Excelsior Wealth Management

Craig Pastolove, CIMA^®, CPWA^® is a Managing Director, Family Wealth Director, Private Wealth Advisor, Alternative Investments Director and Corporate Retirement Director for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. In his 14 years with the firm, Craig has successfully planned, developed and implemented complex financial plans for ultra-high net worth individuals and families, as well as guided corporate plan sponsors across the nation on fiduciary guidance and plan design.

A 1996 graduate of the University of Michigan, Craig launched his professional career with Oppenheimer & Co. as a financial advisor. Within 5 years, Craig become an Executive Director at the firm. In 2002, Craig attended the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his Certified Investment Management Analyst^® (CIMA^®), sponsored by the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). Shortly thereafter, Craig moved his practice to Citigroup and specifically, the Citi Family Office, a group dedicated to providing high-end advisory work in four key areas: accounting, trust and estate, family governance and philanthropy. This was a standout accomplishment, as only a select few teams were chosen to work within the division. Craig’s group subsequently joined Morgan Stanley in 2008 and has since won multiple awards from major financial publications, which can be found on the “In The Press” tab.

Craig is an active member of several social and philanthropic organizations in the greater New York metropolitan area. He currently resides in New York with his wife Kimberly, his son Chase, and his daughter Brooke. In his free time, he enjoys boating, traveling and golfing.

Scott Sklar is a Managing Director and Financial Advisor for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. With almost 30 years of experience in the industry, Scott focuses on providing exemplary service to institutional clients through capital markets coverage, proactive advice and consistent & direct communication. He works with funds and family offices that range in size from $100 million to $10 billion.

In 1992, Scott graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business. Afterwards, he joined Prudential where he became a Council Producer level advisor by his fourth year with the firm. He eventually left Prudential in 2001 for Smith Barney, which is now Morgan Stanley. 10 years later, he joined Excelsior Wealth Management and has since sat on their Investment Committee, which is responsible for managing their proprietary equity, fixed income and alternative investment model portfolios. Scott has received multiple internal and external accolades since joining the firm. Specifically, Scott was named by Forbes in 2021 and 2022 as one of the top financial advisors in New York State.

Scott and his wife, Andi, currently reside in Westport, Connecticut with their three children. The two are actively involved with many philanthropic organizations such as Al's Angels, Dana Farber and Pink Aid, and regularly use their home for charitable events. He was involved in raising money and awareness for Jacob's Cure for over 15 years, a charity that sponsored various events to provide support for the families with children afflicted with Canavan disease and to help fund a research lab that worked to find a cure. Scott enjoys coaching his kids in sports, as well as traveling, swimming and golfing.

*2021-2022 ​Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2021-2022) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.

Jesse Friedman, CFP^®, CRPS^® is a Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. He is the primary day-to-day contact for clients and their other advisors, including attorneys, accountants and family office directors. He is also responsible for marshalling the financial planning process for existing clients and developing customized solutions for new ones. Jesse also leads meetings with corporate retirement plan clients and interfaces directly with employees on financial planning matters. Finally, Jesse manages the other team members in a concerted effort to help ensure that client needs are met efficiently and effectively.

Four weeks after graduating from Brandeis University with a double major in economics and political science in 2001, Jesse joined Excelsior Wealth Management. In 2011, he obtained Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) designation, allowing him to provide even more intimate planning experience and strategic advice to clients. He closely follows industry trends and changes, providing clients with proactive, salient advice.

Jesse lives in Manhattan with his wife and high school sweetheart, Melissa, and their sons Eli and Zach. He is an active member the Brandeis University Alumni Association and Central Synagogue, and serves as a trustee of the Churchill School and Center on Manhattan’s east side. In his spare time, Jesse enjoys travelling, tennis and supporting the New York Rangers and New York Giants.

Janne Lee is an Assistant Vice President & Wealth Management Associate for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. A 25-year veteran of the financial industry, she helps address the specific needs of high net worth clients. She also ensures all new clients have a smooth transition into Morgan Stanley and specifically, Excelsior Wealth Management.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina in with a degree in Management, Janne held several positions with prestigious companies like Oppenheimer, Fidelity, CSFB Direct and The Sun News. Janne joined EWM in 2004, where she has since provided exceptional service to each of the team’s clients.

A native of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Janne now resides on the Lower East Side with her husband, Billy Lee, and their three children. Janne is actively involved with her children’s school’s parent teachers association, as well as charities including Womankind and Explore Chinatown. In her remaining free time, she enjoys traveling, running, biking and reading.

Chad Levy, CFP^® is a Financial Advisor for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. His primary roles include providing introductions for the team, building holistic financial plans, maintaining relationships with existing clients, evaluating investments, and conducting 401(k) education sessions.

Chad graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Chad started his career as an advisor with ING Financial Partners, where he built his own book of business and became the top producer from his graduating class. After two highly successful years with the group, he joined Excelsior Wealth Management in 2015, where he has leveraged his network to bring in new business for the team. In his tenure with the team, he acquired his Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) designation where he continues to develop his extensive knowledge in the wealth management field.

Originally from Roslyn, NY, Chad has participated in a number of philanthropic ventures and charities such as Meals on Wheels, Toys for Tots, and the American Cancer Society. Chad currently lives in Manhattan and in his free time, he enjoys tennis, martial arts, biking and playing guitar.

