My Story

If you ever visit my office (and I hope you will), you will probably be struck by the number of postcards displayed wherever there is available space. These postcards are not necessarily from places to which I’ve traveled. In fact, they are not mine at all.

When I ask clients what they really want out of life, many of them express a desire to visit some far flung location on the other side of the world. I tell them that if I can help them get there, I’d appreciate it if they would send me a postcard.

I tell you this fable because I think it’s indicative of the way I relate to my clients. I love my role as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. I take genuine pleasure in assisting my clients’ progress toward and ultimately reaching their most challenging financial goals.

Whether their financial goals involve: retiring with confidence, leaving a meaningful legacy to loved ones, sending a child or grandchild to college or perhaps financing the purchase of a new home; what is important is completing and implementing the right type of plan for its realization.

Whatever your financial goal(s), I can help you define its cost(s), determine how far away you are from it now and what tangible steps to take for reaching your goal(s). Browse through my site and if you have questions on how to achieve your financial goals, contact me. I’ll show you my postcards and who knows – maybe you will add to my collection someday.
Services Include
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

Working With You

I remember the first time I asked a client what appeared to be the simplest of questions and how taken aback he was when I did. 

The question was, “Do you know how much you’re paying me?”

As your financial advisor complete transparency is important to me. I want my clients to understand fees and how they impact investment performance. I also want them to have a firm grasp on what’s required to meet their financial goals and whether or not they’re progressing as planned.

This transparency is also reflected in the service model I’ve developed over more than 30 years as a financial advisor. Starting with access to me; my clients always have my cellphone number and unflagging commitment to provide them with service that makes a difference in their financial lives. It’s important to me that my clients can reach me whenever they have a question or concern.

Additional levels of my services vary on the needs of my clients, however can include Morgan Stanley Bank mortgage financing or our CashPlus client benefits such as: free checking, debit cards, identity theft protection, ATM charges reimbursed worldwide, elite travel benefits and the $695 American Express Platinum Card annual charges rebated back to their Morgan Stanley accounts. My services also include one-on-one consultations with you, your children or other family members to discuss inheritance and estate planning strategies to ensure the legacy you have built.

Nick Scott, the Portfolio Associate who works closely with me, has been helping clients simplify their financial lives. He is as determined as I to respond quickly and effectively whenever you have a financial issue and to anticipate those issues before they arise.
Professional Investment Management
I was an early adopter of third party, professional investment management. I felt it made more sense for my clients than solely conducting business on a transactional basis. Managers are compensated by fees that are a percentage of invested assets so when their clients do well, they do well. This alignment of interests appealed to me far more than commission-based arrangements.

Morgan Stanley’s Consulting Group has long set the standard for researching investment management organizations with a strong history of performance and organizational excellence. The firm’s Unified Managed Account structure enables me to employ the services of multiple managers when constructing portfolios for my clients.
Comprehensive Financial Planning
As a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) and a Morgan Stanley Consulting Group Senior Consultant, I develop comprehensive plans for my clients that encompass virtually every aspect of their financial lives.

Investment management is a key component of my skillset and a factor I believe contributes greatly to the likelihood of my clients achieving their goals. I take great care in creating an asset allocation for each one of my clients, based on their objectives and risk tolerance. Finally, utilizing stress-tests to determine how portfolios would have performed in historically adverse market environments helps clients understand what to expect along the way to be able to achieve their goals.

I also advocate an investment approach that combines active and passive management investment styles. Proper investment management should take advantage of market trends we foresee and strive for the returns necessary to meet your objectives.

Location

216 Lorton Avenue
Suite 200
Burlingame, CA 94010
US
Direct:
(650) 340-6500(650) 340-6500

Meet The Coleman Group

About John Coleman

Professional Experience:

I've always been fascinated by financial markets and that passion has fueled my Wealth Advisory practice for more than 30 years.

My financial services career began as an investment analyst in Bank of America’s World Banking Division. It was a job that came naturally to me because international economics and foreign markets have been firing my imagination since high school when I moved to what is now Croatia for a year with my father who was stationed there with the UN.

Since I became a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley’s predecessor firm in 1985, I’ve incorporated international investments into my clients’ portfolio strategies. As markets are complex, influenced by trends and events that aren’t always reported here, I realized full-time investment managers concentrating in these areas would provide my clients with a greater opportunity for success.

I earned the prestigious Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation via the Wharton School of Senior Consultant credential through Morgan Stanley to help me go beyond investment performance when evaluating managers for my clients’ portfolios.

Personal Experience:

While living abroad, I discovered the Baha’i Faith with its emphasis on the unity of mankind and elimination of prejudice worldwide. I currently serve as Chairperson of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Burlingame.

