
Matt Stotler


When alternative investments become part of a client's investment strategy, Morgan Stanley offers far more than a short list of pre-packaged products. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a leader in alternative investments, with $295 billion in alternative investment assets under management as of March 31, 2026, and a platform offering approximately 250 funds, including first-look and exclusive access opportunities for qualified investors.¹ The platform spans Private Equity Funds, Private Credit Funds, Real Estate Funds / Real Assets, Direct Private Investments, Hedge Funds, Exchange Funds, EquityZen, Opportunity Zone Funds / 1031 Exchanges, Non-Traded REITs / BDCs / Interval Funds, Open-Ended Private Equity / Infrastructure Funds, and Private Placement Variable Annuities Life Insurance.¹
Private market access matters more than most portfolios reflect, because the opportunity itself has changed. For qualified clients seeking opportunities beyond stocks and bonds, Morgan Stanley's alternatives platform includes private equity, private credit, direct private investments, real assets, and other private-market-oriented strategies.¹ Morgan Stanley's Investing with Impact platform also extends across public and private markets, including alternative investments such as MSIM and custom alternatives, Private Equity & Venture Capital, and Hedge Funds & Funds of Funds.⁴
Alternative investments can serve more than a growth objective Morgan Stanley describes its alternatives platform as one that may help qualified investors potentially enhance returns, reduce volatility, manage taxes, and generate income.¹ Private Equity, Private Credit, Hedge Funds, and Real Assets may behave differently than traditional stocks and bonds, they can be considered as part of a broader portfolio construction process rather than simply as add-ons to an existing allocation. Morgan Stanley's Global Investment Office supports that process through asset allocation, product selection, portfolio construction, thought leadership, and more than 200 analysts, planners and strategists.¹
Alternatives can also improve how a portfolio is taxed, a benefit that is easy to overlook. Morgan Stanley Total Tax 365 is described as a full spectrum of year-round tax-management solutions tailored to help mitigate tax drag in a portfolio.1 These capabilities include tax-loss harvesting, tax-optimized fixed income strategies, municipal bonds, Donor Advised Funds, exchange funds for concentrated stock positions, and Intelligent Withdrawal technology.1 Morgan Stanley's broader platform also includes Opportunity Zone Funds / 1031 Exchanges, Exchange Funds, Private Placement Variable Annuities, and Private Placement Life Insurance, which may be considered alongside a client's investment, tax, estate, and legacy planning objectives.¹
Alternative investment access does not run on autopilot, and this is where platform depth earns its keep. Morgan Stanley's Global Investment Office and advisory resources emphasize manager analysis, portfolio construction, tax-management services, and comprehensive due diligence, including quantitative and qualitative tools used for manager assessments.¹ Morgan Stanley OCIO further supports manager selection, portfolio construction, and risk management through an institutional investment process that includes client discovery, asset allocation, manager selection, investment policy statement development, portfolio construction, and risk management and monitoring.² That due diligence infrastructure is substantial. Morgan Stanley's OCIO platform includes 65+ due diligence analysts, 40+ portfolio managers, and 100+ operations and support staff, and manages $152.3 billion in assets for institutions and ultra-high net worth families as of March 31, 2026.² The OCIO materials also note a 30-year history in OCIO investment management, open architecture, a leading manager platform, and a ranking as a Top 5 OCIO provider based on outsourced assets under management.²
For families seeking to build, protect, and transfer wealth across generations, Morgan Stanley Family Office Resources extends the conversation beyond investments alone. Family Office Resources works with Private Wealth Advisor teams to help address complex, multigenerational wealth-management issues through capabilities such as Family Governance Wealth Education, Philanthropy Management, Estate Planning Strategies, Trust Services, Insurance Solutions, OCIO, Private Banking, Wealth Strategies Planning Tools, Morgan Stanley Family Office, and Cash Management and Lending.³ Morgan Stanley's estate-planning resources also emphasize coordinating tax, trust, and estate strategies with investment decisions, including the integration of "asset location" within "asset allocation."³
Broad platform access paired with rigorous manager selection, more than either alone, is what makes access to alternative investments and private markets meaningful rather than theoretical. Jodi Fleisher, Financial Advisor, Alternative Investments Director at Morgan Stanley, works within this platform daily and brings that focus to the strategies she builds for her clients. Used well, alternatives serve as a structural part of a portfolio may help to grow and protect wealth across market cycles and, ideally, across generations.
As a corporate executive, your compensation goes far beyond a base salary. Equity awards, deferred compensation plans, retirement benefits, and performance-based incentives can create significant opportunities—but they also come with complexity, risk, and often overwhelming decisions.
I specialize in working with high-level executives to bring clarity and strategy to these decisions. Whether you're planning for retirement, managing a liquidity event, or simply trying to make sense of your benefit package, I help you align your executive compensation with your long-term financial goals in a thoughtful, tax-efficient way.
Nonqualified deferred compensation plans (NQDC) can be powerful tools for tax deferral and long-term wealth accumulation—if used strategically. I'll help you evaluate your deferral options, coordinate payout timing with your projected income and tax brackets, and ensure your plan integrates seamlessly with your retirement and estate planning. My goal is to help you maximize value while maintaining flexibility and control.
I take a holistic approach to retirement planning, considering all sources of income: company-sponsored plans, deferred compensation, personal investments, and other assets. Whether you're years from retirement or already transitioning out of your role, I help you structure a plan that supports your lifestyle, accounts for longevity and healthcare, and positions your wealth for continued growth and protection.
Stock options and equity awards often represent a large portion of an executive's compensation. By providing customized strategies to help you as an executive manage all of your various stock options (i.e. ISOs, NQSOs, RSUs, and PSUs), together we will walk through the timing of exercises, tax implications, and diversification planning—so your equity works for you, not against you.
EMAIL: Jodi.Fleisher@morganstanley.com
PHONE: 303-595-2076
Testimonial(s) solicited by Morgan Stanley and provided by current client(s) at the time of publication. No compensation of any kind was provided in exchange for the client testimonial(s) presented. Client testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other clients and are not a guarantee of future performance or success.
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