Conner McGee, CFA, CFP®
My Mission Statement
My Story and Services
Conner McGee, CFA, CFP®
Managing Director, Financial Advisor Specializing in Wealth Management for Private Equity Professionals, McGee & Ennis Group at Morgan Stanley
Conner McGee is a Managing Director, Financial Advisor and Founding Partner with The McGee & Ennis Group at Morgan Stanley, specializing in advising Private Equity executives and their families. The McGee and Ennis Group is a 9 person team that advises high net-worth clients across portfolio management, financial planning, estate planning, liquidity management and more. In this role, Conner brings experience providing targeted solutions for Private Equity executives and has helped such clients with reducing tax burden of carried interest, setting up liquidity solutions to eliminate 'cash drag' associated with capital call commitments and implementing optimal generational wealth transfer plans, amongst other strategies.
Conner began his career as a UBS Wealth Management Associate with emphasis in advanced financial planning, municipal bonds and portfolio allocation strategy. He subsequently joined a UBS Private Wealth Management group and led the team's trust, insurance and estate planning efforts. More recently, Conner was a Vice-President and Executive Officer at New York Life Insurance Company. He held numerous management positions at New York Life, including oversight of the investment management programs for its wealth management business. In this capacity, Conner had responsibility for $4 billion in client assets and conducted investment manager due diligence as a member of the firm's investment management committee. Conner also managed the strategy, competition and marketing areas of New York Life's life and long-term care insurance businesses. His strong background in insurance is an asset for McGee and Ennis Group clients. In 2015, Conner joined Morgan Stanley as a member of a predecessor team to the McGee and Ennis Group.
Conner attended high school at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2002 with a BA in Economics. While at Dartmouth, Conner played defensive tackle for the varsity football team and performed as a member of the Dartmouth Cords, an a cappella singing group. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®) designations. He also holds the series 3, 7, and 66 securities licenses.
- Executive Financial ServicesFootnote1
- Corporate Investment SolutionsFootnote2
- Alternative InvestmentsFootnote3
- Financial PlanningFootnote4
- Estate Planning StrategiesFootnote5
- Cash Management and Lending ProductsFootnote6
- Life InsuranceFootnote7
- Professional Portfolio ManagementFootnote8
- Retirement PlanningFootnote9
- Endowments and FoundationsFootnote10
NMLS#: 1794276
CA Insurance License #: 0K89767
Navigating PE Challenges & Solutions
Private Equity Principal Concern
Do I have too much (or too little) cash to meet my fund commitments?
- Access to cash to meet capital call commitments is critical. Too much cash can drag down wealth growth.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Developing forward-looking projections to budget cash needs.
- Establishing credit facilities to fund capital call commitments.
*Interest on credit facilities may be tax deductible. Consult CPA. - Increasing yield on cash using customized cash management solutions.
Private Equity Principal Concern
Am I paying too much in taxes on my fund payouts?
- Carried interest and fund investment gains are taxed at capital gains tax rates. Private equity principals have significant future tax liabilities associated with these payouts.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Employing a tax offset investment strategy with dual objectives to grow capital and kick out tax offsets which may be used to reduce taxes on carried interest and investment gains.
Private Equity Principal Concern
Is my wealth overly concentrated in my fund?
- Private equity principals may have a significant amount of wealth tied up in their funds. This creates concentration risk and a potential need to diversify other parts of their portfolio to complement their private equity fund exposure.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Utilizing Morgan Stanley's industry leading Investment Platform to access a suite of investments designed to diversify wealth and complement private equity fund concentration.
Private Equity Principal Concern
Can I trade illiquid private company shares?
- Private equity principals, and their funds, may have an interest in buying or selling shares on the private secondaries market.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Employing Morgan Stanley's private markets team, private equity principals, and their funds, gain access to an active secondary market including exclusive private market opportunities.
Private Equity Principal Concern
How do I capture the value of my ownership in the Firm as I transition to retirement
- Private equity principals may own portions of a management company with intrinsic value.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Constructing exit plan strategies for business owners and private equity principals as Certified Exit Planning Advisors with extensive experience and expertise.
Private Equity Principal Concern
Are the unique aspects of being a private equity principal incorporated into my wealth protection & transfer plan?