On a less spiritual note, I’m a past president of the Burlingame Lions Club, and I’ve run the Lions Basketball Tournament for the past 25 years to fund athletics at Burlingame High School. In addition, I coached my kids’ basketball teams for eight years while they were young and served on the Board of the Burlingame Library Foundation.

I’m a graduate of The University of Maryland with a BA in Economics. I also received an MA in Business Economics from The University of California, Santa Barbara. My wife Shirin and I have four grown children who live all over the country since graduating from college. Shirin and I reside in Burlingame.
Securities Agent: NM, SC, HI, SD, CT, OR, GA, CA, VA, TX, MA, ID, DC, AZ, TN, MI, NY, WA, NC, CO; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative; Transactional Futures/Commodities; Managed Futures
NMLS#: 1279153
CA Insurance License #: 0A10376

About Nick Scott

Nick is most likely the first person you talk to when calling our office. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2021 and brings his nine years of experience having previously served in a variety of roles at Edward Jones and at Wells Fargo.

Nick is the relationship manager for our practice. He has a natural desire to want to help people, an attention to detail, excellent listening skills and strong empathy which is what drives his relationships. He provides clients with a wide variety of services designed to enhance their satisfaction and simplify their financial lives.

Nick is a Sacramento native and a graduate from Sac State. In his free time, you can find Nick bowling, playing golf, watching the Sacramento Kings, studying for his CFP or spending time with his family and friends.

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 Wendy Fortenberry

Wendy Fortenberry is a Private Banker serving Morgan Stanley Wealth Management offices in San Francisco, California and Hawaii.

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.

Wendy began her career in financial services in 2001, and joined Morgan Stanley in 2015 as a Private Banker. Prior to joining the firm, she was a Wealth Management Banker at Merrill Lynch.

Wendy is a graduate of San Diego State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. She lives in the Bay Area. Outside of the office, Wendy enjoys attending professional baseball games & performing arts events as well as spending time with family and friends.
NMLS#: 637424

About Brent Curlow

Brent Curlow is a Vice President and Financial Planning Director serving Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management offices in San Francisco and Hawaii. He is responsible for helping Financial Advisors with their clients’ and prospects’ financial planning needs.

Brent began his career in financial services in 2003, and joined Morgan Stanley in 2022. Prior to his current position, he worked at First Hawaiian Bank as an Investment Services Analyst.

Brent graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation and is a CFA charter holder . Brent lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife, Helen. Outside of work, Brent volunteers as Social Chair for CFA Hawaii and Board Director for Financial Planning Association of Hawaii.
Wealth Management
Global Investment Office

Portfolio Insights

Investing

Working closely with you to guide your wealth and investments through the most challenging market cycles.
  • Asset Management
  • Wealth Planning
  • Traditional Investments
  • Alternative Investments
  • Impact Investing
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2025 Global Economic Outlook: U.S. Policies May Temper Global Growth

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Retirement

Working with you to understand your life goals and develop a personalized wealth strategy. Today and for the years to come.
  • 401(k) Rollovers
  • IRA Plans
  • Retirement income strategies
  • Retirement plan participants
  • Annuities
4 Financially Smart Ways to Take Money Out of Retirement Accounts
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4 Financially Smart Ways to Take Money Out of Retirement Accounts

Discover how planning for required minimum distributions from retirement accounts can help you fund future needs and support loved ones.

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
Are You Prepared for Tax Day?
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Are You Prepared for Tax Day?

The countdown to Tax Day has begun. Here are some strategies to consider as the deadline approaches.

Business Planning

Helping you on key aspects of your business such as ownership, liquidity and developing opportunities.
  • Succession Planning
  • Business Planning
  • Qualified Retirement Plans
Financial Planning for Life After Selling a Business
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Financial Planning for Life After Selling a Business

Selling your business can mean big changes for your life, both personally and financially. Know how to make the most of your windfall.

Philanthropy

Making sure your philanthropic dollars are managed with the same high quality service as the rest of your wealth.
  • Endowments
  • Foundations
  • Donor Advised Funds
  • Impact Investing
Donor Advised Funds: A Smart Way to Manage Your Giving 
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Donor Advised Funds: A Smart Way to Manage Your Giving 

There’s more to charitable giving than you may realize. Here’s one method that may be a tax-efficient way to give and can help maximize your impact.
Ready to start a conversation? Contact The Coleman Group today.
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1Morgan 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.

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2Morgan 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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3Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC does not accept appointments nor will it act as a trustee but it will provide access to trust services through an appropriate third-party corporate trustee.
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 and other legal matters.

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4When 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.

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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)