The Clarity Group at Morgan Stanley

Monica is a Senior Vice President and Family Wealth Director with over 30 year's experience working at Morgan Stanley. She specializes in Comprehensive Financial Planning for Business Owners, Corporate Executives & Family Wealth Transfer Strategies.

In 2014, Monica created the Clarity Group at Morgan Stanley after noticing a need to deliver a better wealth management experience that includes discussions about family dynamics, preparing a family for a business transition, career evolution, financial literacy, and values-based topics to help clients create a vision for purposeful spending, investing, legacy planning, and charitable giving. Together, The Clarity Group provides clients with the confidence to pursue what really matters by delivering a mind map that captures their aspirations, highly personalized services, and a financial plan for living their Life with Clarity.

Monica earned her BBA in Finance from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi in 1989. She is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor CPWA^®, Certified Investment Management Analyst, CIMA^®, Accredited Investment Fiduciary AIF^® and Certified Exit Planning Advisor^® ; helping business owners, corporate executives and their children become better stewards of their money to create a family legacy.

Monica serves on the Morgan Stanley Houston Women's Advisory Council and was recognized as a 2018 “Maker” at Morgan Stanley for her mentorship and passion to be a trusted advisor. Recently, she was named a Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisor and Forbes Best in State Wealth Advisor for 2021-2022 for making an impact in the lives of her clients.

Monica and her husband live in Houston with their three dogs. Their daughter lives and works in Paris, France; their son, Jack, lives in Houston and is an advisor with The Clarity Group at Morgan Stanley. Monica is an avid runner who enjoys international travel, trekking, reading, and wine. She enjoys sharing book ideas, tech tips and travel hacks. Being a wine enthusiast, she’s completed the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines. She also devotes time to volunteering and mentoring at Dress for Success Houston and supports the Himalayan Cataract Project to cure blindness and The Hunger Project to sustainably end world hunger.

2021-2022 Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors & Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In- State (formerly referred to as Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors, Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors) Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2021-2022). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month time period concluding in Sept of year prior to the issuance of the award. Awards Disclosures
2021-2023 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2021-2023). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award. Awards Disclosures

I approach financial planning through the lens of analyzing and weighing risks. I will spend a considerable amount of time getting to know you, your family, and values. Only then can we together craft a plan that reflects the risks you are comfortable with in order to reach your goals.

Why am I hyper-focused on planning and weighing the risk? It’s part of my DNA. My mother is a bankruptcy attorney. I grew up witnessing the sad consequences for people who were not prepared for the unexpected.

I’ve been there myself. I suffered through the dizzying fall of Enron in Houston. I was among the thousands of employees shaken to their core by the sudden plunge of the company into bankruptcy. I worked on the company’s international public relations team, community relations for the U.S. and Canada and Account Management in the U.S.

The experience instilled in me a very cautious attitude about taking financial risks. I advise my clients that they need to be diversified. You may be working for a Fortune 500 company that appears to be the most fantastic company in the world or your business may be thriving or you may feel confident about your current holdings. But in this age of political and technological upheaval coupled with globalization, you never know what the future holds.

My relationship with you will begin by listening. I want to understand what is going on in your life and what you are trying to accomplish. My service only begins with managing your private wealth. Consider me as a personal concierge. Whether a family member needs help finding a specialist in Houston’s medical community or an SAT coach for their teenager, I am here to help by tapping into my vast network.

The Clarity Group at Morgan Stanley consists of a team of female financial advisors covering a wide span of demographics. Our team believes that we, as women are more careful and more thoughtful. We look at the totality of the person. We provide financial advice for all aspects of your life, whether it’s about buying a car or saving for your child’s college education.

My maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors. My grandmother was a Partisan fighting in the resistance against Nazi Germany in Poland during World War II. They immigrated to Mobile, Alabama with nothing and started over. Their life experiences shaped my outlook, and I consider myself something of an “old soul”.

I started in private wealth management in 2002. Many of my clients include physicians, attorneys, and management from Houston’s energy industry.