- Private equity principals accumulate significant wealth. Determining optimal strategies and structures to protect loved ones and maximize wealth for the next generation is often important.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Coordinating with Morgan Stanley Wealth and Estate Strategy specialists about the unique opportunities for private equity principals to maximize wealth transfer and protect their loved ones.
Private Equity Principal Concern
Do I have a coordinated plan for my investments, taxes, and estate? Who is coordinating across my advisors to ensure everything is aligned and properly executed?
- Private equity principals have needs that span investment, tax and estate guidance. It can be a challenge to ensure a coordinated approach.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Ensuring alignment across investment, tax and estate advisors, Morgan Stanley offers a comprehensive approach to Family Financial Management. We coordinate strategy and establish communication channels to ensure desired outcomes are achieved.
Private Equity Principal Concern
How can I find best-in-class service providers for my (lifestyle) needs in areas like travel, health and safety, personal enrichment and tangible asset management?
- Private equity principals have needs that extend beyond wealth planning. It can be complex and time-consuming to search for and conduct due diligence on service providers in these areas.
Morgan Stanley Solution
- Accessing Morgan Stanley's pre-vetted service providers across a spectrum of lifestyle needs. Our platform provides access to best-in-class vendors.
Case Study and Real Client Example
Below is a case study highlighting how we successfully partnered with a private equity client to address key financial matters - including mitigating tax exposure on deal payouts, establishing credit facilities for liquidity needs, and more.
WHAT WE PROVIDE
The McGee and Ennis Group at Morgan Stanley operates as a dedicated Boutique Office for the private equity principals we serve. We work closely with families to coordinate everything from estate and financial planning strategies to lifestyle management and access to alternative investments.
As a senior executive, you have significant responsibilities to your customers, colleague, board of directors, shareholders and members of the communities in which you do business. Our group offers a rare combination of experience, knowledge and insight to address your financial needs and family goals.
At Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, exclusive access to vast resources, combined with our extensive capabilities, gives us the means to support your goals at every life stage. Our commitment to building, preserving and managing wealth of our clients forms the foundation of everything we do.
The firm's Wealth and Estate Planning Strategists look at all aspects of an individual's estate to understand the potential income tax and estate planning attributes of the vehicles. The goal is for the client and his or her investment professionals to make more informed investment decisions looking at their estate plan holistically.
Liquidity events such as an initial public offering or a merger or acquisition may provide income and estate planning opportunities. Liquidity events also magnify the need to put in place or update certain essential estate planning documents. It is important to consider and implement income tax and wealth transfer strategies prior to a potential liquidity or sale event.
Morgan Stanley's comprehensive strategies, diverse talent and global resources enable us to provide flexible and distinctive investment opportunities to help you achieve your financial goals.
Investing with impact delivers a comprehensive and holistic wealth solution for our clients that seek to generate market-rate financial returns alongside positive environmental and social impact.
Your unique needs call for specialized care. Signature Access can provide you with a dedicated Lifestyle Advisory Concierge to create customized solutions through our industry-leading, third-party providers. Each of our providers is selected to help you find solutions to mitigate certain non-securities related investment risks, contain costs and enhance your enjoyment of life.
There's more to charitable giving than you may realize. Here's one method that provides flexibility and can help maximize your impact.
Location
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Financial Wellness
- Reduce employee stress,
- Improve retention and engagement, and
- Set themselves apart by offering comprehensive financial wellness benefits.
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.
For more information, please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Client Relationship Summary.
2Morgan 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.
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 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.
5Morgan 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.
6Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services.
Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
7Insurance products are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.
8Morgan 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.
9When Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors (collectively, “Morgan Stanley”) provide “investment advice” regarding a retirement or welfare benefit plan account, an individual retirement account or a Coverdell education savings account (“Retirement Account”), Morgan Stanley is a “fiduciary” as those terms are defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as applicable. When Morgan Stanley provides investment education, takes orders on an unsolicited basis or otherwise does not provide “investment advice”, Morgan Stanley will not be considered a “fiduciary” under ERISA and/or the Code. For more information regarding Morgan Stanley’s role with respect to a Retirement Account, please visit www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley does not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a Retirement Account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA and related consequences of any investments or other transactions made with respect to a Retirement Account. Individuals 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.
10Morgan 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.
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