Working with clients to navigate the investment world to help reduce emotional and financial risk
Our Story and Services
As your Financial Advisors, we can help you define and strive to meet your goals by delivering a vast array of resources to you in the way that is most appropriate for how you invest and what you want to achieve. Working together we can help you to preserve and grow your wealth. You’ll have access to some of the world’s most seasoned and respected investment professionals, a premier trading and execution platform and a full spectrum of investment choices.
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*
COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING
Regardless of what stage your life is in—moving ahead in your career, enjoying retirement, or somewhere in between—as your Financial Advisory Team, we can help you achieve your financial goals.
Using a suite of tools that includes goal-specific analysis, we can work with you to create a realistic, holistic strategy that integrates the various aspects of your financial life, including your investments and cash management needs.
We can create your personal roadmap to help you achieve your goals—a framework that makes the connection between your life goals and your financial resources, and provides a baseline for future discussions.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC 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 visit us at http://www.morganstanleyindividual.com or consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences.
2025 Tax Tables
This helpful resource outlines the 2023 tax rate schedule, education and health savings account limits, retirement contribution and deduction limits, among other information. With tax season seemingly always right around the corner, it's best to be as informed as possible.
We thoroughly review your mortgage, car loans, credit cards, and any other debts that you may have in order to help determine where you can save on interest and create a timeline for your debt payments by prioritizing which ones should be paid off first.
Insurance
We take an extremely close look at your financial profile to decipher what type(s) of insurance most fit your needs, and determine if your current insurance policies are best suited for you and your goals.
Leading up to and through retirement, we help you identify the most appropriate ways to obtain the income you need and help ensure that you are on track to achieve your financial goals.
Regardless of your current financial circumstances, it is crucial to have a backup plan for your money. We regularly review your finances with you and coordinate with your estate attorney to help ensure that your wishes are met in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.
We take care of your retirement accounts and other investments based on your comfort level with risk and your current tax circumstances, tailoring your financial strategy to your unique situation, needs, and goals.
Morgan 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 matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates.
Working with You
Step 1: Discovery Process
Investing the time to learn about you and your family, your assets and liabilities, as well as the risk exposures, enables us to formulate strategies and customize the relationship to your needs.
Step 2: Analyze
Working with your tax and legal advisors, we help analyze your income and estate tax circumstances to identify and tailor planning techniques that may be used to address your objectives.
Step 3: Planning & Strategy
Your customized asset allocation reflects risk, opportunities, and taxation across multiple entities, while integrating your investing and estate plans.
Step 4: Implementation
After comprehensive due diligence and analysis of expected results across multiple market scenarios, strategies are chosen from our expansive investment platform.
Step 5: Ongoing Monitoring
In coordination with your other advisors, we can conduct ongoing reviews and comprehensive reporting to help ensure that your strategy adapts to changing financial and family needs.
Disclosures:
Morgan 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 matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
Asset Allocation does not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining financial markets.
OUR SUITE OF DIGITAL TOOLS...
Our comprehensive suite of digital tools are designed to help enhance every aspect of your financial life. Below are a few of the technologies we have to offer our clients. We have also included resources meant to transform complex financial analysis and research into concise and easily digestible content.
Morgan Stanley Online
Life is complicated. Our digital experiences make it easy to manage your money 24/7, from your desktop, tablet or phone. Clients with a Financial Advisor can enjoy the freedom to manage their wealth on their own devices while collaborating with their Morgan Stanley team. It’s accessibility at its finest.
Managing multiple financial accounts across different firms can be complicated. With Morgan Stanley Online, you can link your non-Morgan Stanley accounts and analyze your cash flow all in one place.
Disclosures:
"Information related to your external accounts is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided by third parties, including the financial institutions where your external accounts are held. Morgan Stanley does not verify that the information is accurate and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy, timeliness or completeness.
Financial Advisor(s) may not provide advice on any external account. Additional information about the services described above and offered on Morgan Stanley Online are in the applicable Terms and Conditions of Use."
We strive to simplify complex financial ideas so that our clients understand what is being done on their behalf to plan for their financial future. We are firm believers in giving our clients as many resources as possible so they can stay informed about the latest market trends, outlooks, and breakdowns. The links below provide detailed analysis on interesting topics that are affecting the finance and business worlds.
Global Investment Committee Weekly Research Report
The Global Investment Committee's Weekly Report provides an in depth look at markets, asset class performance and fixed income on a weekly basis.
Global Investment Committee on the Markets Monthly Report
A monthly publication that summarizes the Global Investment Committee’s market outlook and contains thought-provoking essays that examine the forces shaping the investment landscape. Check out the latest edition below:
You can’t take it with you, but through a trust, you can define how you want your life’s work and wealth to continue to benefit the people and causes for which you love and care.
A podcast that explores the human stories behind the big, sometimes hidden economic forces that shape how we live, what we value and how we make choices. This season: the supply chain. Hosted by Sonari Glinton.
Each week, Mike Wilson, Chief U.S. Equity Strategist & Chief Investment Officer, offers his perspective on the forces shaping the markets and how to separate the signal from the noise. Listen to his most recent episode and check out those of his colleagues from across Morgan Stanley Research.
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 Johnston Team today.
Market Information Delayed 20 Minutes
CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
1Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.
2Morgan 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.
3Morgan 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.
4Morgan 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.
5When 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.
6Morgan 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.
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.
8When 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 always check with their tax or legal advisor before engaging in any transaction involving 529 Plans, Education Savings Accounts and other tax-advantaged investments.
9Municipal bonds may not be appropriate for all investors. Income generated from an investment in a municipal bond is generally exempt from federal income taxes. Some income may be subject to state and local taxes and to the federal alternative minimum tax. Capital gains, if any, are subject to tax. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) and its Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide any tax/legal advice. Consult your own tax/legal advisor before making any tax or legal-related investment decisions.
10Morgan 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
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link: https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.