

David R Zukowski, CFP®, CRPC®, CPWA®

My Mission Statement
About Me
Bringing 15 years of wealth management experience, David is an Alternative Investments Director, Executive Financial Services Director, Financial Planning Specialist, and Insurance Planning Director. He has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Charted Retirement Planning Counselor™, and Retirement Income Certified Professional® certifications in order to serve his clients more deeply. He also holds the FINRA Series 7, 66, and 31, as well as the Life, Variable, and Health licenses. David and his team are proud to have been named as a Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Team for 2024. He earned a J.D. from Wayne State University and a B.S. in Accounting from Walsh College. David is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, David currently lives in Oakland Township with his wife and five kids, ages 2 to 18. He enjoys volunteering at his kids’ events. Outside of the office, when he’s not busy attending his kids’ activities, he also enjoys running and traveling.
Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams (2024)
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2024) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based for the period 3/31/22-3/31/23.
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/awards-disclosure.html
NMLS#: 1321599
CA Insurance License #: 0M08212
What are Alternative Investments?
Alternatives are the investments that go beyond traditional stocks and bonds. They can open doors to unique opportunities to help grow and protect your wealth, and have long sought to offer enhanced returns, portfolio diversification, lower volatility, as well as potential tax efficiency.
With 45+ years of experience and $230+ billion in client assets invested in alternatives, Morgan Stanley is an industry leader in the asset class. Individuals and institutions can gain access to exclusive offerings, preeminent fund managers and innovative investment opportunities spanning private equity, private credit, real assets, hedge funds and more.
See the link below for more information..
Disclosures
Alternative investments are often speculative and include a high degree of risk. Investors can lose all or a substantial amount of their investment. They may be highly illiquid, can engage in leverage, short-selling and other speculative practices that may increase volatility and the risk of loss, and may be subject to large investment minimums and initial lock-ups. They may involve complex tax structures, tax inefficient investing and delays in distributing important tax information. They may have higher fees and expenses that traditional investments, and such fees and expenses can lower the returns achieved by investors.
A Tradition of Serving Your Financial Needs
As your Portfolio Management Director, I will work closely with you to understand your needs while maintaining the focus and discipline necessary to guide your portfolio in the most challenging market cycles. A disciplined, four-step investment process underpins the program and helps to develop a long-term perspective about building and managing wealth.
By leveraging the global resources of Morgan Stanley, I am able to monitor the events that affect your financial objectives. I also study trends and developments that shape the investment environment, drive the economy and ultimately impact your portfolio's performance. You'll find that your experience with me, training and investment philosophy offer guidance—both in ongoing portfolio management decisions and understanding investment risk while keeping your long-term goals in view.
- Establish Financial Objectives
- Define Investment Strategy
- Evaluate and Select Investments
- Ongoing Review Process
- Personalized Portfolios
- Comprehensive Communications
- Client Focus
- Asset-Based Fee
Location
The Power of Partnerships
About Kristopher Johnson
Private Bankers partner with Financial Advisors to develop a specialized approach for managing clients’ cash flow, liquidity and financing needs, leveraging our comprehensive suite of cash management and lending solutions.
Kristopher began his career in financial services in 2008 and joined Morgan Stanley in 2017. Prior to joining the firm, he was a Wealth Management Banking Advisor at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He also served as a Wealth Management Lending Officer and Sales Trainer at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Kristopher is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, where he received his Masters of Business Administration in Finance. He lives in Rochester, Michigan with his wife. Outside of the office, Kristopher enjoys exercising, watching sports, volunteering with local organizations, and spending time with family and friends.
About Joseph V. Portera
Private Bankers partner with Financial Advisors to develop a specialized approach for managing clients’ cash flow, liquidity and financing needs, leveraging our comprehensive suite of cash management and lending solutions.
Joseph began his career in financial services in 2002 and joined Morgan Stanley in 2018. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a Commercial Lender and Market Director at JPMorgan Chase.
Joseph is a graduate of the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, and Keller Graduate School of Business where he received a Master’s in Business Administration in Finance & Accounting.
Joseph and his family currently reside in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Outside of the office, he enjoys martial arts, skiing, tennis, and spending time with his family.
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
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 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.
3Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.
4Morgan 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.
5Alternative 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.
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Awards Disclosures