Working With The Cortex Group at Morgan Stanley

Personalized. Global. Uncompromising.
Founded in Miami, The Cortex Group at Morgan Stanley delivers sophisticated, high-touch wealth management tailored to the needs of global families, C-suite executives, business owners and entrepreneurs. With deep experience in international wealth, alternative investments, and multi-generational planning, we are committed to helping build legacies of excellence across borders, across decades and across generations.

Our Family Office Approach
Every client is a world of their own, with distinct ambitions and opportunities. That's why we take a consultative, family office approach — offering institutional-caliber solutions with boutique-level precision. Our strategies are bespoke, crafted to reflect both the full complexity of your financial landscape and the full breadth of our team's collective experience.

Designed for Global Wealth, Our Designations Include:

  • Family Wealth Director (designation held by 4% of MS advisors nationwide)
  • Alternative Investment Directors
  • Dedicated Professionals in Fixed Income and Options
  • Elite Operations Team Committed to Seamless Execution and Superlative Service
  • Fluency In Spanish, Portuguese and English

We Are Our Clients' Right Hand
At The Cortex Group, we are more than advisors — we are your right hand, guiding you through every financial decision at every stage of life. While technology enhances communication, nothing replaces personal connection. That's why we travel to meet clients wherever they are, ensuring a concierge-level of face-to-face service that has become all too rare in today's world.

Let's build a strategy as ambitious as your aspirations.
For a second opinion about your current investments or to talk about your goals, please call us at (305) 533-5413.

Services Include
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

The Cortex Group Client Journey

At The Cortex Group, our process is built around a deep understanding of your financial ecosystem, a commitment to seamless execution, and a relentless focus on your most important life goals.
    Step 1: Strategic Discovery
    We begin with an in-depth discovery process, gaining a comprehensive understanding of your financial picture, priorities, and ambitions. This isn’t just about assets — it’s about how you see the future and what financial success means to you. Through this process, we identify gaps, uncover opportunities, and start crafting a tailored strategy to help move you toward the future you envision.
    Step 2: Institutional-Grade Investment Strategy
    With your objectives in focus, we then craft a sophisticated investment strategy tailored to the full scope of your needs. Our approach leverages proprietary research, access to exclusive Morgan Stanley opportunities, and advanced asset allocation strategies. Our goal is to help ensure that every decision is made with clarity, precision, and a long-term perspective — helping to mitigate risks while still aiming to help enhance returns.
    Step 3: Commitment & Transition
    After our review, we determine collectively if we are the right long-term fit to best serve your financial future. If we decide to move forward together, our team gets right to work, orchestrating every detail of the transition with precision and discretion. From consolidating accounts to structuring reporting and capital movements — we strive for a seamless onboarding experience that will establish the foundation for an enduring partnership built on trust and alignment.
    Step 4: Client Review & Check-in
    We understand that transitioning financial relationships can feel complex — managing capital flows, consolidating accounts, and navigating new structures. That’s why as we implement your new financial structure, we provide an in-depth review to help ensure you have full visibility and clarity on every aspect of your finances — reporting, account access, and portfolio oversight.
    Step 5: Ongoing Progress
    True wealth management is not static. Through regular strategy sessions, we proactively adapt your plan to evolving market conditions, regulatory shifts, and personal priorities. Whether it's structuring liquidity for private investments, refining multi-generational estate plans, or optimizing tax efficiency — we strive to remain ahead of the curve to help you financially prepare for whatever the future brings.

Case Studies

At The Cortex Group, you’ll find a refreshing alternative to conventional wealth management practices. Our global perspectives, cutting-edge resources, and “client-first/client-always” philosophy distinguish us within a crowded industry — helping us to craft solutions that not only meet but exceed the complex needs of ultra-high net worth families and individuals. Below are just a few examples:
Case Study 1: A Global Approach To Tax-Efficiency
In the wake of a significant liquidity event, a family approached us as they began allocating capital. They were strong advocates of index investing but had not considered the full tax implications of their approach. So when we introduced them to a unique offshore vehicle within the Morgan Stanley platform that would allow them to help reduce their tax burden on both gains and income — they were thrilled. By restructuring their investments through this vehicle, they were able to maintain their investment strategy while helping to mitigate after-tax consequences, ultimately helping to preserve more capital for future growth.
Case Study 2: Selling a Business, Building a Legacy
Family and money is always a delicate balance, but in a multi-generation family business — that balance becomes an art. After giving our clients guidance ahead of the sale of their business, the immediate post-sale challenge was how to sustain the windfall. With multiple family members relying on the proceeds as income, we knew a long-term strategy needed to address both income generation and risk mitigation. However, as with many multi-generational families, internal family dynamics posed a challenge. Tensions arose regarding how assets should be divided and allocated. To avoid the kinds of conflicts that can tear families apart, we leveraged Morgan Stanley’s family office professionals to help establish best practices, manage disagreements, and set clear guidelines for the future. Bottom line: Our approach not only provided a road map to help avoid friction, it created a unified vision for the family’s legacy. Your customized asset allocation reflects risk, opportunities and taxation across multiple entities, while integrating your investing and estate plans.
Case Study 3: Accessing Liquidity Without Sacrificing Strategy
The challenge of liquidity is not just about access to funds — it’s about access on your terms. For one client with substantial illiquid assets, we had to think outside-the-box, leveraging structured solutions that would enable the client to access liquidity while helping to mitigate potential tax consequences in the year of liquidation. This strategic move allowed them to address short-term needs without sacrificing the integrity of their long-term financial plan.

