Our Story

“The most important thing you have in this business is your reputation,” said Frank Bettendorf on numerous occasions to his son Joe and colleague Jeff Oakley.

The Bettendorf Group is a testament to those words. For more than 20 years, this team of experienced Financial Advisors has helped both individual and institutional investors navigate an increasingly complex financial environment. As a result, we have established client relationships that are noted for their depth, longevity and most importantly, trust.

The Bettendorf Group offers discretionary investment management that relieves clients of day-to-day buy/sell decisions they may not wish to make on their own. We have developed several proprietary portfolio models that take full advantage of the extensive research capabilities available to us at Morgan Stanley. At the same time, our institutional experience provides us with the background to make timely decisions when fast moving market conditions warrant and customize our strategies to meet our clients’ specific timeframes, risk tolerances and preferences.

Our investment approach is moderately conservative with an emphasis on capital preservation. Beyond investing, we create comprehensive plans for our clients that encompass both sides of their personal balance sheets and virtually every aspect of their financial lives. It is our objective to understand the personal financial big picture of every client we serve before making any recommendations or investment decisions on their behalf. And it is our experience that the strategic approach we’ve been refining for more than 50 years has helped us establish long-lasting client relationships.
Services Include
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

Working With You

Before we can add clarity to your financial big picture, we have to learn all we can about it:

· Our wealth planning process begins with in-depth discussions about your current finances, future goals and what you perceive might be standing in your way of achieving them.

· Our approach is goals-based. We measure your progress by how well you’re progressing toward the goals you’ve set for yourself, not by how your portfolio is performing versus a market index.

· The wealth plan we create for you contains tangible recommendations that include investments but may also encompass such disciplines as estate planning, lending and risk management.

· Our discretionary investment management approach features several core portfolio strategies that we’ve developed and refined over the years: all-equity, balanced, dividend and fixed income. When warranted, we may recommend a third-party investment manager for certain asset classes and investment categories such as small/mid-cap and international. Morgan Stanley offers access to managers who have been carefully researched for performance and organizational excellence. Many of the managers who work with our clients are typically available only to institutions.

· We continually monitor your progress versus your objectives and recommend adjustments to your strategy when necessary, either because of changing market outlooks or circumstances in your life.

Our Clients

Many of our clients are successful professionals, business owners and corporate executives who are well established in their communities and careers. Some seek to accumulate assets for retirement and other future goals, but many have already built substantial wealth and are looking to us to help preserve what they’ve amassed over the years. They appreciate the fact that we focus on downside protection and, in fact, we are often able to help them identify and reduce risk they might have assumed unintentionally. 

Our clientele also includes middle market institutions who look to us for equity and fixed income research and trading assistance. These clients range from insurance companies and bank trust departments to mutual fund managers. As advisor to advisors, we maintain what we believe to be a unique position in our industry – a position that reflects the knowledge and experience we bring to our clients, as well as the trust they place in us.

Community Involvement

The Bettendorf Group is deeply committed to giving back in their communities. Some of the causes we support include the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Columbus Stock & Bond, First Tee of Central Ohio, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Northwest Kiwanis.

Location

41 South High St
Suite 2700
Columbus, OH 43215
US
Direct:
(614) 229-4908(614) 229-4908
Toll-Free:
(800) 659-0660(800) 659-0660
Fax:
(614) 867-9268(614) 867-9268

Meet The Bettendorf Group

About Joseph F Bettendorf

Joe brings more than 25 years of experience to the service of his clients. A co-founder of The Bettendorf Group, he built the team’s practice with individual clients, while continuing to serve institutional investors with research and trading guidance.

A native Ohioan, Joe began his career as an institutional equity trader with Weeden & Co. in Chicago. Several years later, he realized that his hometown of Columbus was a great place to live, work and raise a family. He joined forces with his father Frank at Prudential Securities where they remained until 2003 when both father and son joined Morgan Stanley.

As a Morgan Stanley credentialed Portfolio Manager, Joe supervises the team’s investment efforts and created several proprietary portfolio models for investors with different objectives and risk tolerances. He also plays a prominent role in our financial planning process and continues to support bank trust departments, insurance companies and other middle market institutions in their efforts to navigate today’s complex investment environment.

A graduate of John Carroll University with a BSBA in Marketing, Joe gives back to the community that has given so much to him. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and First Tee of Central Ohio, an organization committed to enriching the lives of children by using the game of golf as a medium to teach life skills, core values and healthy habits. Joe resides in Upper Arlington, Ohio with his wife Karen and their two children.
Securities Agent: NH, MD, WI, SC, OH, FL, AL, PA, IL, GA, CO, MI, KY, NC, VA, TX, RI, IN, DC, NY, CA, TN; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1282465

About Jeff Oakley

Jeff plays a key role in The Bettendorf Group’s institutional business. He provides banks, insurance companies, money managers and other middle market institutions with the in-depth research they need to make timely decisions, as well as the trading assistance to execute even their most complex transactions.

Jeff began his financial services career in corporate finance before joining The Bettendorf Group in 2003. His extensive institutional experience benefits the team’s individual clients with insights that contribute greatly to securities selection for their equity and fixed income portfolios.

A native Ohioan, Jeff earned a BS in Finance from Indiana University and an MBA from The Fisher School of Business at Ohio State. Outside the office, he is a past president of The Columbus Stock & Bond Association and the current coach of his children’s baseball and basketball teams.  Jeff resides in Upper Arlington, Ohio with his wife Courtney and their two children.
Securities Agent: GA, TN, AL, RI, PA, MD, VA, NY, NH, CO, OH, MI, DC, NC, IN, FL, SC, IL, CA, WI, TX, KY; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative

About Robyn Harper

Robyn comes to the Bettendorf Group with more than 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. She started her career in 2004 at Huntington Bank, serving in multiple roles from banker to advisor. She joined Prudential in 2020 and now Morgan Stanley in 2023 as a Registered Client Service Associate.

These positions have allowed her to experience multiple facets of financial services and the components of the wealth management process and how they all fit together. She utilizes this knowledge to best serve clients by building strong relationships built on trust. She is committed to providing clients with exceptional service and a smile.

Robyn moved to Ohio in 2002 from Wyoming and lives north of Columbus. She enjoys cooking, baking, gardening as well as family vacations to the beach and mountains.

The Power of Partnerships

By partnering with experienced individuals across wealth disciplines, Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors can align specialized resources with your custom needs and deliver strategic guidance through the familiarity and trust of existing relationships

About Kimberly Emerson

Kimberly Emerson is a Private Banker serving Morgan Stanley Wealth Management offices in Ohio.

Private Bankers partner with Financial Advisors to develop a specialized approach for managing clients’ cash flow, liquidity and financing needs, leveraging our comprehensive suite of cash management and lending solutions.

Kimberly began her career in financial services in 2001, and joined Morgan Stanley in 2015. Prior to joining the firm, she was a Private Banking Relationship Manager at FC Bank. Kimberly has also been a Wealth Management Banker at Merrill Lynch, as well as a Private Banking Relationship Manager at Fifth Third and KeyBank.

Kimberly is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. She and her family reside in Blacklick, Ohio. Outside of the office, Kimberly enjoys sporting events, concerts, and spending time with her family.
NMLS#: 767178
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Ready to start a conversation? Contact The Bettendorf Group today.
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4Morgan 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.

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Morgan 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, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.

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Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.

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Awards Disclosures
CRC 6491812 (04/2024)