Our Story and Services

To understand our group, it’s imperative to know who we are, what we believe and how we practice our craft.

To begin, there’s no algorithm. There’s no overreliance on technology. There’s no proprietary investment product invented by people whom you’ll never meet.

Rather, The Harbor Group is a small team of seasoned investment professionals who have dedicated their careers to serving the needs of individual investors. We do this by crafting customized investment solutions based on your particular situation and long-term objectives. We prefer to serve our clients under the Investment Advisor Act of 1940, which, among other things, means that we act as a fiduciary at all times. Beyond that, we have never—and will never—lose sight that the decisions we help our clients make may have a profound and lasting impact on their lives. A sobering thought.

Our process begins with a conversation in which you’ll do most of the talking—and we’ll do most of the listening. Typically, our clients are asking a somewhat abstract question: “Am I going to be alright?” Everything we do is an attempt to answer that question in the affirmative. Ultimately, it drives us. For those who aren’t concerned about their future today, we ask how they might feel a year from now. Unexpected life events can dramatically alter the financial path for those who aren’t prepared.

Only when we have a clear, incisive understanding of who you are and what you wish to achieve, we’ll craft a plan and lay the groundwork for what will hopefully ensure a favorable outcome for you.

Yet, a plan is not a process. Our belief is that no investment strategy exists in a vacuum, and we need to adapt your plan within the ultimate context in which it’s constructed. Namely, your life.

Toward that end, a principal of Harbor meets with every client on a periodic basis to review progress, and make modifications based on market factors and your evolving life. If you’re unable to meet with us in our offices in Garden City, Long Island, or in Morgan Stanley’s conference center in Manhattan, we’ll come to you. We also welcome the opportunity to confer with your other trusted advisors to better ensure all components of your financial world are working together for you. If you prefer, we’ll even meet jointly in person with you and your advisors.

The Harbor Group. We listen. We care. It's who we are.
Services Include
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

Our Process

Our individualized wealth management approach focuses on you, your family and your career – where you are today and where you want to go. Working together, we develop the strategies to help get you there, navigating life’s challenges and helping you make more informed decisions about your wealth. Our experience, dedication, and passion for finance aids you in paving your way to financial freedom.
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    1.Starting the Conversation
    We begin with an informal conversation to understand your financial concerns and determine how we can add value. If we all agree to move forward, we’ll schedule our next meeting and request important financial information.
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    2. Exploring What Matters Most to You
    Let's keep going... by fostering an in-depth conversation, we can learn about the values that shape your decisions and identify any unique circumstances you have.
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    3. Crafting Your Customized Investment Plan
    You expressed your needs, now let's implement a strategic plan. Here, we utilize proprietary financial planning tools to develop a personalized and detailed plan with recommendations to help you grow, preserve and transfer your wealth.
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    4. Putting Your Plan in Action
    In this step, we present appropriate strategies that are designed to work together to achieve your goals. Upon your approval, we will open new accounts for you at Morgan Stanley and initiate my investment recommendations. We will also begin to implement other strategies we’ve discussed. These often encompass tax minimization strategies, as well as risk management and estate planning techniques.
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    5. Building a Lasting Relationship
    We take genuine interest in the well-being of my clients. Going, beyond simply being a service provider to being a holistic advisor, we focus on developing a relationship that provides special value to you and your family. As we begin to execute each strategy, we'll set up tools, so you have immediate access to your account information. And because markets and personal needs evolve over time, we will coordinate ongoing meetings to ensure your plan remains on schedule to achieve your goals.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

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    Cash Management
    Cash management refers to the process of managing your cash flow inflows and outflows. Sound cash management is conducive to financial stability, and developing these habits can benefit you the rest of your life.
    Create a Budget in Five Steps>>
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    Job Transitions
    Whether you leave an employer voluntarily or experience a layoff, the transition to a new job or career can be stressful and difficult to navigate with many factors to consider.
    Determining the Costs of a Career Change>>
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    Employee Benefits
    Employee benefits encompass a range of perks including retirement plans, insurance, stock options and profit-sharing. It can be difficult to understand your employee benefits and derive the most value from them. But, for your long-term financial health, it’s critical to do so.
    Maximizing Your Plan Benefits>>
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    IRA Rollovers
    IRAs offer much flexibility. But you need to be careful about how and when you move your IRA. You may be subject to higher taxes along with penalties if you don’t abide by the rules governing IRAs.
    IRS Guide to IRA Rollovers and Distributions>>
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    Estate Planning
    Estate planning goes beyond establishing a will. It involves comprehensive planning that may help protect your assets, minimize your taxes, avoid probate proceedings, accomplish your philanthropic goals and prevent hardship for your heirs. Perhaps most importantly, it puts you in control.
    Estate Planning Essentials: Seven Key Steps>>
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    Insurance
    Insurance can play a key role in your overall financial strategy by helping to preserve your wealth and mitigate risks. Whether you’re considering life, health, auto, homeowners, property, disability, long-term care, liability, commercial or other types of insurance, it’s important to choose your coverages wisely to ensure they align with your needs.
    Insurance Overview>>

