
Catherine Guidera, CEPA®

My Mission Statement
My Story and Services
Catherine grew up in the New York metropolitan area and remembers how fascinated she was by the ticker tape at the brokerage office where her aunt took her on a frequent basis. Her fascination compelled her to earn a degree in corporate finance and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and pursue a financial services career at Lehman Brothers. There, she learned the business from the ground up, starting as an assistant to an experienced Financial Advisor and eventually becoming a full partner in his practice. “The firm was transactional in its approach,” she explains, “and I spent much of my time constructing client portfolios with stocks, bonds and options that I had researched thoroughly. I find it especially gratifying that many of the clients I advised back then are still with me today and have passed me on like a legacy to their children and grandchildren.”
Subsequently, Catherine transitioned her practice to a Morgan Stanley predecessor firm and UBS before returning to Morgan Stanley in 2022. “The support we offer our clients here helps us stand out,” she says. “Technology is cutting edge and our planning platform enables me to provide clients with guidance that goes far beyond their portfolios to encompass other dimensions of their financial lives.”
Catherine is an active member of her community, volunteering with Muddy Paws Rescue, an organization committed to saving dogs from unnecessary euthanasia by finding them homes, educating owners and altering objectionable behavior through training. She is a physical fitness enthusiast and greatly enjoys spending time with her two grown daughters and traveling, especially to Italy where she tries out the conversational Italian she has learned at the classes she takes regularly. An aficionado of Italian food and wines, Catherine is an active member of the exclusive Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba.
NMLS#: 2439619
What to Expect From Me

For all these clients, I go the extra mile in trying to understand who they are, what they hope to achieve and what they feel might be standing in their way. I take inventory of their finances, of course, but I go beyond their personal balance sheets to determine who they are as people, not just investors.
During our initial meetings, I’ll ask you questions about such issues as:
• Your retirement plans – what does retirement look like to you and when do you hope to begin that next phase of your life?
• Family aspirations – Are your kids nearing college age or do they have families of their own whom you’d like to be able to help financially?
• Material goals – Do you envision staying in your home, downsizing, or perhaps buying a vacation property? Are there other acquisitions you’re thinking about and wondering whether you can afford them?
• Charitable commitments – What organizations are important to you and how do you hope to support them?
• Special circumstances: Are you adapting financially to the loss of a spouse or perhaps concerned about providing ongoing care for a special needs child? Are you a caregiver for a parent or other relative?
• Business issues – Do you own your own business? Are you grappling with such issues as managing cash efficiently, offering meaningful benefits like a 401(k) or other retirement plan, contemplating an exit strategy?
My approach to advising clients is comprehensive and deeply personal. What’s more, as Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors, I offer access to extensive resources and experienced professionals who can collaborate with me to help you meet the specific challenges you face.
Business Owner Advisory
You understand risk because you deal with it on a daily basis. From expanding your operations to penetrating new markets, you take risks when necessary and mitigate them when possible. But what about the risks of owning your business beyond day-to-day activities? What happens to your business if anything should happen to you or perhaps a partner or key associate? Have you taken steps to fulfill your vision for your business after you retire? Do you have a vision or are you not yet sure what you really want?
At The Guidera Dufeu Group, we understand the risks that business owners face. And we also understand that those risks involve not only the future of your business but the financial well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive planning process can help you identify your most pressing challenges and address them with customized strategies that consider both your personal financial objectives and business ambitions. Moreover, we have helped numerous business owners:
- Manage cash flow more effectively to improve cash flow for day-to-day expenses without invading capital earmarked for growth
- Establish cost-effective 401(k) or other retirement plans to help you and your employees save for retirement
- Formulate viable succession strategies
Planning Your Exit: Whether you're contemplating transferring your business interest to family members, liquidating assets or selling your shares to current management or an outside party, you have decisions to make and complex issues to address. Common considerations include:
- What do you really want for yourself, your family members, your employees and the business itself?
- Which transaction structures are relevant to your specific circumstances and goals?
- What are the tax implications of the various alternatives available to you?
- How much is your business actually worth, what can you do to increase its transaction value and liquidity?
- How much will you require from the sale of your business to fulfill the financial aspirations of you and your family?
As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Catherine Guidera has helped numerous business owners analyze their prospects for selling their companies at favorable terms and determine how much they will really need from a sale to support their desired lifestyle. Our team has worked with a number of successful business owners and their attorneys, accountants and other advisors to integrate their succession plan with their overall finances and help them understand the many alternatives available to them.
Location
Portfolio Insights
Retirement
- 401(k) Rollovers
- IRA Plans
- Retirement income strategies
- Retirement plan participants
- Annuities
Investing
- Asset Management
- Wealth Planning
- Traditional Investments
- Alternative Investments
- Impact Investing
Family
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
Business Planning
- Succession Planning
- Business Planning
- Qualified Retirement Plans
Philanthropy
- Endowments
- Foundations
- Donor Advised Funds
- Impact Investing
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