My Story and Services

Howard has over 42 years financial services experience, focusing on asset management, concentrated equity positions, insurance and trust strategies, corporate executive services and liability management.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Howard provided financial advice to clients at UBS and Wachovia Securities, where he also served in various training, product development, and branch and regional management capacities.

Howard earned his B.A in Economics from Haverford College in Haverford PA, and his Certified Financial Planner designation at the American College of Financial Services.

Howard serves as treasurer of the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Haverford College. He and his wife Vesna live in Center City, Philadelphia and are very active in the arts and cultural community.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates.
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.
Securities Agent: NH, AZ, SC, ME, CA, WI, VA, PR, MD, IL, DC, VI, MA, IA, NJ, MI, ID, WA, NY, KY, FL, TX, PA, NV, DE, AR, WV, SD, OR, NC, IN, CO, AL, TN, RI, OH, GA, CT; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative; Transactional Futures/Commodities; Managed Futures
NMLS#: 1255718
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

Client Service Team

    Carousel Associate Image
    Marianne Scott - Assistant Vice President, Wealth Management Associate
    Phone:
    (215) 854-6093(215) 854-6093
    Email:marianne.scott@morganstanley.com
    Marianne is an Assistant Vice President, Wealth Management Associate working with Howard Sacks and the Admiral Group at Morgan Stanley. With over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, she prides herself in anticipating the needs of her clients and is always eager to help in any way she can.

    She attended LaSalle University and is a proud mother of three grown children. Marianne loves spending time with her family and friends, enjoys time at the beach, and loves to read.

    Marianne holds her Series 7 and 66 licenses with FINRA.

WORKPLACE FINANCIAL BENEFITS WITH MORGAN STANLEY AT WORK

Our mission is to help your company elevate your workplace financial benefits—helping you to attract and retain top talent. Our end-to-end solutions support your company and employees at any stage of growth through a powerful combination of modern technology, insightful guidance, and dedicated service.

    Equity Solutions

    Equity ownership is a powerful motivator. Streamline equity management through our leading-edge technology and provide global audit-ready reporting and insights, alongside customizable participant experiences to engage and educate your employees on how to make the most of their benefits. Our global solutions support private and public companies at any stage of growth.

    • Equity Administration and Financial Reporting
    • Liquidity Events
    • 409A Valuation Services and Cap Table Management

    Learn more
    Retirement

    For your employees, retirement is more than a date in the future—it's a milestone that takes time, hard work, and the right tools. Through our consultative process, we strive to assist with the management of your fiduciary responsibilities and risk, simplify plan management, and help you improve retirement readiness for your employees.

    • Defined Contribution Consulting
    • Solutions-Oriented Plans
    • Fiduciary Investment Oversight

    Learn more
    Deferred Compensation

    Access a range of Nonqualified Deferred Compensation plan services or pick the ones that best fit your needs. We provide recordkeeping and plan design, portfolio construction services, and plan education for your executive talent. We help you determine the appropriate plan design and inform a funding strategy through a needs-based assessment and consultative approach.

    Services include:

    • Recordkeeping and Plan Design
    • Portfolio Construction
    • Wealth Management Services
    Learn more
    Executive Services

    Our dedicated team provides concierge-level support for your executives' equity compensation plans, from 10b5-1 trading plans to form filing related to Rule 144 transactions, to access to wealth management and tax-optimization strategies, so helping them navigate their complex financial needs with greater confidence and certainty:

    • Equity Compensation Services
    • Equity Award Analysis
    • Specialized Solutions
    Learn more
    Saving and Giving

    Saving and Giving benefits can make a real difference in your employees' lives as they can support the things that matter most to them—like saving for education and repaying student loans. Show that you are committed to your employees' priorities with leading-edge solutions that help them chart a path toward financial well-being.

    • College Savings
    • Student Loan Repayment and Refinancing
    • Charitable Giving
    Learn more
    Financial Wellness

    We offer Financial Wellness with every solution we provide. Through a powerful combination of education, digital tools and guidance, Financial Wellness is designed to address the unique needs of your employees and empower their financial journey at every stage. Give your employees the confidence to take charge of their finances.

    • Financial Education
    • Digital Tools
    • Financial Guidance

    Learn more

Location

1650 Market St
42nd Fl
Philadelphia, PA 19103
US
Direct:
(215) 854-6060(215) 854-6060
Fax:
(215) 854-6125(215) 854-6125

The Power of Partnerships

By partnering with experienced individuals across wealth disciplines, Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors can align specialized resources with your custom needs and deliver strategic guidance through the familiarity and trust of existing relationships

About Chris Smith

Chris Smith is an Executive Director and Head of Morgan Stanley’s Trust Services Group. As a 30-year employee of Morgan Stanley, Chris is responsible for maintaining the “Open Architecture” trustee platform, which consists of thirteen third-party trust companies who can serve in a fiduciary, agency or custodial role for ultra-high-net worth client trust accounts. Chris and the Trust Services Group help Advisors, clients, prospects and the professional community understand the corporate trustee services available through Morgan Stanley and how our corporate trustee partners can be used to provide fiduciary solutions for clients. This involves reviewing trust document and statements as well as analyzing family dynamics. Chris then uses this information to recommend one or more of the firm’s third-party corporate trustee partners to possibly serve as trustee, co-trustee or administrative agent for a client trust account.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley (Dean Witter), Chris worked in the Retirement Plans department of Prudential Securities and prior to that the District Agency department of Prudential Insurance Company. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication/Journalism and Psychology from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. He lives in Saratoga Springs, NY with his wife Sharon and two boys, Ryan and Michael and has a passion for golf, skiing and horse racing.
Morgan 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 trusts, estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.

Morgan Stanley 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.

Trusts are not necessarily appropriate for all clients. There are risks and considerations which may outweigh any potential benefits. Establishing a trust will incur fees and expenses which may be substantial. Trusts often incur ongoing administrative fees and expenses such as the services of a corporate trustee, attorney, or tax professional.

Trust services are provided by third parties who are not affiliated with Morgan Stanley. Neither Morgan Stanley nor its affiliates are the provider of such trust services and will not have any input or responsibility concerning a client’s eligibility for, or the terms and conditions associated with these trust services. Neither Morgan Stanley nor its affiliates shall be responsible for any advice or services provided by the unaffiliated third parties. Morgan Stanley or its affiliates may participate in transactions on a basis separate from the referral of clients to these third parties and may receive compensation in connection with referrals made to them.

Wealth Management
Global Investment Office

Portfolio Insights

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Equity Compensation

Helping you make the most of your equity awards and better understand how it may fit into your your larger financial picture – today and tomorrow.

  • Vesting events
  • Option expirations
  • Restricted stock units
  • Tax implications

Financial Wellness

Enhancing Financial Wellness enables your workforce to do their best work. Companies that invest in financial wellness have an opportunity to:
  • Reduce employee stress,
  • Improve retention and engagement, and
  • Set themselves apart by offering comprehensive financial wellness benefits.
The Business Case for a Financially Resilient Workforce
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The Business Case for a Financially Resilient Workforce

In the face of turbulent markets, the word “resilience” may be top of mind. Broadly speaking, resilience is the ability to “bounce back” when encountering life’s inevitable challenges.
Ready to start a conversation? Contact Howard James Sacks today.
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CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.

The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.

Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.

The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.

The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.

*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.

CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney.  The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.

Awards Disclosures | Morgan Stanley
CRC 4665150 (8/2025)