
Nicholas Karbon, CEPA®
Our Group is built upon a rich tradition, starting with Steve Karbon who founded the team in 1990. As a esteemed professional in his field, Steve insisted on building a well-rounded service orientated team that would be more like a dedicated friend or family member, rather than just a stockbroker. Steve believed in people coming first, which continues to be the framework of our team today.
Over the years Nick Karbon, Brad Koch, and Melissa Korman have believed in the foundation Steve had established, and together have become a leading team at Morgan Stanley. They pride themselves on always finding a way to assist clients with their most complicated financial situations and simply being there, when they were needed most.
In 2012 Suzen O'Brien and Jenny Nelson joined the team. This took quality and service to a whole new level. We considered Suzen (a financial advisor for over 30 years) and Jenny a powerhouse group in their own right. By integrating our two teams, it forced us to re-evaluate our infrastructure and reconstruct several key areas. As a result, we believe we are now more robust and efficient than ever before.
Steve and Suzen have both retired, nevertheless their legacies live on and act as our core foundation. Today, we believe our refined four person team is at a level many in the industry strive to emulate.
Recently, we have been honored by Forbes for our advisory service in back to back years.
Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Team: 2023, 2024, & 2025
www.forbes.com/lists/wealth-management-teams-best-in-state
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2023-2025) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month time period concluding in March of year prior to issuance of the award.
Awards Disclosures: www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/awards-disclosure
Our investment objective is to provide clients with solid performance, while focusing on long-term preservation.
We have a disciplined three-step approach:
First, we set a risk/reward baseline using four different investment styles. To aid with this we've developed four hypothetical thematic portfolios to help gauge your risk tolerance: Conservative, All-Weather, Growth, and Sizzle. Conservative is designed to be a defensive portfolio, All- Weather is designed to be moderate, Growth is designed to be moderately aggressive, and Sizzle is designed to be aggressive. Each portfolio seeks to take incrementally more risk, with Conservative taking the least and Sizzle the most. We have found that using thematic names like these allows for quick reference, and facilitates more productive risk/reward conversations.
Second, we widen or narrow our investing guide rails within each portfolio based on the current economic cycle. For this, we have broken the economic cycle into three phases: 1- Normal, 2- One year prior to recession, and 3- Recession. In other words, we proportionately adjust the risk/reward characteristics within each of the four portfolios based on the cycle we are in. More risk in phase 1, less risk in phase 2, and the least in phase three.
Third, we follow four indicators to help us decide when to shift gears within each phase of the economic cycle. They are: 1- Dow Theory, 2- Yield Curve, 3- Unemployment, and 4- a Macro Indicator. Collectively these will help guide the moves we make, so adjustments are made in a timely and prudent fashion.
Perhaps most importantly we are continuously observing what's going on in the world. This helps give us perspective on all the moving pieces. We then share our perspective in a brief one page monthly overview called Macro View. This piece is written using basic, conversational style language and is designed to proactively share our thoughts on popular headlines and world events. You can find a copy below in the "From Our Team" section, or you can send us an email to be added to our monthly distribution list.
All combined our investment style is simple, thorough, and thoughtful.
When you combine red, green, and blue light in equal parts - you end up with white light.
We believe this is a great visual representation of the three key areas in financial planning: 1- Family, 2- Career (or Retirement), and 3- Lifestyle. Typically, it's not until you look at all of them simultaneously, that your financial picture becomes clear. Attempting to accomplish this without the help of an impartial third party can be challenging. This is why some households, with multiple decisions makers, have a hard time seeing eye to eye. It's easy to overlook something or unintentionally apply more weight to one area over another.
Together we can help make sure your financial picture is clear and everyone involved is on the same page.
Financial Planning can help you:
…the list is endless.
Our planning approach is simple, thorough, and thoughtful.
Over the years we have dealt with many unique financial situations. That said, we have become proficient in helping with "One-time Life Events" . By this we mean, any situation where a single financial event can have a meaningful impact on life moving forward.
Sometimes these are unexpected life events. Other times, they are events that have been expected for years, but have been difficult to deal with. In either case, it is helpful to have someone in your corner who understands the nuances, and knows what to expect, and can help you every step of the way.
Many times, you are only given one chance to get it right.
For example: