cashflow and give every dollar a purpose.

With continued rising costs in the economy, how can someone feel confident in making a major purchase right now?

Confidence around major purchases comes from organizing your money into proper buckets and being disciplined in not spending money from buckets assigned to different goals. Don’t overextend yourself. Build a system. If something you’ve worked on will suffer at the expense of a ‘major purchase,’ you have to step back and evaluate if it’s the right time to move on this opportunity or project.

For example, if you’ve been saving money for an emergency fund and you see a house that you love pop up on Zillow, stop. Technically you have the money for a down payment; however, that money is for your emergency fund and depleting your savings could leave you in a worse spot after making the biggest purchase of your life. The idea here is to set a solid foundation of how money flows into and out of your household, organizing money around your goals.

What financial bright spots do you anticipate for 2026?

There are more opportunities than ever to take advantage of emerging technology and global economic growth. However, this does not mean you abandon logic and reason for economic gain. There will always be financial bright spots, so don’t feel like you’re missing your chance to benefit. Setting a solid foundation allows you the opportunity to take risks without tearing down everything you’ve built.