Vanessa Kistenmacher is a Group Director for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. Since joining the team in 2015, she has had a variety of responsibilities including managing workflow, providing operational support on client relationships, overseeing the development and implementation of strategies to help achieve desired results, and hiring & training team members.

Originally from Brazil, Vanessa attended the City College of New York where she received her bachelor’s degree. Upon graduation, she worked in the legal field of immigration law, specifically with an elite, high net worth group of Brazilian nationals. Vanessa has received her FINRA^® Series 7 and 66 registrations since joining the team.

Vanessa currently resides in Chatham, New Jersey and is fluent in Portuguese. She enjoys running, traveling and going to the beach.

Brett Hosenbold, CFA^®*, is an Investment Consultant and Portfolio Manager for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. He is responsible for all aspects of the investment due diligence process in order to create customized global multi-asset portfolios that are aligned with clients’ risk tolerances and objectives. This includes formulating tactical and strategic asset allocation decisions based upon the current and forecasted macro environment.

Upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Brett entered the financial industry and received his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA^®) designation,* as well as his Series 7 and 66 licenses. A couple of years into his career, he joined Morgan Stanley and has since held several positions within the firm. Prior to joining Excelsior Wealth Management in 2021, he worked for a Graystone Consulting team as an Institutional Consulting Analyst.

A current resident of Manhattan, Brett enjoying running, spending time with family & friends, and playing basketball.

*This role cannot solicit or provide investment advice

Stacey Smith is an Assistant Vice President for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. Stacey’s day-to-day responsibilities include opening new accounts for both retail and institutional clients, assisting with client requests, and all other aspects of daily account management.

A graduate of Binghamton University, Stacey began her financial services career in 1998 with Prudential. Three years later, Stacey transitioned to Morgan Stanley and has been with the firm since.

Stacey currently resides in Bergen County, New Jersey with her husband and two boys. In her free time, she enjoys taking part in her children’s school’s functions and fundraisers, as well as swimming and reading.

Carina Sumeico, CFP^®* is a Registered Client Service Associate for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. Her role involves preparing quarterly performance reports for clients, attending meetings with existing and prospective clients, running comprehensive financial plans, implementing investment decisions and helping participants navigate & implement their plans.

Following her summer internship with the group during her junior year at the University of Michigan, Carina joined Excelsior Wealth Management full-time after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2020. Carina is FINRA^® Series 7 and 66 licensed and holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) designation.*

While currently residing in Manhattan, Carina was born in Moldova and is fluent in Romanian. Outside the office, she enjoys going to the beach and traveling.

*This role cannot solicit or provide investment advice

Tyler Holt is a Client Service Associate for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. Her primary responsibilities include onboarding new accounts, processing client transactions, implementing investment decisions and maintaining client accounts.

Tyler joins the team as an accomplished, recent graduate from the University of Kentucky, where she received a bachelor’s in Finance and a minor in International Business. While in college, she was also a Bookkeeper and Legal Assistant for a law firm in Kentucky, where she assisted in all facets of their financial operation. She also partook in a global portfolio simulation during college, generating impressive returns that ranked amongst the best in her class.

On top of her collegiate and professional accolades, she also has an extensive track record of volunteer work in her community. Specifically, she served as a fundraising volunteer for the St. Jude Children Research Hospital in Memphis. A native of Chicago, Tyler now resides in Manhattan. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling and spending time on Lake Michigan.

Kerri Saperstein is a Senior Vice President and Investment Consultant for Excelsior Wealth Management. In her role Kerri advises clients in accordance with the team’s strategy, analyzes new investment opportunities for clients, furthers existing client relationships with comprehensive financial planning and helps the team drive new business.

Prior to working in Wealth Management, Kerri was a high yield bond/derivatives trader at Morgan Stanley. She most recently ran Morgan Stanley’s High Yield Credit Default Swaps Business, trading CDS on behalf of institutional clients. She is excited to use her passion and knowledge of markets to better assist our clients at Excelsior Wealth Management.

Kerri graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics. She started her career as a high yield trader at Goldman Sach, until joining Morgan Stanley’s Fixed Income division in 2017.

Kerri lives in Sands Point, NY with her husband, Eytan, and their sons Eli, Cole and Asher. In her free time, she enjoys playing golf, traveling, and spending quality time with her family.

Matt Montague, CFP^®* is an Investment Consultant for Excelsior Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. He is primarily responsible for working with affluent individuals and families to craft highly customized plans to help them manage their wealth. Focused on delivering a holistic approach, Matt advises clients across all stages of life, implementing investment plans tailored to their unique goals and delivering timely updates on performance. Matt helps drive new business development across all of the team’s segments with a focus on Morgan Stanley at Work and Shareworks. In addition, Matt assists with marketing efforts by managing the team’s online presence.

Prior to joining Excelsior Wealth Management, Matt worked in Financial Advisor recruiting at Morgan Stanley for nearly four years, helping top Advisors across the country transition their business to the firm. Matt holds both the Series 7 & 66 licenses and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®)*, a designation he earned in 2024.

Matt is an alumnus of Denison University, staying connected to the school as a volunteer in their Career Development network. Matt was an All-American Swimmer, and is actively involved with Swim Across America, a nonprofit dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention, and treatment. Matt and his wife Lauren live in Bronxville NY.

*This role cannot solicit or provide investment advice