Los Angeles Market Office

Nicole Sams is an Executive Director and Market Manager at Morgan Stanley, overseeing the Downtown Los Angeles office as well as the Torrance and Rolling Hills branches. Personable and conscientious, her main responsibilities include helping existing Financial Advisors maximize the Firm’s global capabilities for the benefit of their clients, which are ultra-high net worth individuals, families, and their foundations, both in the US and abroad.

Prior to her current job, she was a Branch Manager in the Beverly Hills Market for four years, and a Market Manager in Irvine for five years, where she formed strong relationships with Financial Advisors, helping to support them in broadening their business and increasing their production. Before that, she was an Associate Complex Manager and a Business Development Manager in Pasadena, California.

When Nicole started at Morgan Stanley in 2010, she was a Financial Advisor Associate, educating plan participants about investments in their corporate retirement plans. She became a knowledgeable educator and prudent advisor, building enduring relationships with people whose financial needs extended beyond their employer’s plan.

Known for her warmth and results-driven approach, Nicole is adept at connecting people to needed resources to achieve their goals. She is highly skilled at analyzing situations quickly, relating to others, and finding sound solutions. Much of her success comes from being able to build trust with those with whom she works.

“Ours is a relationship business, and for any business to be successful you need to be deeply invested in the professionals whose careers you are charged with overseeing,” she says. “I am very dedicated to our Financial Advisors and guiding them on their path forward every step along the way.”

Additionally, Nicole is a self-acclaimed team player who especially enjoys the collaborative nature of her job. During her scholastic career, she competed in several sports, most notably track and field. She likes to make things happen for others and to assume a leadership role in pursuing goals.

In her spare time, she enjoys playing golf, running, snowboarding, and volunteering. Currently, she sits on the boards of three non-profit organizations: The Williams Institute, a think tank that conducts independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy; Girls, Inc., which encourages all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy; and Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica, which gives kids and teens what they need to succeed, providing a safe and nurturing environment to develop socially, succeed in school, stay physically active, and prepare for positive futures.

Among her many licenses, Nicole holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC^®) designation.

Navil has spent the entirety of her career with the Firm and began in 2005 as an Intern for Smith Barney in Los Angeles through the Academy of Finance Program. She went on to hold a variety of Service-related roles including Receptionist, Admin Assistant, Registered Associate and Complex Service Manager in the Los Angeles Market before transitioning to a role in Risk, where she held the title of Risk Officer for 7 years and was most recently promoted to the Senior Risk Officer role in 2024. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Navil lives in Inglewood and, in her spare time, enjoys attending live music events, playing softball, watching soccer rigorously, traveling, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Jared Grimes is a Business Development Manager in Morgan Stanley’s Los Angeles Market, he partners with Financial Advisors to translate Morgan Stanley’s platform into practical growth outcomes. In this role, Jared serves as a strategic connector - aligning an advisor’s business goals with the firm’s capabilities across investments, lending, banking, planning, and practice management.

Jared’s approach is grounded in business growth and advisor enablement. He supports advisors with business planning, segmentation and service models, referral and centers-of-influence strategies, and the adoption of tools and thought leadership that can improve consistency and outcomes. Just as importantly, he helps advisors understand how Morgan Stanley’s support model works in the real world: who to call, how to engage specialists, and how to build a repeatable cadence that turns firm resources into measurable results.

Outside of work, Jared enjoys mentoring students and supporting education-focused nonprofits like UNCF. He also enjoys traveling, food tasting, and exercising.