With more than 38 years of financial services experience, Rodney Halvorson has helped clients finance major real estate projects, lease yachts and aircraft, and manage substantial portfolios through bull, bear and neutral markets. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2022 because he believes that the firm offers the resources necessary to provide his clients with meaningful advice and innovative financial solutions.
Rod, as he likes to call himself, grew up in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. His father was in the oil business and Rod’s family moved every 3-4 years to new development sites. When it came time for college. Rod funded his own education at Northern Arizona University by working as a roughneck in the oil fields. That’s how he spent his summers and vacations, and it’s also where he learned the value of hard work, sacrifice, and financial acumen.
After graduating, Rod began what he thought would be his career in the energy industry. When the price of oil dropped precipitously in 1986, however, he joined a small brokerage firm, and the rest has been a fulfilling history of helping clients meet their most challenging financial goals.
Rod’s financial career has included tenures at such well known firms as EF Hutton and Merrill Lynch, as well as a previous stint at Morgan Stanley where he served as a Branch Manager and Regional Vice President. At Bank of America Investments, he managed the firm’s San Diego and Orange County Complex, as well as the firm’s fixed income trading floor in Los Angeles. Most recently, he spent twelve years as a Private Client Advisor with US Trust which was eventually acquired by Bank of America. There, he served ultra-high-net-worth families and foundations with guidance that helped them plan their estates, prepare for liquidity events, use debt strategically, and establish viable missions.
At Morgan Stanley, Rod works closely with firm professionals in a wide variety of financial disciplines to help meet the complex needs of his sophisticated clientele. This team approach enables him to help clients create coordinated strategies that work in concert, not at odds, with each other. Rod also looks forward to partnering with his son Ryan, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with the ability to develop comprehensive plans that encompass virtually every aspect of a client’s financial life.
“I view my clients as friends,” says Rod. “They place their trust in me, and I don’t ever forget it. I want them to know that I’m always there for them and that when I retire someday, they will continue to be valued and advised by people who truly care for them.”