The Ploder Group at Morgan Stanley

As a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Management Director at Morgan Stanley,
Steve's primary focus is to provide personalized financial services to a select group of
ultra-high net worth families and institutions. His professional focus lies in creating and
maintaining long-term financial plans that are carefully tailored to support transparency,
proper diversification, and tax efficiency. Steve's extensive experience allows him to
leverage the full range of global resources offered by Morgan Stanley through close
collaboration with divisions such as Investment Banking, Private Banking, and Estate
Planning. This comprehensive approach helps him to capitalize on current market
volatility and anomalies by utilizing various financial instruments.
 
With over 25 years of experience in the financial industry, Steve's background is extensive. He began his career at Deloitte & Touche in New York and later spent seven years at Goldman Sachs, where he worked with foreign currency options and other asset classes in both New
York and London. He continued serving ultra-high net worth families and institutions at
Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse. Currently, Steve is a member of Morgan Stanley's
prestigious President's Club, an elite group of the firm's top financial advisors. Steve also holds multiple specialty designations within the firm: Senior Portfolio Management Director, Lending Specialist, and Insurance Planning Director. He has also been recognized on the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list for six consecutive years, from 2019 to 2024.
 
Steve's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was also a member of the Varsity Rowing Team. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. As a Chartered Financial Analyst
(CFA) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) (currently non-practicing), Steve
maintains active memberships in the Chicago CFA Society and the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He also serves as a member of the Center for
Financial Services Advisory Council at Lehigh University.
 
Originally from Connecticut, Steve has called the Chicago area home for the past two decades. He currently resides in Barrington, Illinois, with his wife and three children. He is an active member of The Montana Land Reliance and is passionate about fly fishing.


2019-2023 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2019-2024). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.

David joined Morgan Stanley in 2018 as part of its Wealth Advisor Associate program. For the past four years, David has served as a Financial Advisor with The Ploder Group.

David focuses his efforts on delivering holistic solutions to help clients achieve their financial goals by leveraging the full resources of Morgan Stanley. This includes traditional financial planning which considers each family’s tax, legal, and risk management circumstances. Additionally, David helps our entrepreneurial clients navigate the various stages of the typical lifecycle ranging from the formation of a business to post-liquidity planning. By exploring their eventual exit, transition, or succession, it provides an opportunity to thoroughly understand family governance and objectives which is paramount in the development of your exclusive wealth plan.

David graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Finance & Economics. David is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA^®). David lives in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago with his wife and is an active supporter of his community through a variety of philanthropic endeavors. Specifically, David has been a mentor with iMentor, where he has supported Chicago Public School students in college and career readiness. He has also been a consistent reading tutor for the Working in the Schools (WITS) organization. Additionally, he has raised awareness through fundraising efforts for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and completed the 2018 Chicago Marathon with Team MDA - Momentum fundraising team. Lastly, he is a supporter and consistent contributor to Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN). In his spare time, he enjoys exercising and has completed
the 2019 Chicago Triathlon, and the 2018, 2019, and 2021 Chicago Marathons.

Dan began his tenure at Morgan Stanley as a Financial Advisor in 2021 after a successful 5-year career in the National Football League. Dan has carried the same passion & work ethic from professional sports to the world of finance.

Concentrating on select ultra-high net worth families & individuals, namely entrepreneurs and professional athletes, Dan works hands on with his clients to create specific financial strategies and implements personalized plans with an emphasis on tax efficiency & risk management. By leveraging and collaborating extensively with all the global resources of Morgan Stanley, Dan provides a transparent and comprehensive review of all financial information to best serve his client’s specific needs.

By using both his intangible skills and acquired professional focus, Dan helps his entrepreneurial clients navigate the numerous stages of their business cycle and explore their eventual exit (Mergers & Acquisitions). By focusing on both personal and business planning from business formation and initial fundraising to eventual merger or acquisition, Dan fully understands each client’s detailed objectives for both their business and family post-transition
or succession.

Dan attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where he earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. After graduation, Dan was drafted in the 6th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Dan played professional football for 5 years as a starter (Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots) before retiring from the sport on his own terms. Dan is an avid supporter of the veteran community and involved in several charities including the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Originally from Wheaton, IL, Dan currently resides in Barrington Hills, IL. His wife (Caley) and three children (Bella, Danny IV, and Sofia) are his pride and joy. In his spare time, he enjoys physical fitness, woodworking, and camping with his family.

As a Portfolio Management Associate with Morgan Stanley, Bo’s primary focus is the daily maintenance and servicing of client portfolios and financial strategies. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2015 and brings extensive operational experience servicing ultra-high net worth families and institutions from Credit Suisse and Northwestern Mutual.

Bo holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. In his spare time Bo enjoys running and playing golf.

Michelle Wojkowski is a uniquely skilled professional who has been in the financial services industry since 2015. While studying Finance at The University of Kansas, Michelle became fascinated with economics, politics and the financial markets. She loves seeing in real time how everything from major world events to local policy making work together in harmony to form an efficient market. Her ambitious path has led her to The Ploder Group at Morgan Stanley, where she effectively helps the Ploder Group with the daily maintenance and servicing client portfolios and relationships. She supports all areas of business development, client engagement efforts, and utilization of the firm’s available resources to enhance the overall client experience. Michelle holds Series 7 and Series 66 certifications and brings years of experience in financial services industry to her role as the primary point of contact for the team’s clientele. Her daily responsibilities include trading, transaction support, portfolio performance reporting. Family is Michelle’s number one priority in life. Michelle and her family currently reside in St. Charles, IL and have two children, Hudson and Savannah. They are passionate about helping veterans through various organizations.

Teddy serves as a Client Service Associate with The Ploder Group.
Teddy’s team-oriented past was great preparation for servicing the
day-to-day client needs of the team.

Teddy graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Ohio
State University in 2024, where he earned a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration, specializing in Finance. While
in school, Teddy published equity research on behalf of the Fisher
College of Business Student Investment Management (SIM)
Fund as the Student Fund Manager. Teddy was a teaching
assistant for an Advanced Investment analysis course as well as a
Business Statistics course. While outside of the classroom, Teddy
competed on The Ohio State Powerlifting Team. Teddy holds SIE,
Series 7 and Series 66 Certifications.

Originally from Highland Park, IL, Teddy currently resides
in Chicago. He continues to competitively Powerlift and
enjoys spending time with friends and family. Teddy is an active
member of his community, volunteering for various organizations
focused on helping the marginalized groups within society.