
Emily Sax Bender, CFA®, CPWA®

My Mission Statement
Our team was founded in 1989, which means we have been through some of the most profound and historic events of modern times – good and bad.
The Pelican Bay Group provides comprehensive solutions that focus on legacy planning and wealth transition between generations. We have a strong commitment to build deep relationships. Our team is diverse with a national presence. We look to the future and utilize modern planning techniques and investment technology to help build a customized, successful investment experience for our clients.
About Me
Known for her process-driven style and strong work ethic, Emily offers clients a wealth of valuable experience and knowledge in helping them create a custom financial plan to achieve their unique goals within their desired time horizon.
With Emily, clients can expect to receive highly personalized advice following an in-depth discovery process, a disciplined wealth management approach for all their objectives and the highest possible level of quality and service and support throughout their relationship with her.
Emily takes the time to help ensure her clients fully understand the strategies behind her recommendations, so they remain informed and committed to the financial plan she and her team has meticulously crafted for them.
"I am deeply devoted to building solid, long-term relationships with clients," she says. "I want them to know I am here for them to discuss their portfolio and serve as a financial quarterback in helping them get to where they want to be."
Following an impressive collegiate career – Emily graduated Magna Cum Laude from Syracuse University -- she worked in GE Capital's financial management program, and upon completion joined GE's corporate lending business. She came to Morgan Stanley more than a decade ago to work directly with high-net-worth clients, notably multigenerational families, and business owners.
Along the way, she has been recognized for her contributions to investors and held leadership roles, both inside the firm and within local non-profits. Her commitment to her community is illustrated through her involvement. Emily was named one of 11 women named a MAKER at Morgan Stanley. She is past President, Vice President and Membership Chair of the Northeast Region's Women's Business Development Council, Women in Wealth LIFT. She sat for many years on the inaugural Anita M. Perlman Women's Leadership Initiative Advisory Council within the B'nai Brith Youth Organization and is currently President of local charity, Larchmont Friends of the Family.
Deeply committed to continuing her education to best serve her clients. In 2026, Emily earned the Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) designation, which requires demonstrated experience in complex areas including estate planning strategies, efficient wealth transfer, tax-efficient investment planning, and investor psychology. In addition, Emily has the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and holds her FINRA Series 7 and 66 Securities Registrations and Life, Accident & Health Insurance Licensing.
A native of Potomac, Maryland, Emily resides in Larchmont, N.Y. with her family.
NMLS#: 1297868
Recent Insights From The Pelican Bay Group

Each quarter, our portfolio management team releases a market commentary. We discuss a broad range of topics, indicators, & events that are shaping markets.
This commentary discusses a variety of timely subject matter, including:
- A Healthier Market, but a More Selective One
- Retiring To Something: Why Purpose Matters as Much as the Portfolio
- Staying Focused in Turbulent Times
- Don't Die Thirsty: Helping Clients Turn Retirement Savings Into a Life Well Lived
- One Rate, Many Economies: What It Means for Short-Term Fixed Income and Interest Rates
For individual investors, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where optimism and caution coexist. With a "don't-confuse-me-with-the-facts" kind of tone, equity markets have been resilient. War with Iran? High price of oil? Inflation? Nothing to see here.
Remember the circular lending charts showing AI services companies - lending to AI hardware companies - lending to AI software companies and back again?
- Earnings > Everything
After multiple years of valuation expansion, markets are once again living and dying by earnings growth. Companies that can deliver profits (not just stories) may be rewarded, while margin pressure and guidance misses will matter more than they did in the easy-money era.
- Interest Rates Stay a Swing Factor
Even if rate cuts happen, the path matters more than the first move. Higher for-longer still favors quality balance sheets, strong cash flow, and pricing power. Volatility may spike around every inflation print and Fed meeting.
- Market Breadth Is the Real Tell
Watch whether gains broaden beyond the mega-caps. A healthier market means small- and mid-caps, cyclicals, and value stocks start pulling their weight. Narrow leadership = fragile rallies.
- AI Reality Check
AI remains a massive secular trend, but investors are shifting from hype to monetization. The winners will likely be companies showing real revenue, efficiency gains, or infrastructure demand—not just "AI" in the slide deck.
