The McNamee Group at Morgan Stanley

Brett is the Managing Director and founding partner of The McNamee Group at Morgan Stanley. A seasoned professional with nearly 30 years of experience, Brett is dedicated to helping professionals, families and business leaders solve their financial challenges and achieve their goals. His results-driven approach includes the development of a tailored wealth management plan and a commitment to ongoing education and outstanding service. Brett enjoys helping clients simplify their financial lives, so they may enjoy the wealth they have created and leave the legacy they desire.

Growing up in Rumson, Brett learned first-hand about the power of sound investment management from his father, a successful advisor who began his career in the 1960s at Edwards and Handley, a boutique brokerage house in New York City that ultimately became part of the Morgan Stanley family. Brett observed his father as he helped families become financially independent in both good and bad markets. This experience inspired him to follow a similar path. After earning his Finance degree from Seton Hall University in 1997, Brett joined his father’s practice and worked side-by-side with him until he retired in 2019.

Throughout his career, Brett has remained committed to professional development, earning such important industry designations as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®), Certified Private Wealth Management^® (CPWA^®), Certified Investment Management Analyst^® (CIMA^®) and Chartered Retirement Plans SpecialistSM (CRPS^®). He has also received a number of highly specialized certifications at Morgan Stanley, including Corporate Retirement Director, Alternative Investments Director and Portfolio Management Director.

Most recently, Brett earned Morgan Stanley’s distinguished Family Wealth Director. This credential – achieved by less than five percent of the firm’s advisors – places him among a small group of professionals uniquely qualified to serve the sophisticated needs of ultra-high net worth clients. As a Family Wealth Director, Brett has extensive knowledge, dedicated training and access to exclusive resources. He is well-versed on issues concerning family dynamics, wealth transfer and philanthropy to help clients preserve their wealth and protect their legacy.

Brett enjoys working with like-minded clients who value the level of service he and his colleagues can deliver. His process begins with asking the right questions and actively listening. This information then serves as the foundation for the development of a comprehensive plan and investment portfolio that reflects each client’s goals for the future. Brett receives great satisfaction knowing he is making a significant impact on the quality of his clients’ lives and often becomes one of the most important relationships to their families.

Today, Brett and his wife, Josie, live in Shrewsbury with their four children, Riley, Emerson, Harper and Quinn. Away from the office, his greatest joy is spending time with his family.

Rick is an experienced Financial Advisor and senior partner with The McNamee Group. For over 20 years, he has enjoyed helping affluent families and businesses achieve success, built on established objectives and seeing them through over time. As a distinguished advisor, Rick strives to provide a level of service beyond traditional financial advisory that is tailored to the unique needs of business owners, corporate executives, and retirement plan sponsors. As a single source of high quality advice, Rick helps to ease the worry and stress of complex financial challenges with holistic solutions, allowing clients to devote more time to leisure activities or running their business.

Rick was raised by two hard-working parents. His mother was a teacher and his father was an engineer. Their dedication to their respective fields inspired Rick to pursue a profession that would blend the best of both vocations and highlight his strengths: the desire to help others and make a real difference in their lives combined with a focus on precision, order, and rules to achieve intended results. During his studies at Monmouth University, he was offered the opportunity for an internship at Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley) with Ed McNamee, the founder of the McNamee Group and father of his now-partner, Brett.

Upon graduation, he was hired full-time as an Investment Analyst. He continued a career path through Portfolio Management until ultimately making the decision to leverage his years of experience and investment skills to become a Financial Advisor. Since that time Rick has focused his expertise on the unique needs of executives and business owners and has become a key differentiator for the team, and a national strategic partner supporting other advisors nationally within Morgan Stanley where his specialized expertise is required for large and complex corporate retirement plans, non-qualified plans, defined benefit plans, equity compensation, and other capabilities within Morgan Stanley at Work’s corporate consulting and advisory.

Rick is among a distinguished few of less than two percent of Financial Advisors at Morgan Stanley to earn the Corporate Retirement Director designation. He has also earned such advanced certifications as Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist^® (CRPS^®) and Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) to acquire special skills and knowledge to further enhance the breadth of advice he can provide.

