McGovern, O'Dell & Associates at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (operating through SEC-registered fiduciary Investment Adviser Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, CRD #7691, SEC File #801-14235) is a premier institutional wealth management and retirement advisory team located at 45 Eglin Parkway NE, Suite 102, in Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida (ZIP 32548, just north of Miracle Strip Parkway and Cinco Bayou along the central Eglin Parkway financial corridor). Anchored by Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor, and Certified Financial Planner™ Shane O'Dell, CFP® (CRD #5140808) and Managing Director & Senior Resident Director Raymond Joseph ("Ray") McGovern (CRD #1158022, advising families for more than 40 years since 1983), the practice serves retirees, military and defense executives, medical specialists near HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, and multi-generational families across Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, Destin, and Niceville.

Combining Shane O'Dell's CFP® fiduciary retirement planning rigor with Ray McGovern's four decades of institutional capital-markets leadership, McGovern, O'Dell & Associates designs customized retirement paycheck architectures that integrate tax-exempt municipal bond ladders, dividend-growth equity portfolios, and downside-protected liquidity reserves. For retired Air Force officers, special operations personnel, and senior DoD civil servants from nearby Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field (AFSOC), and the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the team coordinates Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and 401(k) rollovers, DFAS military retired pay, Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) survivorship protection, and tax-free VA disability income streams.

To preserve retirement cash flow for Okaloosa County older adults, the team models multi-year Roth conversions, Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) withdrawals, and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) calibrated to avoid Medicare Part B and Part D IRMAA surcharges alongside TRICARE For Life and NWFLAAA (PSA 1) SHINE Medicare counseling (1-866-531-8011). Through Bank of America Private Bank trust services and coordination with local estate counsel, McGovern, O'Dell & Associates also assists Choctawhatchee Bay and Santa Rosa Sound homeowners with coastal wind/flood insurance reserve budgeting and Okaloosa County Property Appraiser (Mack Busbee, CFA — 1250 N Eglin Pkwy, Ste 201, Shalimar, FL 32579) Homestead, Save Our Homes (3%) portability, 65+ Senior Exemption (~$37,694 2026 AGI limit), and F.S. 196.081 disabled veteran property tax exemptions.