
James M Marguet

My Mission Statement
My Story
Since joining Morgan Stanley's Sand Hill Road office in 1983, in the heart of Silicon Valley, I have dedicated 42 years to providing careful financial advice to individuals, families, and corporate executives.
I have witnessed many market cycles from difficult recessions to unprecedented booms and have guided clients through these times by providing market insights, investment perspectives, and financial advice. With a long-term investment approach, I tailor each investment portfolio to align with our clients' specific values and needs.
Whether you want to diversify your equity compensation stock awards, focus on wealth accumulation, improve your portfolio's tax-efficiency, measure and reduce your portfolio risk, give to charity, or more, I welcome the opportunity to help you identify and achieve your goals.
Community Service
I volunteer with my local Audubon Society organization and the Ventana Wildlife Society in Big Sur, with a focus on endangered bird species. I advocate for wildlife and habit preservation plus support education on delicate ecosystems and endangered species.
Member of The Daniels Group who ranked #63 in 2024 Barron's Top 250 Private Wealth Management Teams
Source: Barron's (Awarded May 2024). Data compiled by Barron's based on time period from Jan 2023-Dec 2023. https://mgstn.ly/3WD0yje
NMLS#: 1383238
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
FINANCIAL PLAN
We can create a financial plan that projects the probabilities of success for your retirement at different ages and levels of income. We can model different levels of equity compensation, returns, rates of inflation, savings, and spending levels. We can identify actions to start today to help you accomplish your retirement goals. The plan provides a roadmap for action and a framework to measure and monitor your progress. We will adjust as life evolves, priorities shift, the markets and tax laws change.
PORTFOLIO ALLOCATION
We provide perspectives on the capital markets plus advice on portfolio construction and asset allocation.
INVESTMENTS
We offer ETFs, mutual funds, bank CDs, US Treasury bills, tax free municipal bonds, plus private equity, and credit where appropriate. We offer tax efficient separately managed stock and bond portfolios and can overlay investing with impact. We can identify multiple goals with different time horizons and a suitable investment approach that can help you accomplish your goals.
LENDING
We provide real estate loans, investment asset backed loans plus banking services such as CDs, checking and foreign exchange services. Our mortgage bankers can discuss these services.
ESTATE PLANNING STRATEGIES
We provide insights on wills, trust, family giving and tax efficient wealth transfers to your children. We can discuss outright unrestricted gifts versus restricted gifts using an irrevocable trust for your children that provides spendthrift and divorce protection. We can discuss whether the size of a gift might "enable or disable" your children's future. Often people plan on how to build assets for their retirement but spend little time on how to distribute their assets upon their death. We can coordinate with your tax and estate planning professionals.
CHARITABLE GIFTING
We can discuss charitable gifting during your life or through your estate. How to give money to non-profits in a thoughtful way is hard to do. How do you maximum the positive impact of your gifts? Giving low basis stock with a long term capital gain instead of cash to a nonprofit might give you a better tax benefit. A Donor Advised Fund might provide tax benefits in a year that your income is high and provide flexibility in how you distribute the money to nonprofits in the future. We can coordinate with your estate planning and tax professionals.
INSURANCE
A life insurance payout can provide financial security for your spouse and children in case the need arises. Do you have enough life insurance to enable your spouse to pay off your mortgage and cover your children's college education, if you passed unexpectedly? Insurance can help provide a tax efficient transfer of wealth to your children in an irrevocable life insurance trust. We can discuss the benefits and limits of life, long term care, fire, and liability umbrella insurance.
PERSPECTIVE AND ADVICE
We provide perspectives on the capital markets and advice on investments. We help our clients set goals and align their portfolio allocation and investments to their goals. We believe a goals-based investment approach increases investors' financial confidence, which can improve long term returns.
COLLABORATION, PERSPECTIVE AND ADVICE
We are financial advisors. We provide tax efficient investment management, perspective on the markets, and advice on life's many financial decisions. Our team's nine financial advisors, including two International Client Advisors, manage over 5.24 billion dollars of our clients' assets* and have a tenure of 4 to 42 years with Morgan Stanley. We build long, collaborative advisory relationships with our clients and their families. We have served as the financial advisor and managed assets for some of our client families for over 40 years.
Providing advice and effective client communication goes beyond periodic portfolio reviews. Here are issues that we discuss with clients, and we can discuss with you.
- COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING - Discuss goals, develop a financial plan, monitor progress, and adjust. Are their blind spots in your plan?
- LIFE CHANGES AND TRANSITION - What changed? What keeps you up at night?
- INVESTMENTS - Are your investments aligned with your objectives? Discuss tax efficient goals-based portfolio management and asset allocation.
- EQUITY COMPENSATION - What do you want to fund or accomplish with your shares? Set goals and timelines. Sell or accumulate shares?
- 10b5-1 PLANS - Design and implement a goals-based 10b5-1 plan to sell RSUs and stock options over time.
- NEST EGG - Have you saved enough? How much do you need? Will you be able to financially retire with confidence?
- RETIREMENT- When, where, for what reason, part time or full time? What do you want to achieve in this next chapter?
- COLLEGE SAVINGS - Use a 529 plan, tax free bonds or keep the assets in a separate account in your name?
- MORTGAGE - Keep or reduce your mortgage?
- SECOND HOME - What is the goal and cost? Where and what size? For your personal use and/or rental income?
- LIFE INSURANCE - If you pass away, does your spouse have enough life insurance to pay off your mortgage and cover your children's college education?
- LIABILITY INSURANCE - Do you have enough coverage for risk such as owning rental property or having dependent children who drive?
- CHILDREN AND GIFTING - Give assets to your children now or later? How much do you give? Are your gifts enabling or disabling your children?
- PHILANTHROPY - Give now or later? Give cash or appreciated stock? Discuss goals-based giving and a Donor Advised Fund (DAF).
- ESTATE PLANNING STRATEGIES - Discuss the value of estate planning, a revocable living trust and the related documents.
We can help you develop a financial plan that outlines a roadmap and destination and provides a framework to track your progress. Let's discuss your plans and goals.
* ($5.24 billion as of 12/31/2023)
Our team ranked #63 in 2024 Barron's Top 250 Private Wealth Management Teams
Source: Barron's (Awarded May 2024). Data compiled by Barron's based on time period from Jan 2023-Dec 2023. https://mgstn.ly/3WD0yje
Location
Portfolio Insights
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 trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
2Morgan 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.
3When 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.
4Morgan 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.
5Morgan 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.
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