Rick is regularly recognized as a top advisor. His team was recognized by Forbes as a Best in State Wealth Management team in 2024, was a Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisors” recipient in 2019, a NAPA “Top Retirement Plan Advisors Under 40” awardee in 2018, and a 5 Star Wealth Manager Award winner 2016 through 2024. Rick was also a Morgan Stanley Pacesetter every year he was eligible (2014 through 2019), an honor that recognizes top young advisors at the firm.

As a firm believer in giving back to the communities in which he lives and works, Rick is on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, Monmouth University Business Council, and Monmouth University Executive Mentoring Program, where he volunteers his time to mentor students and recent graduates in career development. He and his wife, Christina, currently reside in Monmouth County with their son, Louie, daughter, Gabi, and their yellow Labrador, Brody. For leisure, Rick enjoys traveling with his family, staying current with the latest technology, and cooking – where he is known to spend entire weekends preparing “the world‘s best BBQ” in his backyard smoker.

Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams 2025
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2025) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based for the period from 3/31/23–3/31/24. For criteria & methodology, go to https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/awards-disclosure.html.

Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams 2024
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2024) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based for the period from 3/31/22–3/31/23. For criteria & methodology, go to https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/awards-disclosure.html.

Financial Times 400 Top Financial Advisors 2019
Source: ft.com (Awarded Apr 2019) Data compiled by the Financial Times based on time period from 6/30/15 - 6/30/18. For criteria & methodology, go to https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/awards-disclosure.html.

2018 NAPA's Top Retirement Plan Advisors Under 40 (Young Guns)
Source: napa-net.org (Nov 2018) Data compiled by NAPA based on time period from Aug 2017 - Aug 2018. For criteria & methodology, go to https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/awards-disclosure.html.

*Five Star Wealth Manager Award 2015, 2021, 2022 and 2023
Source: fivestarprofessional.com (Awarded 2015, 2021, 2022 and 2023). Data compiled by Five Star Professional based on the following time periods:
2016 Award - 11/30/2015 through 05/18/2016
2017 Award - 09/26/2016 through 04/28/2017
2018 Award - 10/24/2017 through 05/21/2018
2019 Award - 10/22/2018 through 05/3/2019
2020 Award - 10/7/2019 through 04/24/2020
2021 Award - 09/21/2020 through 04/30/2021
2022 Award - 04/12/2021 through 10/15/2021
2023 Award - 03/21/2022 through 10/18/2022
2024 Award - 03/13/2023 through 09/29/2023
For criteria & methodology, go to https://fivestarprofessional.com/public/wmresearch

An industry veteran with nearly 50 years of experience, John focuses on helping successful individuals and generational families build and preserve their wealth. His background in direct investments enables him to help clients understand the intricate details of their current portfolios and their overall investment strategy. He focuses on what is most important to each family, so he can develop a customized plan to help build, preserve and transition their wealth.

Always intrigued by the world of finance, John attended Monmouth University, earning his B.S. degree in Marketing and Finance. He began his career in financial services at Robert Stanger and Company, a leading authority on direct investments. He worked closely with investment issuers, and over time became more involved in the marketing activities of the firm. In 1992, John made an important decision to join Morgan Stanley to share his institutional knowledge with individuals and families and have a more direct impact on the quality of their lives. Several years later, he and Brett had the opportunity to work together on a common project. After discovering they shared the same level of integrity, they decided to join forces in 2006. They have worked together ever since.

John draws upon his vast experience to provide clients with customized solutions and tailored advice. His disciplined approach begins with asking the right questions and actively listening. This information then serves as the foundation for the development of a detailed plan that reflects each client’s goals, values and personal circumstances. He takes pride in his ability to develop an integrated and flexible plan that will guide his clients in the years ahead, regardless of changing market and economic conditions.

John’s desire to help others is equaled only by his dedication to his community and his family. Over the years, he has been active with charitable organizations. He was on the Board of Directors for the Monmouth County YMCA for 14 years and served in a number of roles over the years, including Treasurer, Secretary and Chairman of the Audit Committee.

A native to New Jersey, John and his wife, Janet, live in Monmouth County. They have two grown children and one grandchild. Outside of the office, he enjoys woodworking as well as collecting vintage woodworking tools.

