
Alexander M. Anstead, CPWA®
Vice President,
Financial Advisor,
Executive Financial Services Director
Direct:
(650) 234-5118(650) 234-5118

My Mission Statement
Dedicated to helping clients achieve growth and preservation of wealth and family capital through intelligent investing and meticulous wealth planning strategies.
My Story and Services
Alex is a Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley in Menlo Park with The Oak Knoll Group. He helped form the Silicon Valley Perennial Group within Morgan Stanley to help clients with tax-efficient retirement planning, professional portfolio management, risk management, and advanced estate planning strategies.
He is one of a select group of financial advisors recognized as a Portfolio Manager. To earn this designation and manage investments on a discretionary basis, advisors must pass a rigorous set of 16 exams. Additionally, financial advisors are required to adhere to a well-defined investment discipline, strict risk management parameters and performance standards by Morgan Stanley and industry regulators.
He joined Morgan Stanley as a trader for the Firm’s Corporate Services Team in Silicon Valley, helping directors, executives, and other high-level employees of top Fortune 50 companies with tax-efficient liquidity event planning and execution. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Alex helped Silicon Valley unicorn, Clari, establish and execute their Go-To-Market strategy. Alex is a graduate of University of California, San Diego. He studied Cognitive Science while working in UCSD’s Molecular Cognition Lab, conducting multivariate experiments and creating neural networks for algorithmic trading strategies.
He is one of a select group of financial advisors recognized as a Portfolio Manager. To earn this designation and manage investments on a discretionary basis, advisors must pass a rigorous set of 16 exams. Additionally, financial advisors are required to adhere to a well-defined investment discipline, strict risk management parameters and performance standards by Morgan Stanley and industry regulators.
He joined Morgan Stanley as a trader for the Firm’s Corporate Services Team in Silicon Valley, helping directors, executives, and other high-level employees of top Fortune 50 companies with tax-efficient liquidity event planning and execution. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Alex helped Silicon Valley unicorn, Clari, establish and execute their Go-To-Market strategy. Alex is a graduate of University of California, San Diego. He studied Cognitive Science while working in UCSD’s Molecular Cognition Lab, conducting multivariate experiments and creating neural networks for algorithmic trading strategies.
Securities Agent: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, UT, VA, VI, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY, MN, MI, AL, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, ME, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, MO; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1569130
CA Insurance License #: 0L65843
NMLS#: 1569130
CA Insurance License #: 0L65843
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*
Strength. Creativity. Experience.
Alex is proud to be part of Morgan Stanley's Silicon Valley Complex with offices in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and San Mateo, where he works and collaborates with many of the top advisors in the country. The strength and experience of this complex allows him to serve practically every financial need his clients have, including stock plan services, consulting for endowments and foundations, corporate cash management, sports and entertainment wealth management, venture services, insurance, tailored lending, and more.
Clients
In working with Alex, his clients find the most value in three things:
Process: utilizing a tailored approach that takes comprehensive look at both near and long term goals.
Scenario Planning: forecasting different opportunities and dynamically calculating the trade-offs between each one.
Counsel: having someone in their corner on an ongoing basis to provide in-the-moment guidance on whatever may be going on in their lives.
When meeting clients for the first time, he has found that three knowledge gaps usually exist:
Comprehensive Solutions: Clients often lack visibility into the wide range of services we offer. Working with Morgan Stanley beyond simple financial services can free up time for personal projects, etc.
Investing with Impact: Clients can begin making a difference now in the causes they are passionate about without sacrificing returns or waiting until their portfolio is 5, 10, or 15 times what it is today.
Rigorous Manager Analysis: Our Global Investment Manager Analysis (GIMA) team consists of over 90 analysts who continually review investment managers and less than 5% meet he Firm's highest standards for use in Alex's implementation of investment strategies for clients:
Process: utilizing a tailored approach that takes comprehensive look at both near and long term goals.
Scenario Planning: forecasting different opportunities and dynamically calculating the trade-offs between each one.
Counsel: having someone in their corner on an ongoing basis to provide in-the-moment guidance on whatever may be going on in their lives.
When meeting clients for the first time, he has found that three knowledge gaps usually exist:
Comprehensive Solutions: Clients often lack visibility into the wide range of services we offer. Working with Morgan Stanley beyond simple financial services can free up time for personal projects, etc.
Investing with Impact: Clients can begin making a difference now in the causes they are passionate about without sacrificing returns or waiting until their portfolio is 5, 10, or 15 times what it is today.
Rigorous Manager Analysis: Our Global Investment Manager Analysis (GIMA) team consists of over 90 analysts who continually review investment managers and less than 5% meet he Firm's highest standards for use in Alex's implementation of investment strategies for clients:

Location
2882 Sand Hill Rd
Ste 200
Menlo Park, CA 94025
US
Direct:
(650) 234-5118(650) 234-5118
Wealth Management
From My Desk
You are your Own CEO: Build a Dream Team for Your Career
Wealth Management
Global Investment Office
Portfolio Insights
Retirement
Working with you to understand your life goals and develop a personalized wealth strategy. Today and for the years to come.
- 401(k) Rollovers
- IRA Plans
- Retirement income strategies
- Retirement plan participants
- Annuities
Investing
Working closely with you to guide your wealth and investments through the most challenging market cycles.
- Asset Management
- Wealth Planning
- Traditional Investments
- Alternative Investments
- Impact Investing
Family
Creating customized financial strategies for the challenges that today’s families face.
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
Are You Prepared for Tax Day?
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Business Planning
Helping you on key aspects of your business such as ownership, liquidity and developing opportunities.
- Succession Planning
- Business Planning
- Qualified Retirement Plans
Financial Planning for Life After Selling a Business
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Philanthropy
Making sure your philanthropic dollars are managed with the same high quality service as the rest of your wealth.
- Endowments
- Foundations
- Donor Advised Funds
- Impact Investing
Donor Advised Funds: A Smart Way to Manage Your Giving
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Ready to start a conversation? Contact Alexander M. Anstead today.
1Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
2Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on your specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for you. Please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC program disclosure brochure (the “Morgan Stanley ADV”) for more information in the investment advisory programs available. The Morgan Stanley ADV is available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.
3Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.
4Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
5Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
6Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
7Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
8Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures
2Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on your specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for you. Please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC program disclosure brochure (the “Morgan Stanley ADV”) for more information in the investment advisory programs available. The Morgan Stanley ADV is available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.
3Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.
4Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
5Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
6Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
7Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
8Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures
CRC 6491812 (04/2024)