Sarah G. Montoya, CIMA®, QPFC
Vice President, Wealth Management,
Financial Advisor,
Corporate Retirement Director,
Institutional Consultant,
Portfolio Manager
Direct:
(760) 602-3526(760) 602-3526
Toll-Free:
(800) 458-9838(800) 458-9838
My Mission Statement
My mission is to provide thoughtful, research-based guidance and innovative solutions that are aligned with your organization's strategic goals.
I help Institutional Plan Fiduciaries, Corporate Leaders, and Families to define their goals, design a path forward, and leverage the extensive resources of Graystone Consulting and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management to achieve successful outcomes at every stage. Along the way, I empower my clients with information and understanding, operate with integrity, and work to do well by doing good.
I help Institutional Plan Fiduciaries, Corporate Leaders, and Families to define their goals, design a path forward, and leverage the extensive resources of Graystone Consulting and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management to achieve successful outcomes at every stage. Along the way, I empower my clients with information and understanding, operate with integrity, and work to do well by doing good.
My Story and Services
Sarah Montoya is a Financial Advisor and Corporate Retirement Director at Morgan Stanley – Graystone Consulting, with offices in Beverly Hills and Carlsbad, CA. Sarah has built her career around empowering business-owners, corporate leaders, and families with unbiased, research-based, and independent advice that breaks down the barriers to understanding and developing their personal and/or corporate retirement plan financial strategies. Sarah has a personal connection to the importance of financial education. She provides each of her clients and the employees of the retirement plans that she governs, the opportunity to truly understand their financial picture by taking the time to educate and ‘speak human’ when helping people to define their goals, and plan towards successful outcomes. Sarah works closely with Business Owners, HR Departments, and CFOs to provide independent, product-agnostic, objective advice to assist them with their fiduciary responsibilities on plan level investment monitoring, analysis and management in conjunction with the intellectual capital and research from Morgan Stanley’s Global Investment Committee (GIC), and the Global Investment Management Analysis (GIMA) Group. Sarah and her Team help corporate leadership minimizes liability exposure, by maintaining retirement plans which are modern in design, cost-effective, user-friendly, and high quality for the true benefit of their workforce – at every stage of their plan & company’s growth. The workforce also enjoys access to a local team of Financial Advisors standing by to help guide them to and through retirement, nationwide. Sarah has integrated Socially Responsible Investing through Morgan Stanley’s Investing with Impact research platform, as an integral part of her business; ultimately to bring both the Institutional/Corporate clientele and families that she works with the option of investing in accordance with their values and awareness to Environmental, Social & Good Governance factors.
Ms. Montoya founded The W Source – Beverly Hills Chapter, where she builds collaboration among women in male-dominated industries. Sarah is passionate about supporting women-led venture and fostering a culture of female empowerment and advancement across professional service industries and entrepreneurship. Sarah also serves on the UCSD Alumni Board of Directors. Sarah earned the prestigious designation of Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) from Yale School of Management in 2021. Sarah and her husband, Carlos, live in Carlsbad, CA with their dog, Baxter.
Ms. Montoya founded The W Source – Beverly Hills Chapter, where she builds collaboration among women in male-dominated industries. Sarah is passionate about supporting women-led venture and fostering a culture of female empowerment and advancement across professional service industries and entrepreneurship. Sarah also serves on the UCSD Alumni Board of Directors. Sarah earned the prestigious designation of Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) from Yale School of Management in 2021. Sarah and her husband, Carlos, live in Carlsbad, CA with their dog, Baxter.
Securities Agent: CT, SC, PA, TX, NV, WA, UT, MT, MI, IL, FL, WI, NY, KY, GA, CA, AR, NJ, MO, ME, LA, AL, WY, VA, NH, DC, OH, NM, CO, VT, OR, ID, DE, AZ, AK, MD, WV, TN, PR, NC, MN, MA, IN, IA; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 872706
NMLS#: 872706
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*
National Association of Plan Advisors' (NAPA) Top Women Advisors 2020
NAPA is a professional organization, affiliated with the American Retirement Association, for Financial Advisors who serve employer-sponsored retirement plans and their participants. “We are proud of Sarah Montoya’s work in helping our clients meet their retirement goals,” said David Bigler, San Diego Complex Manager. “Morgan Stanley is consistently striving for excellence in everything that we do and successful, influential female leaders are a key component to the Firm’s success.” NAPA Net’s “Top Women Advisors of 2020,” November 5, 2020 as appearing in NAPA Net or www.Napa-Net.org, is based on nominations by the NAPA members. Nominees are asked to respond to a series of questions, both quantitative and qualitative, about their experience and practices. A panel of judges reviewed the anonymized questionnaires and selected the women honored in three categories: All Star, Captains, and Rising Stars. The rating is not indicative of the Financial Advisors’ future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or its Financial Advisors paid a fee to NAPA-Net in exchange for the rating. © 2020 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.
Disclosure(s):
2020 NAPA's Top Women Advisors
Source: napa-net.org (Oct 2020) Data compiled by NAPA based on time period from Aug 2019-Aug 2020.