Welcome to Life Navigator - Your Guide to Success

At The Harbor Group, our objective is to assist our clients in maneuvering through various life events. We provide an extensive collection of resources and materials that cover a diverse range of life events and milestones you may encounter.
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    Birth
    The arrival of a new child is a moment of great celebration for the entire family, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other extended relatives. As a reliable consultant to our clients, we play a vital role in guiding you through the financial aspects that come with a new child. From budgeting for childbirth, adoption, or surrogacy expenses to preparing for unforeseen medical costs, understanding gift tax laws, and planning for child care and educational expenses, we are here to assist you every step of the way.
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    Education
    For most of our clients, education is a significant investment that demands meticulous and long-term planning. With the rising costs of education across primary, undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, we can assist you in developing funding strategies tailored to your specific needs. From tuition fees to extension programs and advanced professional training, we can help you navigate the various educational expenses to ensure that you are financially prepared for the future.
    Click here for more information on preparing for educational expenses
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    Marriage
    Few events are as exhilarating as when our clients decide to unite their lives with their beloved partner. However, before tying the knot, there are several conversations you and your partner should have, with one of the most important being about finances - how you will earn, save, spend, and invest money. Moreover, helping fund a wedding for your son or daughter is a goal for many parents (and grandparents). As your financial advisor, we can play a pivotal role in helping you plan for these momentous occasions and guiding your discussions.
    Click here to explore essential questions to ask your partner before committing by
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    Business/Work
    Our clients often have intricate business arrangements, ranging from executive-level employment to diverse investment portfolios that encompass startups and established enterprises. As their trusted financial advisor, we assume a crucial role in guiding them through the intricacies of business ownership, investment, and related activities, such as divesting, selling, or planning for succession.

    Our interactions with clients usually fall into three primary categories:

    - Launching a business
    - Financing a business
    - Exiting a business
    Click here to learn more about building a startup
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    Caregiving
    As retirees are living longer, healthcare costs are also increasing, especially for those who require long-term care. Caring for oneself or a loved one can be a financial strain on families, making it important to consider the necessary steps to plan and prepare for such circumstances. By understanding the options available, you can ensure that you and your loved ones receive the best possible care while also protecting your financial wellbeing. Learn more about the moves you can make to help prepare yourself for the potential financial impacts of caregiving and rising healthcare costs.
    Click here to learn more
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    Death
    Dealing with the loss of a loved one is an emotionally trying time, and it can be made even more difficult by the legal matters that require immediate attention, such as administering the estate. While it may be challenging to discuss estate planning due to the heartache it may bring, addressing it promptly is crucial to save both time and money, and to minimize family conflict or confusion.

    In the absence of a will, also known as intestacy, the state determines how the deceased’s assets will be distributed, which may not align with the family’s wishes. The legal proceedings that follow can also be a painful and costly experience for the family.

    We firmly believe that it is better to plan ahead and ensure that your wishes and will are followed rather than dealing with the consequences of a reactive approach. Proactively approaching estate planning as a family is key to safeguarding your legacy and protecting your loved ones.
    Click here to learn more

Personalized Solutions

Our team believes we best serve our clients when we work in conjunction with their other trusted advisors. Doing so can improve their immediate and long-term financial well-being, as well as relieve the burden of needing to coordinate communications among their advisors.

If you’re a CPA or attorney with whom we share a mutual client, we encourage you to have a conversation with us about developing a professional relationship that could benefit the client. Additionally, if you’re interested, we could explore a peer-to-peer, revenue-sharing program offered by Morgan Stanley that may add value to your existing client relationships, expand your offerings, strengthen your client retention efforts and enhance your market competitiveness.

Please reach out to Michael Cohen at (516) 683-3165 or Michael.J.Cohen@morganstanley.com for more information.

Location

1200 Franklin Avenue 2nd
Fl
Garden City, NY 11530
US
Direct:
(516) 683-3165(516) 683-3165
Toll-Free:
(866) 299-8257(866) 299-8257

Meet The Harbor Group

About Paul Skydell

Paul Skydell has been helping individual investors achieve their goals for three and a half decades. At The Harbor Group, he is responsible for all fixed income investing, primarily utilizing U.S. government bonds, agency paper and municipal bonds. In addition, he closely collaborates on all customized client portfolio solutions with partner, Harold Cohen.

He began his career at Butcher and Singer, Inc. in Philadelphia, training under the firm’s chief technical analysts, serving the fixed income needs of small-to-mid-sized pensions, primarily in the healthcare field.

In 1990, he was recruited by Hartford-based Advest, Inc., and in 1993, was elected to the firm’s board of directors, then the youngest person to have served in that capacity. At Advest, the foundational plans for what is today The Harbor Group were formed.

In 2005, Advest, Inc. was acquired by Merrill Lynch. Prior to closing, Paul shifted Harbor’s affiliation to UBS Financial Services. In 2011, Harbor joined Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, where it resides today.

