Rafa Martinez
My Mission Statement
About Rafa
Rafa believes the foundation of any relationship is trust, and from the first moment of service, he works hard to win it. He positions himself as a dedicated resource and is versatile in his ability to meet the unique demands of every individual. As the main point of contact, Rafa uncovers what a client is trying to achieve and taps the capabilities and tools of Morgan Stanley that address their specific goals. Warm and friendly, he thrives on getting to know others and recognizes that this talent enables him to be a better advisor.
With his 17-year career in financial services, Rafa has focused almost exclusively on client-centric work. He entered financial services as an Advisor at Scotiabank in Mexico City before joining the Houston offices of Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab, and most recently J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Along the way, he deepened his skills in defining investment strategies that align with risk tolerance. His return to Morgan Stanley represents an opportunity to leverage the firm’s industry-leading platform and resources.
Rafa obtained an Executive M.B.A. from the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, where he participated in the Global Energy Leadership Program. An active alum, he sits on the board of the Business School. Previously, he received a B.B.A. in Finance from the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City. Born and raised in Mexico City, Rafa possesses a global perspective that informs his advisory guidance. His family—his wife and three children—are the heart of his life, and thus he spends most of his time out of the office with them.
PLANNING THAT FITS YOU
My approach to wealth planning begins with what matters most – your goals, values, and long-term vision. I take a holistic view of your financial life, from investments and cash flow to retirement and beyond, aiming to make each piece works seamlessly together. By combining advanced planning tools with personalized guidance, I can help you build a clear, practical strategy to support every stage of your financial journey.
At Morgan Stanley, we aim to understand your financial goals and work with you to create a plan designed to help you achieve them.
LifeView is a powerful planning platform designed to create customized, goal-based strategies. Working together, we develop an integrated plan that connects all aspects of your financial life – from investments to cash management – so you remain aligned with your long-term objectives.
When and how you withdraw assets can have a major impact on your financial future. I help you build withdrawal strategies with taxes in mind, so you can reduce liabilities and optimize your portfolio for long-term growth and stability.
Retirement planning is more than making the right investments. Align your financial goals to your lifestyle, today and all the days that follow. I implement strategies designed to create a steady, stable income to help last through your retirement years
MANAGING FAMILY WEALTH
We deliver solutions that help address different aspects of your financial life to mitigate taxes, transfer wealth, enhance philanthropic impact, reduce family conflict, and manage the affluent lifestyle.
I 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.
A broad range of specialty services are available to enrich and enhance the health, safety, comfort, and interests of affluent familles, from private aviation, personal security, art advisory, and household staffing, to private health advisory services and advisory services for single family offices.
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 taxjsmart ways to help make your giving go further.
For family offices and wealthy families with assets and investments spanning providers (and often the world), these seemingly simple questions can be anything but straightforward: Where can we find updates on our different investments and assets? Where can we find the details on all of our entities and accounts? A centralized system can optimize procedures, inform decisions, and enhance security to drive operating leverage and scale.
Your security is our top priority. Morgan Stanley proactively defends our systems and monitors our digital landscapes to anticipate issues before they arise and responds appropriately when they do. The Firm is actively supporting a multitude of layers of security. Read more about the cybersecurity resources used by the firm below.
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.
CASH MANAGEMENT AND LENDING OFFERINGS
At Morgan Stanley, we recognize that clients and their families have unique needs that require dedicated experience and capabilities. Our goal is to help simplify your financial life with a combination of cash management and lending solutions designed to complement your investment strategy and support your financial goals.
At Morgan Stanley, we offer unique cash management and lending solutions to complement your investments and help simplify your finances.
Once you open a Morgan Stanley Brokerage Account, you can make the most of your idle cash with our competitive Preferred Savings Program.
Designed as a modern alternative to banking with the capabilities to help you access, move, and manage cash when you need it while enjoying exclusive benefits.
Once you open a Morgan Stanley Brokerage Account, you can potentially grow your wealth with our competitive fixed rate Preferred Certificates of Deposit (CDs) offerings.
Most people borrow during the course of their lives. But it's important to be as strategic about borrowing as you are with the other areas of your financial life.
High home prices and mortgage rates are putting the dream of homeownership out of reach for many would-be buyers. Learn how you can help a loved one break into a tough market.
RESEARCH AND DIGITAL TOOLS
As a Morgan Stanley client, you have access to a suite of digital tools and resources aimed at helping you manage your finances with greater ease.
Morgan Stanley Online allows you to seamlessly and securely manage your investments and everyday finances in one place.
Digital Vault lets you easily and securely manage and share important documents such as account statements, authorizations, tax filings and other relevant documents with your Financial Advisor.
Sign up for eDelivery today and start receiving email notifications as soon as your account documents are available on Morgan Stanley Online or the Morgan Stanley Mobile App. It's quick, convenient & secure.
By linking your account information, you will benefit from more informed wealth planning, more secure data access, as well as a complete view of your assets and liabilities whether they are held at Morgan Stanley or elsewhere.
For help filing your taxes this year, we have published the 2025 tax tables for your reference.
Mike Wilson, Chief Investment Officer and Chief US Equity Strategist for Morgan Stanley and his colleagues discuss a variety of viewpoints regarding the latest trends in the financial marketplace.
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
For more information, please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Client Relationship Summary.
2Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.
3Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
4Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.
5Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services.
Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
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The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
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The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
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