‘Listening’ Is Key To $2 Billion Morgan Stanley Advisor’s Success

Title: Anna Winderbaum

Agency: Morgan Stanley
MS
Non-public Wealth Administration

Location: New York Metropolis

AUM: $2 billion

Forbes Rankings: America’s High Ladies Wealth Advisors, High Ladies Wealth Advisors Finest-In-State, Finest-in-State Wealth Administration Groups, Finest-in-State Wealth Advisors

Background: A local of Queens, New York, Anna Winderbaum majored in worldwide relations at Tufts College. That main and expertise, “coupled with a need to make a distinction,” drove her to Washington, D.C., in 1990, the place she ended up working for a member of Congress on Capitol Hill. She began working within the West Wing as a director of scheduling correspondence and particular initiatives, respectively, proper after President Invoice Clinton’s inauguration, spending almost three years there earlier than shifting again to New York to pursue an M.B.A. at Columbia College, identified for its specialties in finance and investing. “Whereas there, I fell in love with markets and the whole world of investing,” she recollects, which finally drove her to begin her personal non-public wealth administration enterprise upon graduating in 1997. After spending almost 20 years at Credit score Suisse Non-public Financial institution, she joined Morgan Stanley in 2015.

Aggressive Edge: Winderbaum and her group take a holistic method to partnering with their shoppers, serving to them navigate not simply the monetary but additionally administrative sides of their lives: With many high-net-worth entrepreneurs, multigenerational households, company executives and principals, “we actually attempt to make the advanced easy,” she describes.

Classes Realized: “In an effort to construct trusting relationships with shoppers, it’s vital to ask the best questions, hear deeply and join authentically by being human and open,” says Winderbaum. “I’ve additionally realized that one of many key items to connecting authentically is to be keen to share my very own private tales and experiences, particularly people who relate to what our shoppers are going via.”

Funding Philosophy/Technique: “On the finish of the day we actually consider should you arrange a consumer’s portfolio appropriately, they’ll be okay it doesn’t matter what,” says Winderbaum. Having the best strategic asset allocation for shoppers is “paramount,” she describes, because it allows every of them to navigate the modifications of their life and face up to market cycles.

Funding Outlook: “2022 was a difficult 12 months for all,” says Winderbaum. She expects extra choppiness within the first half of 2023—at a minimal—because the economic system continues to soak up charge hikes. “Now that the Fed has raised charges meaningfully, we’re in a position to assist shoppers add mounted earnings into their portfolios and lock in tax-free yields that we actually haven’t seen shortly.” She is staying selective in terms of fairness publicity, whereas including a bit opportunistically to holdings in worldwide and rising markets: “With continued volatility and uncertainty, we’re being affected person with placing recent capital to work.” Winderbaum additionally likes various investments, noting that they are often very useful for diversification and whole return.

Gender Variety: “What I consider to the core is that this can be a fabulous enterprise for ladies—one may name it a aggressive benefit,” says Winderbaum. “Shoppers want good listeners—girls have large capability to hear and empathize,” she notes, including, “we have to capitalize and actually push ahead on these qualities.” Winderbaum calls it “essential” to have extra girls within the enterprise, particularly with the rising variety of girls constructing and inheriting wealth.