- Geopolitics & Policy Noise = More Volatility
Elections, fiscal deficits, trade tensions, and global conflicts won't necessarily derail markets—but they will create sharper pullbacks and rotation. Expect more headline-driven swings and fewer straight-line rallies. While the importance of AI may not show up every year, the other four certainly do. This is not by chance. The vast majority of market performance year-in and year-out comes from the interplay between these factors. It is no different in 2026. After several years of explosive earnings growth and multiple rate cuts, both performance and valuations have soared.
As we move swiftly toward the end of the year, two topics are front and center for our team. The first is always, the markets. Every day, we think about the world around us and how to help make money for clients while managing risk and tax efficient investment decisions.
The second topic is the future of the wealth management as a business. What do we need to do today to position ourselves and our clients for the future. No one can accuse us of small thinking!
We believe volatility is likely to continue. Clients know we often discuss diversification and rebalancing as investments approach expected valuations or become an oversized portion of a total portfolio. No sense making money only to give it all back, the cornerstone of building and preserving wealth.
What else is going on that we are guiding clients around? The answer is three things: tariffs, taxes and interest rates.
Location
Awards and Recognition


The Pelican Bay Group Q1 Market Commentary
Portfolio Insights
Investing
- Asset Management
- Wealth Planning
- Traditional Investments
- Alternative Investments
- Impact Investing
Business Planning
- Succession Planning
- Business Planning
- Qualified Retirement Plans
Family
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
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.
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.
3Investing in the market entails the risk of market volatility. The value of all types of investments may increase or decrease over varying time periods. The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of sustainable or impact investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because sustainability and impact criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
4Alternative 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.
5Insurance products are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.
6Annuities are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.
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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
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Awards Disclosures | Morgan Stanley
Please read the important disclosures below.
1) Morgan Stanley Wealth Management secured Money Management Institute/Barron’s Industry Awards for Wealth Manager Platform of the Year. The Wealth Manager Platform of the Year category recognizes a wealth manager platform that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and Financial Advisors. This award has been secured in 2024, 2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018. The winners were selected by a specially appointed MMI Industry Awards Steering Council. The Steering Council consists of representatives from all segments of the MMI membership. After carefully reviewing the nominations submitted, the Steering Council determined a slate of finalists in each award category. The primary contacts at each of MMI’s 207 member firms were eligible to vote to determine the winners. Nominations were reviewed and evaluated to determine finalists June 2024 - July 2024. Finalists were voted on to determine a winner August 2024. MMI/Barron’s does not receive compensation from the participating firms in exchange for the award and Morgan Stanley did not pay a fee to MMI/Barron’s in exchange for its receipt of the award. Morgan Stanley is a member of MMI and pays a fee to MMI as part of its membership dues. Morgan Stanley’s receipt of this award is not indicative of any future performance. These awards were granted to Morgan Stanley based on the time period from October 2023 to June 2024. There were 6 firms considered for the Wealth Management Platform of the Year Award and 12 firms considered for the Distribution Excellence Award. The Money Management Institute (MMI) is the industry association representing financial services firms and Barron’s is a financial magazine; both groups are responsible for the award. Accolade qualifications for past years may vary; additional information available upon request.
2) Industry’s top tax-optimization technology refers to tax management capabilities developed by Eaton Vance and Parametric, affiliates of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley is a leading provider of direct indexing strategies. According to Cerulli Associates’ Q1 2026 Managed Account Edition, Morgan Stanley ranked first among 15 firms in Direct Index SMA assets under management based on reported industry assets. The ranking reflects scale of assets and does not evaluate tax outcomes, performance, or quality of technology. Tax outcomes will vary and are not guaranteed.
3) The Celent Model Wealth Manager 2025 Awards for Data and Analytics and Essential and Emerging Technologies were granted to Morgan Stanley following an evaluation process conducted by Celent analysts. To be considered for this award, Morgan Stanley submitted Model Wealth Manager 2025 Nomination Award Worksheets to Celent on or about January 30, 2025. Celent judged each submission on three criteria: (1) Measurable business benefits of live initiatives; (2) degree of innovation relative to the industry; and (3) technology or implementation excellence. In order to win, the initiatives must demonstrate clear business benefits, innovation, and technology or implementation excellence. Celent does not receive compensation from the participating firms in exchange for the award and Morgan Stanley did not pay a fee to Celent in exchange for the award. Morgan Stanley is not affiliated with Celent. Based on their submission on January 30, 2025 for Celent’s 2025 Model Awards program, Celent granted Morgan Stanley their awards in June, 2025 and publicly shared the news in June, 2025. Celent is a global financial services research and advisory firm and is responsible for determining the recipient of this award.
