The Gillespie Group at Morgan Stanley

Jim is a Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley having joined Smith Barney, now Morgan Stanley, in 1969. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University. Jim managed money through Black Monday in 1974; the 1967-1984 market demise; 1997 financial crises; 2000-2003 dot-com bubble; 9/11 attacks; and the 2010 Flash Crash (the Gillespie Group was buying).  Jim is married to Judy with six children, all of whom are perfect.

Charities, Committees, Etc:
∙ Director, Luminarts Cultural Foundation Board Member, 1992-present, grants and scholarships for youth in music performance, visual arts, music composition (founder), creative writing (founder), jazz improvisation (founder), Meet the Winners (founder), many offices including President 2011-2012
∙ Chair of Union League (C&AF) Investment and Finance Committees for over 10 years
∙ Director, Executive VP, Secretary and Sponsor Chairman for Park Ridge Baseball/Softball, 1990-2012, Chair of Health & Safety Committee, 2007-2012
∙ Chairman (bandleader) Union League Club Jazz Union, 1997-present
∙ Member, Park Ridge Country Club, 1980-present
∙ Founder, Young Persons Tour of Financial Institutions, 1986-present
∙ Founder, Mary Seat of Wisdom Speech Contest, 1996-present
∙ Member of the Union League Club, 1984-present
∙ Member of the Union League Club Art Committee, 1998- 2005
∙ Member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians. 1957-present, Lifetime Member of AFL-CIO, AFM (American Federation of Musicians)
Hobbies:
∙ Music- classical, jazz, country, commissioned original compositions by Bob Ojeda
∙ Creative writing- short story writing, annual Family anthology (1996-present), family histories, poetry. Published play: With a Little Help from My Friends, a play about William Shakespeare. Two books—“Keys to Successful Societies” on the concurrence of improvisational art forms and ethnic diversity in successful innovative societies.
∙ Family vacations, water and snow skiing, and fishing
∙ Art Institute of Chicago Travel Groups, Chicago Symphony
∙ Gourmet food, art collecting, purchases living Chicago artists including Wesley Willis
∙ Inner-city youth baseball manager (Pilsen) 2002-2007
Awards:
∙ Inspire the Future Award from Cubs Care for work in the Hispanic community, Wrigley Field, September 14, 2006
∙ Fox Valley Investment Club, 30 years of Service Award, 1997
∙ Union League Club, Presidential Service Award, Jazz Union Chairman, 2002
∙ Smith Barney, Directors Council, 1986-present
∙ Chicago 502, Jazz Union Service Award, 2006
∙ John Phillip Sousa Award, Notre Dame High School, 1960
∙ Coach of the Year, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs, 2006
∙ Judy and Jim Honorees at Annual Civic and Arts Ball, Union League Club, 2012
∙ Judy and Jim featured in ‘State of the Union’, publication of Union League Club, Winter 2012

Since 2002, he has focused on multigenerational wealth management issues for the Gillespie Group’s affluent clientele at Morgan Stanley. He is dedicated to helping the next generation understand and embrace the stock market and invest their 401(k)s and personal holdings; while at the same time, providing our clients with holistic and in-depth reviews of their outside holdings (401(k)s, 403(b)s, brokerage accounts, etc.) Benjamin graduated from the FAA program in 2008 with top accolades of the pace-setters club, holding his Series 7, 63 and 66. He earned a Bachelor of Science from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Ben is married and the father of three young boys. He is a sailor, windsurfer, kayaker and enjoys cooking; financial books and podcasts fill his weekend. He is dedicated to portfolio management, listening to the daily morning research call, attending analyst meetings and stock research conferences, all help him grow and deepen his understanding of investments.

Jerry Gillespie is a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Management Director with the Gillespie Group at Morgan Stanley. Headquartered inside the historical Willis Tower building in the heart of Chicago’s financial district, Jerry brings his 20 years of experience in the Wealth Management Industry to serve his clients’ needs. Jerry has been with Morgan Stanley (Formerly Smith Barney) since 2006 and has developed an advanced knowledge base in: equities, fixed income, alternatives, cash flow, retirement planning, college savings, and gifting. He specializes in helping clients through the wealth accumulation and distribution phases of their life.

Jerry grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois and graduated from Loyola Academy in 1999. Throughout high school & college Jerry performed in most of the high school plays, took classes, and performed at Second City.

