David Brady, a Merrill Lynch financial advisor and colleague of Jeffery Price, was at breakfast with a client at one of the World Trade Center towers on September 11th, 2001 when the planes hit. The firm created the David Brady Award, the highest honor that the firm bestows on one who reflects David Brady’s character: a man with an exceptional love and devotion to his family, community and clients. “Unbeknownst to me,” Jeffery says, “I was nominated this past year and selected to receive the award. All the awards and accolades that we've received as a team, everything from the Forbes and Barron's magazine awards, are meaningful, but this one was impactful. Someone gave their life, in a sense, for this award to be created.”
In late 2023, Jeffery and his wife, Cara, attended the award ceremony held at the top of Freedom Tower, next to where the towers stood. David’s wife and children attend the event, as does the son of the passed client. “That was just a perfect picture of the type of lifelong relationships that we are fortunate to build with our clients — even through tragedy. The relationships we're building with our clients are very, very deep. It's not just a one-time transaction.”
With 35 years of experience in the business, Jeffery’s nomination was and still is a reflection of David’s character. David was heavily involved in his community in his home of New Jersey, Jeffery explains, traveling in and out of Manhattan for work regularly just to make it his kids’ school event. Similarly, Jeffery has invested in his community over the years as Mayor of Hickory Creek, involved with Denton County United Way, and serving on boards at both CCA and his alma mater Baylor Univeristy.
This ability to give back is due to the many people who have spoken into his own life. Now? He sows the seeds that were planted in him through his coaching of every financial advisor at his own firm to serving on the senior leadership teams of Merill Lynch nationwide. Today, Jeffery’s son has joined him in the industry, he explains proudly, “I've got a picture in my office and he’s wearing a Merrill Lynch onesie and now he's working four doors down.”
“We truly believe that everything in the ‘heavens and earth is yours Oh, Lord’. It is totally at His discretion that we've been given this favor and responsibility to shepherd these families.” At Jeffery’s home church Valley Creek, “one of the things that we talk a lot about is being a hope carrier. How can you bring the hope and love of Jesus Christ into the atmosphere that you're walking into?”
“In this job, you're able to celebrate the highest of highs, someone selling a business, kids getting married, or having grandkids. But you also are there at the lowest of lows, clients going through cancer treatments, the loss of loved ones. That's where it goes beyond, ‘Here's how you should manage your money or what stock you should buy.’ I like to say we're doing life with them.”
Jeffery's love for his firm is yet another element that led to his nomination from his beginning at Merill Lynch in April of 1995, only 6 months married to his wife Cara. “I've been very blessed to build out a really, really good staff. There are now 18 people on my staff that allow me to function and achieve things at a very high level not only for myself but more importantly for our clients.”
“I didn't fill out a form. Someone saw something in me that said, ‘Hey, this is a person that represents what this award is all about… that's why it was an emotional night for my wife and I. Cara and I remember the 600 square-foot apartment when we were first married, living paycheck to paycheck. That night, we were talking about how God has taken us from these very, very humble beginnings to where we're at now. We feel very, very humble, and very blessed to be honored and recognized.”
"It's those lifelong relationships that we are fortunate to build with our clients — even through tragedy."
