Erica Bunnell, CFP®

Partner

Chicago

Client Advisory

Biography

Erica Bunnell is a Partner in the Chicago office, where she advises high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutional clients on the full spectrum of wealth management. With over 15 years of experience, her practice is particularly focused on the intersection of financial planning, estate planning, tax strategy, and trust administration — working with clients to build integrated plans that hold up under complexity and across generations.

Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Erica was a member of the team at Sheridan Road Financial, where she built a broad advisory practice encompassing financial planning, wealth management, and insurance solutions. She was deeply involved in client relationships from strategy through execution, helping clients navigate both day-to-day financial decisions and significant life events.

Erica thrives on complexity. Her clients often come with multi-layered situations — concentrated positions, inherited wealth, business transitions, or estate structures that span multiple entities — and she brings a multi-disciplinary approach to solving them. Her goal is to cut through the noise, give clients genuine clarity on their options, and help them act with confidence.

Outside of work, Erica is an avid exerciser — often running along the Chicago lakefront or finding herself in group fitness classes — her preferred way to clear her head and bring patience and perspective back to the people she serves.

Education

  • B.A. in Sociology, Anthropology, and Spanish from Lake Forest College

Highlights

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®
  • Bounce Children’s Foundation Emerging Leaders Board member
  • Community Engagement Activator

Q & A

Q:

Why is Wealth Management important, especially today?

Why are we managing your financial life if we don’t have a plan? We want to know how to manage your assets to ensure you can accomplish the goals and objectives of your life. So we start with the goals and objectives and solve for the investment management. The plan is key.

What kind of clients work best for you?

The more complex the better. I thrive in getting into the details and taking a multi-prong approach to deliver solutions to our clients. Often this involves exploring multiple possible solutions to see which is best for the clients.

What do you do in your personal life that helps you help your clients?

I am a runner. This is my time to get away from a screen, breath fresh air, and clear my head. This helps my clients get the best version of me with less stress and greater patience to work through their unique financial concerns.

What does the world need now more than anything?

Compassion. Everyone needs to feel compassion from others and for others. We all deserve a little grace here and there.

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