Jerry attended DePaul University and as a Junior was accepted into the study abroad program, Semester at Sea, circumnavigating the globe and visiting 11 countries in three and a half months. This experience really gave Jerry a unique perspective of the world and was introduced to a variety of cultures. After graduating in 2004 with a degree in Business Management, he taught English in Japan (near Osaka) in 2005 to children for one year prior to joining the Gillespie Group in 2006.

Jerry holds the Series 7 & 66 licenses and is also registered for Life, Health, and Accidental Insurance. Jerry is married to his wife Julie and resides with his four boys (Bailey, Tyler, Logan & Dylan) in Arlington Heights. When Jerry isn’t helping clients plan for the future you can typically find him volunteering with Cubs Scouts, Little League Baseball, Football or Basketball, and filling in wherever a local organization needs help.

Nancy has been helping investors with their wealth management needs for 35 years. She joined the Gillespie Group in 1990, earning a reputation for providing clients with professional and dependable service. Nancy supports clients with a broad range of account services including account initiation, paperwork, and transactions. She works closely with clients' attorneys to coordinate mutual efforts on estate and trust accounts. Nancy holds her Series 7 and 63 licenses and is the Gillespie Group's master trouble-shooter.

Nancy and her husband John live in Orland Park with their two children. Her hobbies are gardening, cooking and enjoying time with family and friends.

Clare has been dedicated to providing top service to our clients since joining the Gillespie Group in 2011. She is fully registered and holds her Series 7 and 66 licenses.

Clare grew up in San Francisco and Winnetka and graduated from Lake Forest College with a B.A. in Biology. During this time, she operated her own organic dog treat business, selling at farmers markets and local pet boutiques, as well as spent five years as a lifeguard and manager at the Winnetka lakefront.

Clare lives across the street from the beach in Evanston with her fiancé, Adam, labradoodle, Gracie and two cats, Darwin and Cooper. She enjoys perfecting her gourmet cooking skills, both in the kitchen and on the smoker, and socializing with friends and her mom and sister over craft cocktails. She has always been interested in genealogical research and sleuthing, and loves taking vacations that have historical stories to uncover and experience.

Alin joined Morgan Stanley in 2020 as an Intern, transitioned into the CSA program, and became a Registered Associate. She holds her Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Before joining the team, Alin interned at an Art Auction House after completing her Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art.

Alin was born in China and moved to the US in middle school. She lived in Virginia, North Carolina, and New York before finally settling in Chicago. Outside of work, Alin enjoys painting, art, and getting involved in her church community. She also enjoys spending time with her parents and 8-year old dog.

Kyle Buchbach is an Assistant Vice President Wealth Management Analyst with The Gillespie Group at Morgan Stanley in Chicago. Approaching 10 years of industry experience and backed with a diverse skillset, Kyle is eager to help clients simplify and overcome the complex financial challenges inherent to retirement as well as other major life events.

After graduating from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Kyle began his career as an Advisor with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He later took an Investment Consultant position at Fidelity Investments to focus on portfolio construction, retirement planning, and building customized financial plans. In 2018, he joined an institutional equity sales and trading team at Morgan Stanley where he delivered a global suite of research products to large institutional clients and their investment committees. This opportunity is how he was introduced to The Gillespie Group, and thankfully, he forged a mutually beneficial relationship.

His primary focus within the team is to help guide clients through each stage of their retirement with confidence and clarity. To accomplish this, he works with clients to assemble personalized financial plans that account for everything from tax mitigation and asset allocation to education and estate planning. While planning remains the backbone of Kyle’s wealth management approach, he also offers an intimate knowledge of equities, fixed income, alternative investments, real estate, private equity, insurance products, syndicate offerings, and liquidity strategies or lending products.

Kyle grew up in Frankfurt, Illinois, but spent time living in both Naperville and Deerfield before ultimately laying down some roots in Indiana. Kyle now resides in Saint John about thirty miles outside of Chicago with his wife and their two young daughters and two dogs. Outside the office, quality time with family is his top priority. He and his wife also support several local charities and participate in Lasagna Love where they provide homemade meal delivery to families in need. Additionally, Kyle helps volunteer at WITS (Working in the Schools) where he helps educate underprivileged Chicago Public School students through tutoring. He was also recognized multiple times by Morgan Stanley management and invited to attend the Great Lakes Region Exploring Leadership Conference. Kyle also enjoys spending time with friends, a good culinary experience, and being at the lake as he was on the Illini Waterski Team during his time at Illinois