The Barron Group at Morgan Stanley

Michael is the senior member of The Barron Group at Morgan Stanley. He is an Executive Director, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a Senior Portfolio Management Director. Michael started in the financial services industry in 1994 and after spending the last 12 years at UBS, he joined Morgan Stanley in 2020.
Michael graduated from the University of Florida with honors, earning a B.S. in finance with a minor in economics. He carries FINRA Series 7, 31, 63 and 65 securities licenses, as well as State of Florida Life Insurance and Variable Annuity agent licenses. Michael has been recognized among the top advisors in the industry. In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and & 2020 he was named to Barron's Top 1200 Advisors and in 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2023 Michael was named as a Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, accolades that represent a very high level of achievement in serving clients’ wealth management needs. The Barron Group was named to the 2023 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams Ranking. An accolade we are proud to have achieved.

In his free time, Michael enjoys golf, working out, traveling and spending time with family and friends. He has been a Florida resident since 1978, and resides in West Palm Beach with his wife, Brenna, son, Evan Levi and dog, Bailey Blu.


2015-2020 Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State (formerly referred to as Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State)
Source: Barrons.com (Awarded 2015-2020).  Data compiled by Barron's based on 12-month period concluding in Sept of the year prior to the issuance of the award. 
2018-2020, 2023 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2018-2020, 2023).   Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.
Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2023) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 3/31/21-3/31/22.

Ronnie C. Simpson is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor SM (CRPC^®), First Vice President and a Portfolio Management Director. Ronnie entered the financial services industry in 2001 and after spending the last 12 years at UBS, he joined Morgan Stanley in 2020.

Ronnie attended University of Florida, where he earned a B.S. in biological systems management. Throughout his college career, Ronnie was a member of the University Athletic Association. He received a scholarship as a Student Football Equipment Manager and took part in three SEC Championships in addition to the 1996 National Championship.

Ronnie holds FINRA Series 7, 31, 63 and 65 securities licenses as well as State of Florida Life Insurance and Variable Annuity agent licenses.

The Barron Group was named to the 2023 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams Ranking. An accolade we are proud to have achieved.

In his free time, Ronnie enjoys tennis, boating and spending time with his family. Ronnie is a lifelong Florida resident, and resides in West Palm Beach with his wife, Sari, daughter, Sophia, and son, Charlie.

Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2023) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 3/31/21-3/31/22.

Arnold Cohen is a Senior Vice President. Arnie holds a Bachelor's degree from Boston University and a Master's degree in Business Management from New York University. He brings 35 years of experience as a financial advisor. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2020, he joined The Barron Group in 2016. He carries his FINRA Series 7, 24, 52, 63 and 65 securities licenses as well as the state of FL Life Insurance and Variable Annuity agent licenses.

The Barron Group was named to the 2023 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams Ranking. An accolade we are proud to have achieved.

Arnie resides in Boca Raton, FL with his wife Karen. Their two sons are both attorneys with Noel living in Los Angeles, California and Jordan living in Miami, Florida.

Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2023) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 3/31/21-3/31/22. v

As a Senior Vice President of Investments, Robbie is responsible for the investment decisions, and financial planning for all wealth management clients. In the 44 plus years of working in the investment world, Robbie has maintained a prudent and disciplined philosophy in helping clients achieve their long-term goals. Our wealth management approach emphasizes asset allocation, preservation of capital, and defensive growth with income.

Robbie received his undergraduate degree in Journalism from Weber State University and furthered his graduate education at the University of Utah. Robbie has a 30-year-old daughter, Daisy DeRooy, who graduated from George Washington University in 2016 and Royal Veterinary College in London in 2021. She is currently a veterinarian at Shores Animal Clinic in West Palm Beach. Lastly, Robbie is a member of Westside Kiwanis in West Palm Beach, Florida where he served as a past president, board member and assists in many community action volunteer events.

Diana is the team's Director of Business Strategy and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. She joined the Barron Group in 2013 after 2 years in the retail banking industry. As an experienced financial services professional, she is firmly committed to the continued growth and success of The Barron Group at Morgan Stanley. Diana is responsible for leading all operations of the team, including client service, day to day functions and team member management. Diana is also responsible for preparing and presenting financial plans in order to help clients reach their financial goals. She strives to maintain high quality service and deliver The Barron Group client experience to each and every client.

Diana is a lifelong Florida resident and grew up in Wellington, FL. She graduated from the Florida State University with honors cum laude, earning a B.S. in Economics and a B.S in Psychology. Diana carries her FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licenses as well as State of Florida Life, Health and Annuities insurance license. In her free time she enjoys watching sports, traveling and fine dining. She currently resides in West Palm Beach with her husband, Thomas and dogs, Sansa & Ajax.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC 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 visit us at https://www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf or consult with your Financial Advisor to
understand these differences.

Andrea has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. As one of the team’s Senior Registered Associates, she is responsible for account maintenance, relationship building and providing clients with a high level of service. Andrea carries the FINRA Series 7, 63 and 65 securities licenses as well as her State of Florida Life, Health and Annuities license.

Andrea is a black belt in Kajukenbo and in her free time she enjoys spending time with family, traveling and Disney. Originally from San Francisco, she now resides in Wellington with her children, Grayson and Zoey.

Billy is the one of the team’s Registered Client Service Associates, joining The Barron Group in 2024 after spending 4 years as a Golf Professional in the Palm Beach County area. Billy is dedicated to account maintenance, relationship building and providing clients with the upmost level of service.

Billy was born and raised in Michigan, where he graduated from Western Michigan University in 2020 with honors cum laude, earning a B.S. in Finance. In his free time, he enjoys working on his golf game and spending time with friends and family. He currently holds his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licenses.