Active philanthropy is an important part of Paul’s life. As such, he chairs his family’s private foundation, which is dedicated to solving food security issues in his home state of Maine. In addition, he is a Corporator of Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick, Maine, and a Director of Trout Unlimited’s Cold Water Conservation Fund, which applies techniques normally associated with private equity investing to conservation projects nationally.

An avid fly fisherman when not working, he can be found stalking the elusive bonefish in the Bahamas, or chasing big trout while camping in an Airstream trailer in the wilds of Montana. He is the Secretary of The Anglers’ Club of New York, a member of The Flyfishers’ of London, and a member of The Lotos Club. Paul divides time between residences in Bath, Maine and Manhattan.

Paul is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.
Securities Agent: OR, IL, FL, KS, CT, VA, NH, IN, DC, AR, AL, MN, IA, AZ, CA, ME, GA, TX, NY, NJ, MD, MA, SC, RI, PA, NM, NC, CO; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1272959

About Harold Cohen

Harold Cohen has been solving complex investment problems for large corporations and individuals for close to 40 years. Today he is responsible for all equity investing at The Harbor Group, including overseeing the relationships with, and due diligence on, the equity managers utilized to help Harbor’s clients achieve their financial goals. In addition, he oversees all client portfolio analysis and projections.

After being awarded his CPA, Harold began his career in the consulting division of Deloitte & Touche. He spent the next decade traveling the country on a multitude of assignments, primarily helping to rehabilitate companies which were in danger of foundering. His work with distressed companies gave him the ability to analyze a set of numbers and convert them to a real life action plan leading to a successful outcome.

In 1998, with a growing family, and a desire to not travel three to four thousand miles per week, he was recruited by Paul Skydell to form what is today The Harbor Group. Over the past twenty plus years, working with individuals, as opposed to corporate entities and boards, has been extraordinarily gratifying for him.

When not at work, Harold is a voracious reader of books on American and European history, which allows him to travel to far off places in both location and time without having to get on a plane, of which he has had enough.

Harold enjoys time spent with his sons and wife of 35 years, Peri. He resides in Hewlett Harbor, New York.

Harold is a graduate of Hofstra University.
Securities Agent: AR, MD, AZ, AL, IL, PA, ME, TX, NJ, FL, NY, NH, CA, VA, NM, NC, IN, OR, MN, MA, KS, IA, CT, RI, GA, DC, CO, SC; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1252963

About Michael Cohen

Michael J. Cohen is a Financial Advisor at The Harbor Group. His primary area of responsibility is the coordination of all financial planning and modeling at the group. He works closely with new and existing clients during the onboarding process to ensure that the data utilized to craft long term solutions is both comprehensive and accurate, thereby helping to create the best work product possible. In addition, he is responsible for Harbor’s digital outreach.

Michael came to the investment world quite naturally, and some would say unavoidably. His interest in the financial markets and the wealth accumulation process was stimulated as a young child while listening to dinner table conversations between Harold Cohen, his father, and Paul Skydell. High school internships at Harbor fed this natural curiosity, and so it is no surprise that at university he gravitated towards finance as course of study. He was subsequently accepted to the prestigious Rauch School of Business at Lehigh University.

After graduation in 2019, he successfully competed for a position in Morgan Stanley’s financial planning training program, and in 2021, joined Harbor.

While not working, Michael takes pleasure in outdoor sports, particularly skiing, tennis, and golf.
Securities Agent: SC, SD, TX, VA, VT, IA, KS, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 2437507

About Paula Tudor

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Paula Tudor seamlessly manages the many aspects of client service activity at The Harbor Group. In particular, she is responsible for insuring that every client of The Harbor Group is scheduled to meet with one of the principals on a regular basis, and prepares the analytics reports for the meetings.

Community service is an important part of her life. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she volunteers a lot of her time with at- risk youth in her home town of Queens, New York.

When not at work, Paula enjoys spending time with her family, yoga and is also an avid film buff.

Paula is a graduate of St. John’s University and holds her Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses.
Wealth Management
From Our Team

Online Security Center


Wealth Management
Global Investment Office

Portfolio Insights

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

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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
2025 Global Economic Outlook: U.S. Policies May Temper Global Growth
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2025 Global Economic Outlook: U.S. Policies May Temper Global Growth

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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
Taking Control of Your Finances After Death of a Spouse
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Taking Control of Your Finances After Death of a Spouse

Financial planning after a divorce or death can be trying, but with the right approach and the right advice you can turn a difficult situation into empowerment.

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.

Financial Wellness

Enhancing Financial Wellness enables your workforce to do their best work. Companies that invest in financial wellness have an opportunity to:
  • Reduce employee stress,
  • Improve retention and engagement, and
  • Set themselves apart by offering comprehensive financial wellness benefits.
The Business Case for a Financially Resilient Workforce
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The Business Case for a Financially Resilient Workforce

In the face of turbulent markets, the word “resilience” may be top of mind. Broadly speaking, resilience is the ability to “bounce back” when encountering life’s inevitable challenges.
Ready to start a conversation? Contact The Harbor Group today.
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For more information, please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Client Relationship Summary.

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2Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.

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3Morgan 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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Awards Disclosures
CRC 6491812 (04/2024)