Disclosure(s):
2020 NAPA's Top Women Advisors
Source: napa-net.org (Oct 2020) Data compiled by NAPA based on time period from Aug 2019-Aug 2020.
National Association of Plan Advisors' (NAPA) Top Women Advisors 2023
"Source: napa-net.org (October 2023) awarded in 2023. This ranking was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by NAPA during the period from Aug 2022 – Aug 2023. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees must be women retirement plan advisors with their own book of business. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top women advisors. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
National Association of Plan Advisors Top Young Retirement Plan Advisors 2022
"Source: napa-net.org (November 2022) awarded in 2022. This ranking was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by NAPA during the period from Aug 2020 – Aug 2021. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees must be retirement plan advisors with their own book of business and less than 40 years of age. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top young advisors. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
National Association of Plan Advisors Top Young Retirement Plan Advisors 2023
"Source: napa-net.org (November 2023) awarded in 2023. This ranking was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by NAPA during the period from Aug 2021 – Aug 2022. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees must be retirement plan advisors with their own book of business and less than 40 years of age. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top young advisors. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
National Association of Plan Advisors Top Young Retirement Plan Advisors 2024
"Source: napa-net.org (November 2024) awarded in 2024. This ranking was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by NAPA during the period from Aug 2024 – Aug 2024. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees must be retirement plan advisors with their own book of business and less than 40 years of age. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top young advisors. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Top DC Advisor Team 2020
"2020 NAPA’s Top DC Advisor Teams
Source: napa-net.org (March 2021) awarded in 2021. This ranking was determined through an evaluation process conducted by NAPA based on self-reported assets under advisement as of Dec 31, 2020. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominees must be individual advisor team/offices with a defined contribution book of business, in a single physical location. To be considered, firms had to submit responses to an application form, including information about their practices, notably their defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement. The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
Source: napa-net.org (March 2021) awarded in 2021. This ranking was determined through an evaluation process conducted by NAPA based on self-reported assets under advisement as of Dec 31, 2020. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominees must be individual advisor team/offices with a defined contribution book of business, in a single physical location. To be considered, firms had to submit responses to an application form, including information about their practices, notably their defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement. The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
National Association of Plan Advisors' (NAPA) Top Women Advisors 2024
"Source: napa-net.org (October 2024) awarded in 2024. This ranking was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by NAPA during the period from Aug 2023 – Aug 2024. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to NAPA to obtain or use the ranking. Nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees must be women retirement plan advisors with their own book of business. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top women advisors. Ratings are based on the opinion of NAPA and may not be representative of any one client’s experience nor indicative of the advisor’s future performance.
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
©2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC."
Morgan Stanley at Work
To learn more about the ways that our team of Corporate Retirement Fiduciary Consultants can help your organization, and your employees reach optimal retirement outcomes and financial wellness;
Click here: https://www.morganstanley.com/atwork/corporate-retirement
Click here: https://www.morganstanley.com/atwork/corporate-retirement
Client Service Team
Debra Krepps - Senior Registered Associate, Portfolio Associate
Phone:
(760) 602-3527(760) 602-3527
Email:Debra.K.Krepps@morganstanley.com
Location
5796 Armada Drive
Suite 200
Carlsbad, CA 92008
US
Direct:
(760) 602-3526(760) 602-3526
Toll-Free:
(800) 458-9838(800) 458-9838
Fax:
(310) 961-3439(310) 961-3439
Wealth Management
Global Investment Office
Portfolio Insights
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Financial Wellness
Enhancing Financial Wellness enables your workforce to do their best work. Companies that invest in financial wellness have an opportunity to:
- Reduce employee stress,
- Improve retention and engagement, and
- Set themselves apart by offering comprehensive financial wellness benefits.
Family
Creating customized financial strategies for the challenges that today’s families face.
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
Thought Leadership
Insightful and thought-provoking articles authored by Morgan Stanley experts for our institutional clients.
On the Markets
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Retirement for Plan Sponsors
End-to-End Services, Made Simple:
We can provide the tools and guidance to help you manage a retirement plan.
We can provide the tools and guidance to help you manage a retirement plan.
- Plan Evaluation
- Investment Management
- Plan Management Support
- Plan Participant Education
State of the Workplace Study 2023
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Ready to start a conversation? Contact Sarah G. Montoya today.
1When Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors (collectively, “Morgan Stanley”) provide “investment advice” regarding a retirement or welfare benefit plan account, an individual retirement account or a Coverdell education savings account (“Retirement Account”), Morgan Stanley is a “fiduciary” as those terms are defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as applicable. When Morgan Stanley provides investment education, takes orders on an unsolicited basis or otherwise does not provide “investment advice”, Morgan Stanley will not be considered a “fiduciary” under ERISA and/or the Code. For more information regarding Morgan Stanley’s role with respect to a Retirement Account, please visit www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley does not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a Retirement Account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA and related consequences of any investments or other transactions made with respect to a Retirement Account. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
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.
3Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
4The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) aware investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because ESG criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
5Alternative 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.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
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.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
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.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures
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.
3Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
4The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) aware investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because ESG criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
5Alternative 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.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
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.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
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.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures
CRC 6491812 (04/2024)
