The Fulcrum New York Group at Morgan Stanley

Bob began his career as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley over 30 years ago after graduating from the University of Richmond in Virginia. Along with fellow Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor, Tom Poteat, Bob co-founded the Fulcrum New York Group at Morgan Stanley to harness the full resources of the firm. As a Senior Portfolio Management Director and Family Wealth Advisor, Bob works with High-Net-Worth Families to develop, implement and monitor tailored investment strategies designed to achieve a client’s goals.

Bob is married to his high school sweetheart and lives with his two children in his hometown in Connecticut. He has served as a coach in both little league baseball and youth soccer for his two children. He supports many local charities and is an active member of his local Exchange Club where he serves on the Grants and Donations Committee. Additionally, Bob is a strong supporter of the University of Richmond and serves on the Alumni Recruitment Committee, the College Fair Committee and previously served on the 25th Reunion Committee. Bob previously served as a Board Member and Ski Instructor for the Bart Adaptive Sport Center, an organization that teaches adults and children with disabilities to ski at both Bromley Mountain and Stratton Mountain in Vermont.

Tom started his financial career in 1996 at Dean Witter Trust, and soon became a financial Advisor at Oppenheimer.  At Oppenheimer, he was introduced to Managed Money or working with private asset managers.  He was recruited to Laidlaw Global Securities to create and build an asset management division. In April of 1999, Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley) recruited Tom to improve and build upon their financial planning process. This has become the backbone to Tom’s planning process.

His thorough understanding of corporate stock options along with retirement income planning enables him to build balanced portfolios by using a blend of many asset classes including stocks and bonds. Tom believes it is thrill to help corporate executives put together a tax efficient strategy to reduce exposure to concentrated stock positions.

He is involved with the following organizations: NestUSA.org, Central Park, and GLAAD.  Tom formerly served on the advisory board of NestUSA.org which provides free software to improve English literacy for grades K-3.

Tom earned his Bachelor’s of Science from College of Charleston with a minor in French.  In 1995, after college, he moved to NYC without a job, a place to live or ever visiting the city.  Essentially, he loaded up the U-Haul and moved to NYC to see the world.  While most people would view this as a big risk, Tom would argue that the real risk was not taking the risk.  New York City has been his personal MBA program in food, culture and work experience.

Tom resides in Midtown Manhattan. He likes to spend his time reading science fiction, seeing plays, movies and enjoys Citi-biking around town.  In the summer, he plays softball with the Big Apple Softball League.


“My relationships with clients over the years have been phenomenal… watching families grow up and helping them achieve their financial goals.  I enjoy helping and teaching clients about finance.  I have always encouraged my clients to ask questions no matter what, it is the best way to learn.  Our balance based approach has helped clients navigate and weather these financial storms.”  - Tom P.

Irene Chuce assists Financial Advisors and Clients with Administrative and Operational Support and is responsible for The Fulcrum New York Group's day-to-day business operations.

Irene Chuce joined Morgan Stanley as a Client Service Associate in 2005. Fluent in Spanish and English, Irene assists financial advisors and clients with administrative, operational support, and digital engagement. In her free time, Irene enjoys spending time with her son, cooking, baking, reading, or watching films.