Kevin Buckley, CFP®

Kevin Buckley is a Senior Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley who believes that meaningful wealth management begins with something far more fundamental than numbers: understanding the person behind the portfolio. He works closely with individuals and families to bring clarity and purpose to their financial lives – helping them organize their assets around what matters most to them in hopes of living their best lives. His approach begins with careful listening, and is tied to a partnership model aimed at achieving long term goals and evolving priorities. For Kevin, understanding a client’s story is not simply part of the process; it is where the process begins.

Kevin brings a broad global perspective to his career. Born in Seoul, Korea (to two Irish parents) he spent the first 16 years of his life in East Asia, living in Korea, Thailand and the Philippines before moving to the United States. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he moved to Spain and then (after graduate school) was an adjunct professor of Philosophy in Kathmandu, Nepal. His background gave Kevin a deep appreciation for different cultures, global markets and the increasingly interconnected world in which his clients live and invest.

Before entering wealth management, Kevin spent two decades as a private investor in public equities and real estate while building a career in education. He taught and ultimately served as Chair of the Religious Studies Department at Georgetown Preparatory School where his focus was Ethics and Inter-religious dialogue. Earlier in his life, he spent five years in service-oriented vocational formation, working with imprisoned and homeless individuals. Those experiences profoundly shaped the qualities he brings to his role today: empathy, curiosity, and a genuine willingness to listen before offering advice.

Kevin’s transition to wealth management was also a deeply personal one. Following the death of his father, his mother turned to him for help in navigating the family’s finances. What began as a responsibility to his own family became an important realization about the kind of career path he wanted to pursue. Today, Kevin brings that same sense of care to his clients, helping them navigate complex financial decisions with greater confidence and clarity. His goal is not to simply manage wealth but to help empower people by understanding the choices they have as they pursue their uniquely defined version of a good life.

Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the College of Charleston, where he was a Division I scholarship swimmer and two year captain. Additionally, he earned two master’s degrees from Loyola University of Chicago. He is a CFP professional and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations, as well as Virginia insurance licenses.

Outside of his professional life, Kevin remains an avid student of ideas and human behavior. He has a love/hate relationship with golf, and enjoys books on behavioral finance and Eastern philosophy. Philanthropy is also central to his life; he advises two nonprofit boards - one focused on poverty reduction programs in West Africa and another on childhood malnutrition prevention in East Asia. Kevin lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Sheila. He has three wonderful stepsons who all live locally and he also cares for his mother who lives nearby.

At the heart of Kevin’s career is a simple philosophy: financial planning is ultimately about people, not just portfolios. By bringing together his experiences as an investor, educator, global citizen and advisor, Kevin strives to help each client see not only where they are financially, but where they want to go and how their resources can help them get there.