Merrill’s Retire-in-Place Contracts Leave Senior Advisors in Golden Handcuffs Advisors who accepted Merrill Lynch’s succession agreement are now realizing how stuck they really are—serving as a cautionary tale for others nearing retirement. As a recruiter, I’m invested in assuring advisors that they are never stuck because in a greatly expanded industry landscape with transition deals at high watermarks, it is more likely than ever before for someone to find a potentially better home for his business. Yet there is one group of advisors that may truly be “stuck”—those who signed onto a retire-in-place program like Merrill’s Client Transition Program (CTP).