Mark Levande, CPWA®

Financial services professionals require careful planning to comply with trading regulations and equity compensation packages. We take a complete approach to aligning investment management strategies with guided financial planning through analysis of your personal, professional and financial goals.

Our team serves attorneys by providing tailored advice and investment strategies that align with their goals. Attorneys have specialized experience that can benefit greatly from collaborating with a seasoned investment and advisory team. We are familiar with your unique compensation including significant benefits at the partner level as well as trading restrictions you may have.

Entrepreneurs and business owners often need advanced planning to achieve their short and long-term goals. This spans financial planning, estate planning, investment management, cash management, lending, and tax optimization in a manner that is unique to business owners.

Our team specializes in serving high earning executives and their families. Through our team's collaborative approach, you will receive advice tailored to you.

Our financial planning process involves gathering personal and financial information – data is both quantitative and qualitative, and includes goals. During a live "working session" we review a draft goals-based plan. The result is a dynamic personal financial planning model and balance sheet (not just a static report). Maintained/updated on an ongoing basis, our financial planning model serves as a basis for investment decisions and as a personalized benchmark to measure progress toward goals year after year.

Planning is essential to properly outlining the necessary steps to achieve long-term goals. Utilizing our Goals Planning System program allows us to effectively leverage our team's financial planning experience to create a financial planning strategy tailored to your needs.

Financial organization and risk management focuses on completion of essential legal documents (will, health proxy, power of attorney, trust documents, etc.), corporate benefits analysis and optimization, and life insurance review to determine appropriate coverage levels. We leverage, and where appropriate introduce, our network of attorneys and tax advisors/CPAs to help clients in these areas.

We coach you through major decisions and support prudent "investor behavior" (one of the biggest influences on long-term investment performance and financial outcomes). We encourage adherence to your financial plan and investment strategy, and discourage market timing. To provide additional clarity and support, we collaborate on real-time, "what if" scenario modeling to see how an important decision will impact your long-term financial plan.

We use your balance sheet and financial statements to provide a clear and organized picture of your current financial position. Comparing your current portfolio holdings to the target asset allocation mix built into our financial plan, we propose a detailed, tax-sensitive transition from current to target portfolio.

Actively tax loss harvest in taxable investment accounts to improve net of tax portfolio returns. Own investments in tax efficient account types taxable versus retirement/tax deferred given their income characteristics ("asset location"). Use tax efficient charitable gifting strategies if philanthropy is of interest.

Our leading alternatives platform offers 200+ third-party and proprietary funds, including first look and exclusive opportunities, that may help qualified investors enhance returns, reduce volatility, manage taxes and generate income—while maintaining a goals-based approach for asset allocation.

Customized investment strategies —such as yield enhancement strategies and risk mitigation strategies —that serve as powerful allocation tools in modern portfolios.

We help you maximize your yield on cash and determine the appropriate size for a "rainy day" cash fund based on your needs. We balance disciplined and consistent portfolio additions with your near and mid term liquidity needs.

Review liabilities including mortgages, home equity lines of credit, student loans, and margin balances. Annually evaluate debt paydown strategies in context of other financial goals. Access Morgan Stanley Home Loan and tailored lending solutions as needed.

Use 529 Plan education accounts for potentially tax deductible saving, tax deferred growth, and tax free distribution for qualified education expenses. Take advantage of tax free gifting strategies to efficiently fund education costs and optimize estate plan. Analyze education funding goals annually to determine size of recurring or lump sum 529 contributions.

Taxes can be a substantial drag on investment returns. Morgan Stanley Total Tax 365 offers access to a broad range of tax\-efficient strategies to help you integrate tax planning into your investment process all year long, maximize portfolio after\-tax return potential and help keep more of what you earn.

Analyze your current life insurance and use our financial plan to determine whether there are any gaps, shortfalls, or inefficiencies in coverage. Access Morgan Stanley's open architecture insurance platform as needed.

Help ensure essential legal documents are in place and up to date (will, healthcare proxy, power of attorney, trust documents). Review retirement account and insurance policy beneficiaries for consistency with estate plan.

Review corporate benefits, including employer sponsored retirement plans, health insurance options, and stock/options/deferred compensation packages. Educate and advise on benefits elections and ensure their consistency with broader financial plan and investment strategy.

Morgan Stanley at Work offers specialized solutions across equity solutions, retirement solutions, deferred compensation, executive services, and more.