Kelly Shota, CFP®, ChFC®, CRPS®
My Mission Statement
My Story and Services
I absolutely love what I do. With over 20 years of experience as a Financial Advisor, I've had the privilege of working with individuals, business owners, and multi-generational families. I am proud to have joined Morgan Stanley in the Spring of 2026, where I continue to deliver thoughtful, consistent guidance grounded in both time-tested financial principles and modern tools and technology.
I'll take a comprehensive view of your financial life — considering the full picture and collaborating closely with your trusted advisors, including CPAs and attorneys, to develop strategies that evolve alongside life's changes. Since your situation is unique, I take the time to understand what's most important to you, then translate those insights into thoughtfully designed plans.
I'm committed to continuous learning and staying current in an ever-changing industry so I can serve you at the highest level. I hold the CFP®, ChFC®, and CRPS® designations, reflecting my dedication to excellence, integrity, and ongoing education.
At the heart of my work is service. I value building lasting relationships grounded in trust, and I believe I've learned just as much from the families I've served as they have from me — shaping me into a better advisor, a more thoughtful person, and a more compassionate mother.
As a mom of four — one 17-year-old and 15-year-old triplets — life is rarely quiet, but it's full and deeply fulfilling. Time outdoors, whether hiking or working out, keeps me grounded and present. I believe balance is something we create with intention, and I'm dedicated to helping you build a life that truly serves you.
I'm proud to work alongside Kiara Leong, my client service associate of eight years. Kiara brings a heightened attention to detail and a genuine interest in every client's experience. Outside of the office, Kiara is a long-time hula dancer who loves spending time with her family.
To learn more about how we can help you organize, simplify, and optimize your financial life, contact our office today. We look forward to meeting you.
Who I Serve
My practice is built for individuals and families who value a thoughtful, highly personalized advisory relationship. I work with a select number of clients so I can go deeper—helping bring clarity, coordination, and confidence to the financial decisions that impact every aspect of life.
1. Multi-Generational Families Legacy-Minded Clients
For clients who care about generational impact, I provide guidance designed to help them plan intentionally—supporting long-term goals, family priorities, and a legacy that reflects what matters most. I'm especially passionate about helping families approach wealth as a tool for stewardship across generations.
2. Business Owners Entrepreneurs
Many of the clients I serve are business owners and entrepreneurs who need their personal finances to work in tandem with their business realities. I help clients think through the "big picture" and coordinate planning conversations so key decisions are aligned across their financial life.
3. Retirees Clients Nearing Retirement
For clients approaching retirement or already enjoying it, I provide planning designed to help turn years of saving into a clear, sustainable strategy. We focus on aligning income needs with lifestyle goals, coordinating investment and cash-flow decisions, and helping manage key retirement considerations such as Social Security timing, healthcare and Medicare planning, tax-efficient withdrawals, and legacy intentions, so you can move forward with confidence in the next chapter.
4. Professional Women
I work with professional women navigating complex financial lives and competing priorities—career growth, family needs, and long-term goals. My role is to help simplify decisions, create structure, and provide steady guidance through life transitions and opportunities.
Planning For Your Family’s Financial Needs
We deliver a full range of expertise and resources to help address different aspects of your financial life.
We work with you to explore factors that are relevant to existing or future estate structures. We will discuss different tax and estate planning strategies and collaborate with your external tax and legal advisors to create a plan that reflects your desires during and after your lifetime.
Many of us prefer to combine our support for the causes and people we care about with a desire to save on taxes. Fortunately, there are strategies that may help us accomplish both. Whether you want to donate to charity or invest in a loved-one's future, consider these tax-smart ways to help make your giving go further.
Financial literacy means being equipped with the knowledge to help make smart financial decisions during every stage of your life. No matter your current priorities, a strong financial literacy foundation can help you meet your goals.
When it comes to providing institutional-level support for your family office, scale matters. Our offering aims to bring together specialized investment services and operational support to enhance your life and lega
We believe in taking a holistic approach to your finances and taking into consideration the tax implications of your portfolio can help maximize returns. Using Morgan Stanley's Total Tax 365 platform we implement tax-efficient investing to help minimize the impact taxes have on your returns.
In the case of an ultra-high net worth it's extremely important to have a sound framework within which to make decisions - in other words, a family governance system.
Helping Achieve Your Definition of Success
Comprehensive financial planning is the foundation of my practice because it helps connect today's decisions to the outcomes you want tomorrow and ensures every part of your financial life works together. Rather than looking at investments in isolation, I take a holistic view of what matters most to you: your goals, cash flow, risk exposure, and the key trade-offs that come with major life and business decisions. Just as important as growing wealth is protecting it. We incorporate wealth protection strategies designed to help safeguard you, your family, and your assets from unforeseen events, including evaluating financial goal protection using solutions such as life, disability, and long-term care insurance, as well as planning approaches that support income and legacy protection. The result is a clearer roadmap, more informed decision-making, and a plan that can adapt as your priorities, family needs, and market conditions evolve.
LifeView is a suite of planning tools that includes goal-specific analysis that I can use with my clients to create a holistic strategy that integrates the various aspects of an individual's financial life, including investments and cash management needs.
Goals Planning System (GPS) is Morgan Stanley's own integrated planning tool. Built on the Firm's intellectual capital and capabilities, GPS is an intuitive and efficient platform used to quickly assess whether a client is "On Track" to achieving their financial goals.
With a CashPlus brokerage account, you can manage your cash and get more value, more protection, and a seamless digital experience. Contact me to discuss or click here. Terms apply.
Our Portfolio Risk Platform, backed by institutional-caliber analytics, assesses thousands of risk factors using a holdings-based approach to assess a portfolio's exposures, analyze how securities behave together across portfolios and forecast how they influence risk and return moving forward.
We review strategies that can help protect you, your family, and your assets from the unexpected, including financial goal protection using life, disability, and long-term care insurance, as well as income and legacy protection considerations.
Digital Resources for Clients
Morgan Stanley's comprehensive suite of digital resources has carefully been designed to help enhance each aspect of your financial portfolio. Take some time to learn about some of the many Modern Wealth Management resources that we offer to our clients.
Your investments and everyday finances are always just a few clicks away with Morgan Stanley Online (MSO) and the Morgan Stanley mobile app! Access your finances and invest in an instant with the help of this handy resource that is available 24/7.
Complete your financial profile with Total Wealth View. By linking your external account information, you will benefit from more educated and holistic wealth planning, along with convenient connectivity.
Digital Vault lets you easily and conveniently manage and share life's most important documents, such as wills, deeds and estate plans, as well as financial statements and tax filings.
Reserved Living & Giving is a tiered complimentary loyalty program that rewards clients with over one million dollars in assets and liabilities invested at the firm. The program is designed to enhance your lifestyle and relationship with the firm beyond traditional wealth management services.
The Global Investment Committee's Lisa Shalett headlines this weekly look at markets, asset class performance and fixed income.
Detailed Market commentary from Morgan Stanley's thought leaders on topics such as global equities, fixed income, monetary policy and more.
Location
Portfolio Insights
Retirement
- 401(k) Rollovers
- IRA Plans
- Retirement income strategies
- Retirement plan participants
- Annuities
Investing
- Asset Management
- Wealth Planning
- Traditional Investments
- Alternative Investments
- Impact Investing
Family
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
Business Planning
- Succession Planning
- Business Planning
- Qualified Retirement Plans
Philanthropy
- Endowments
- Foundations
- Donor Advised Funds
- Impact Investing
1When 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.
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