Jamie is a Vice President and Financial Advisor with The McNamee Group at Morgan Stanley. She began her career with the team 10 years ago and is a Certified Financial Planner™.

Jamie provides highly customized advice and comprehensive wealth management solutions to successful individuals and families. She helped to develop a thorough process focused on the interface between investment consulting and financial planning. Additionally, Jamie assists the team with strategic business development and helps oversee the team’s separately managed accounts, mutual funds, and alternative investments.

Jamie is an active member of the community and supports multiple charitable organizations for special needs children, women’s cancer research, and animal rescue and rehabilitation. Outside of the office, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with family, friends, and her French bulldog Hugo.

Chris is a Consulting Group Analyst and plays a critical role in our investment management process. A 2011 graduate of Monmouth University, Chris earned a Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance. He began working at Morgan Stanley as an intern in 2010 before joining the firm full-time after graduation. Chris assists in all aspects of portfolio management – from risk analysis and trading to investment research, money manager due diligence, and account monitoring.

Since his freshman year at Monmouth, Chris has always had a deep interest in understanding how the markets work and how they react to changes in the economy and world events. He enjoys the analytics involved in the financial markets and sharing insights with the team in his ongoing commitment to enhance our investment management process.

Chris brings his analytics to his life outside of the office. He enjoys reading science and technology articles, learning about new advancements and envisioning their impact on the future. He and his wife, Courtney, live in Lacey where Chris originally grew up. Leisure activities include spending time on the water at the Jersey Shore and exercising their two herding dogs – a border collie and a Shetland sheepdog – on their beautiful property that backs up to a protected forest.

As a Client Service Associate, Diana focuses on building strong client relationships and providing superior service. A consummate professional, she is often the first line of contact on a wide range of client questions. Her daily activities include onboarding new clients, wire transfers, operational tasks and account maintenance. Diana joined The McNamee Group in 2007.

Diana’s path to Morgan Stanley began ten years earlier when she started her career at the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation in New York City. This experience led to a new opportunity at the New York Stock Exchange, stress-testing the trading system for floor brokers. In 2005, she made an important decision to work closer to home, taking a position at the local Smith Barney branch, which is now part of Morgan Stanley. Diana was promoted two years later and joined The McNamee Group. She has been an invaluable member of our team ever since.

Diana grew up in Lima, Peru as an American expat. Having spent her formative years abroad, she has developed a deep appreciation for the challenges of life in a different country. Today, Diana is a member of the American Translator Association and a volunteer Spanish interpreter at the Parker Family Clinic in Red Bank. She is also learning Italian and Portuguese. Diana currently lives in Monmouth County and enjoys playing tennis, running with her rescue dog on the beach in the summer, and skiing in Vermont and out west in the winter.

Cheryl brings more than 30 years of financial services experience to our team. As Group Director, she enhances the client experience. Cheryl’s extensive knowledge of the firm’s administrative functions and operations allows her to quickly align the correct resources, providing clients with the highest level of service. Cheryl’s responsibilities include helping clients with incoming requests, coordinating the team’s monthly conference calls, and providing technical support for Morgan Stanley Online and other E-tools.

Cheryl began her career in 1989 at Merrill Lynch in their fund management group. She joined Morgan Stanley three years later and has been with The McNamee Group since 1997. Cheryl works closely with Diana on the Operations team and enjoys solving problems for clients. She holds her FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses and has the ability to execute trades for the team.

A native of New Jersey, Cheryl grew up in Wall and now lives in Union Beach. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, Lindsey, and her three grandchildren. Outside of the office, Cheryl enjoys woodworking and spending time baking with her grandchildren.

With over twenty-five years of experience in the financial industry, Jason works to cultivate productive relationships with clients through exceptional service and has a deep understanding of the needs of our clients. He takes great pride in his role as a Registered Senior Client Associate and sees quality service as a critical factor in maintaining client relationships and high client satisfaction.

Jason and his wife Lisa, reside in Holmdel with their son Leo, cat Happy, and parakeet Chippy. When Jason is not volunteering to coach his son’s sport teams, he spends his free time with his family and friends, especially at the beach during the summer.