4) Q4 2025 Securities Based Lending McLagan Survey – 6 Firm Report. Based on both Non-Purpose Lending and total SBL balances. Borrowing against securities may not be appropriate for everyone. Clients must be aware that there are risks associated with a securities based loan, including possible maintenance calls on short notice, and that market conditions can magnify any potential for loss.
Not all products, tools, platforms, and services referenced are available to all clients. Please speak with your Financial Advisor for eligibility criteria.
Investing in securities involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC does not accept appointments nor will it act as a trustee but it will provide access to trust services through an appropriate third-party corporate trustee.
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.
Cash management and lending products and services are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association or Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A, as applicable.
Borrowing against securities may not be appropriate for everyone. Clients must be aware that there are risks associated with a securities based loan, including possible maintenance calls on short notice, and that market conditions can magnify any potential for loss. For details please see the important disclosures below.
Important Risk Information for Securities Based Lending: Clients must be aware that: (1) Sufficient collateral must be maintained to support the loan and to take future advances; (2) Clients may have to deposit additional cash or eligible securities on short notice; (3) Some or all of the pledged securities may be sold without prior notice in order to maintain account equity at required collateral maintenance levels. Clients will not be entitled to choose the securities that will be sold. These actions may interrupt long-term investment strategy and may result in adverse tax consequences or in additional fees being assessed; (4) Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association or Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (collectively referred to as "Morgan Stanley") reserve the right not to fund any advance request due to insufficient collateral or for any other reason except for any portion of a securities based loan that is identified as a committed facility; (5) Morgan Stanley reserves the right to increase the collateral maintenance requirements at any time without notice; and (6) Morgan Stanley reserves the right to call securities based loans at any time and for any reason.
With the exception of a margin loan, the proceeds from securities based loan products may not be used to purchase, trade, or carry margin stock (or securities, with respect to Express CreditLine); repay margin debt that was used to purchase, trade or carry margin stock (or securities, with respect to Express CreditLine); and cannot be deposited into a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or other brokerage account.
To be eligible for a securities based loan, a client must have a brokerage account at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC that contains eligible securities, which shall serve as collateral for the securities based loan.
Securities based loans are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association or Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A, as applicable.
There is no guarantee that tax-loss harvesting will achieve any particular tax result. Clients may elect Tax Management Services for the account by notifying their Financial Advisor, and indicate what Maximum Tax or Realized Capital Gain Instruction is desired for the account, if any. The Tax Management Services Terms and Conditions attached to the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Select UMA ADV brochure as Exhibit A will govern Tax Management Services in the account. Review the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Select UMA ADV brochure carefully with your tax advisor.
Industry acclaimed risk platform refers to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s (“Morgan Stanley”) Portfolio Risk Platform. The assumptions used in the Report incorporate portfolio risk and scenario analysis employed by BlackRock Solutions (“BRS”), a financial technology and risk analytics provider that is independent of Morgan Stanley. BRS’ role is limited to providing risk analytics to Morgan Stanley, and BRS is not acting as a broker-dealer or investment adviser nor does it provide investment advice with respect to the Report. Morgan Stanley has validated and adopted the analytical conclusions of these risk models. The analysis provided is illustrative only. Morgan Stanley cannot predict a portfolio’s risk of loss due to, among other things, changing market conditions or other unanticipated circumstances. The analysis is based purely on assumptions made using available data and any of its forecasts are subject to change.
The footnotes below apply to the industry-leading claims referenced above. More information is available upon request.
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. Securities based loans are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association or Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A, as applicable.
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
Morgan 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 visit us at www.morganstanley.com/wealth or consult with your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor to read about those differences.
The sole purpose of this material is to inform, and it in no way is intended to be an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any security, other investment service, or to attract any funds or deposits. Investments mentioned may not be appropriate for all clients. Before making any investment, each investor should carefully consider the risks associated with the investment, as discussed in the applicable offering memorandum and make a determination based on their own particular circumstances that the investment is consistent with their investment objectives and risk tolerance.
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