4 Pillars of Excellence

At The Cortex Group, our core pillars define our culture of excellence and empower us to deliver an elite service for every client. For every decision. Every day. Our 4 Core Pillars include:
1. Intellect
Nothing about ultra-high-net-worth is simple. By combining industry-leading designations with deep firsthand experience, we bring the kind of sharp, analytical perspectives that help make your financial decisions more straightforward.
2. Energy
Excellence requires action. That’s why we are proactive, engaged, and relentless in our pursuit of results. For ultra-high-net-worth families, this means more than just financial oversight — it means consistent communication, in-person availability, and a seamless client experience.
3. Integrity
Your interests come first. Always. We are uncompromising and unwavering in our commitment to transparency, discretion, and ethical decision-making. We aim to earn your trust day after day, through actions big and small.
4. Access
Our deep relationships span the highest levels of the industry, including Morgan Stanley’s senior leadership in New York. This helps our clients gain access to resources and capabilities that others simply don’t know to pursue.

Multigenerational Wealth

For many of our clients, family is everything. That's why we believe multigenerational wealth management should be about more than just the preservation of assets — it should also be about the continuity of legacy, values, and vision.

A Prestigious Designation For Exceptional Families.
With a prestigious Family Wealth Director on our team, we are committed to providing families with the highest level of guidance to address both the financial and relational complexities inherent to ultra-high net worth legacies. From navigating succession planning amid competing family interests to structuring philanthropic initiatives that align with family values — we take a comprehensive approach. We also collaborate closely with our clients' attorneys and accountants to help seamlessly manage diverse assets and integrate every aspect of their wealth strategy.

Navigating Global Wealth With Precision.
For international families in particular, navigating tax-efficiency while investing in US markets can be critical. That's why we offer product and service-specific solutions designed to help families manage cross-border challenges, all while being mindful of cultural nuances. Our experience is particularly valuable in helping bridge the gap between more traditional investment methods in other markets and the innovative strategies available here.

At The Heart Of Our Work Is Family Governance.
Whether it's a patriarch steering the ship or a diverse family with multiple voices — we have the resources at Morgan Stanley to help families develop structured approaches to decision-making so that each generation has clarity on their roles and responsibilities. This is especially important as the next generation steps into leadership roles, often with a different set of experiences and expectations. Leveraging Morgan Stanley's Family Governance professionals, we provide tools and frameworks that help ensure legacies are respected, stewarded, and amplified across generations.

Location

200 S Biscayne Blvd
Ste 1100
Miami, FL 33131
US
Direct:
(305) 533-5413(305) 533-5413

Meet The Cortex Group

Photo of Jorge Morasso

Jorge Morasso

Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor
Phone:
(305) 533-5311(305) 533-5311
Photo of Alan Shlesinger

Alan Shlesinger

First Vice President, Financial Advisor, Alternative Investments Director
Phone:
(305) 533-5413(305) 533-5413
Photo of Carlos Rodriguez

Carlos Rodriguez

First Vice President, Financial Advisor
Phone:
(305) 533-5339(305) 533-5339
Photo of Marianne M. Arguelles

Marianne M. Arguelles

Client Service Associate
Phone:
(305) 347-2085(305) 347-2085
Photo of Rosalia Fontanals

Rosalia Fontanals

Client Service Associate
Phone:
(305) 714-7257(305) 714-7257

About Jorge Morasso

MBA University of Michigan
B.A. American University
2014-present: Morgan Stanley
2005-2014 Espirito Santo Bank
1998-2005 Charles Schwab
Securities Agent: SD, DE, AZ, PA, NJ, GA, FL, SC, PR, NY, MA, IL, CT, CA, TX, OR, MD; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1764846

About Alan Shlesinger

B.A. Bentley College
2010-present: Morgan Stanley
2008-2010: Barclays Wealth
2006-2008: Lehman Brothers
Securities Agent: IL, AZ, MD, MA, PR, GA, SC, PA, NJ, DE, SD, OR, CT, TX, FL, CA, NY; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative; Transactional Futures/Commodities; Managed Futures
NMLS#: 2278347

About Carlos Rodriguez

B.A. University of Miami
2014- present: Morgan Stanley
2011-2014: Espirito Santo Bank
Securities Agent: SD, NJ, CT, PR, FL, DE, PA, CA, AZ, TX, OR, NY, MD, IL, GA, SC, MA; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1760545
Wealth Management
Global Investment Office

Portfolio Insights

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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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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
Learn More about Family
Teaching Your Teenagers About Money
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Teaching Your Teenagers About Money

As your children grow into young adults, you can help them learn how to manage their own finances. Here’s how to go about it.

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
Learn More about Retirement
A Simple Six-Step Retirement Checkup
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A Simple Six-Step Retirement Checkup

Checking in on your retirement plan may make a lot of sense, especially when market volatility arises.

Business Planning

Helping you on key aspects of your business such as ownership, liquidity and developing opportunities.
  • Succession Planning
  • Business Planning
  • Qualified Retirement Plans
Learn More about Business Planning
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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
Learn More about Philanthropy
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 Cortex 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.
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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2Morgan 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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3Alternative 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.

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4Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on your specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for you. Please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC program disclosure brochure (the “Morgan Stanley ADV”) for more information in the investment advisory programs available. The Morgan Stanley ADV is available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.

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5Fixed Income investing entails credit risks and interest rate risks. When interest rates rise, bond prices generally fall.

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6Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services.

Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

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7Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or 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 legal matters.

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8Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or 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 legal matters.

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9Morgan 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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10Morgan 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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11Products and services are provided by third party service providers, not Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”). Morgan Stanley may not receive a referral fee or have any input concerning such products or services. There may be additional service providers for comparative purposes. Please perform a thorough due diligence and make your own independent decision.
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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Awards Disclosures
CRC 6491812 (04/2024)