Giving back is my top personal priority. I regularly help out where my two teenage children attend school. I have served on the Board of Trustees for Congregation Emanu El and currently serve on its Endowment Board. I am also a committed supporter of Houston’s LGBT community.

No one knows what tomorrow may bring. But a financial plan can help secure your future. I am ready to listen and understand how I can help you reach your goals.

Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.

Jack is a Financial Advisor and the team’s planning specialist. He joined the Clarity Group in June 2019 shortly after graduating from the University of Alabama [ROLL TIDE]. While there, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in Computer Science. In the summer of 2020, Jack then joined the Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor Associate (FAA) program to begin servicing clients of his own; while simultaneously supporting the group in a business development role. Jack holds a Certified Fund Specialist (CFS^®) designation from the Institute of business and finance, which he uses to develop financial plans and build asset allocations for clients.

Jack understands the value of teamwork from his deep involvement in the sport of Lacrosse. What started as a frivolous summer camp activity in 4th grade, morphed into a passion that continued through middle and high school for the Cy-fair district here in Houston. He was named team captain and achieved “all-state” recognition his last two years. After graduating from Cypress Creek High School in spring 2015, he took his love to Alabama where he played MCLA-DIV1 Lacrosse and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. As you can probably guess, Jack’s time at Bama coincided with one of the greatest college football dynasties of all time; which was a social plus. In addition to his core academics, Jack honed his soft skills by taking elective leadership courses and assisting in planning events for his fraternity.

Jack now lives in the Upper Kirby area of Houston with his Fiancée, Emily. In his free time, Jack enjoys traveling abroad, hiking, skiing, hunting, and most recreational sports. He also enjoys giving back by volunteering when he can at the Houston Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. He also regularly gives to St. Jude, Wounded Warrior Foundation, and the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Matthew got his start in financial services in 2017 at JP Morgan Chase as a Relationship Banker in Houston. He then went on to be a Registered Associate with Texas Wealth Design where he worked with clients to develop financial plans and long-term tax plans. While at the firm, he also participated in assisting clients with group health benefits, health insurance, Medicaid/Medicare, Social Security plans, and more through their sister company Texas Health Design.

Matthew was born and raised in Houston and is a 9th generation Texan, as well as an Alamo descendant. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Music and Early Childhood through 12th Grade Teaching Certification. Matthew was a middle school band director before moving to financial services.

In his spare time, Matthew enjoys reading, woodworking, and spending time with his wife Ashley and their son Eli. He is also a proud alumni of the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps, with whom he marched from 2011-2015 and most recently in the 50 year anniversary performance in 2022.

Michelle started her career in the financial services industry as a teller at Wells Fargo in January of 2015. Michelle was a lead operations manager at Chase before becoming a Relationship Banker. As a banker, she worked hand-in-hand with clients, getting to know their financial dreams and helping make those dreams a reality. Michelle joined The Clarity Group at Morgan Stanley in the November 2023 as a client service associate, bringing her passion of helping others to the team.

Michelle was born in Georgia and moved around frequently in her earlier years, following her father’s career in the oil and gas industry. They eventually settled in Houston in 2003. In 2021, Michelle and her now husband, Jonathan, bought their first house in Pearland and were married a year later in September of 2022. In her spare time she likes to travel, spend time with friends and family, and hang out with their two dogs Shoto and Tilly.

Ian began working in Financial Services in 2020 for Caliber Home Loans in Dallas as a Mortgage Loan Processor. Before moving into wealth management, he went on to be a Registered Financial Services Representative with E*Trade and assisted clients with securities trading, organizing portfolios, and opening brokerage and bank accounts to help them achieve their financial goals.
Ian was born and raised in Chicago, IL. At a young age, Ian was working with his father on the trading floor of the Board of Trade in Chicago as a floor clerk. They traded commodity futures and options. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelors in Advertising Management and Media.
In his spare time, Ian enjoys playing golf, hockey, rooting on the Michigan State Spartans, and spending time with his friends and family.