The Riverwood Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley

Mark, a 2023 member of Morgan Stanley's Masters Club, began his career as a Financial Advisor in 1995. In addition to being an Advisor to his clients, he was involved in Branch Management for 12 years, and spent his entire career in the industry at the same Firm. Within The Riverwood Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley's team structure, Mark is responsible for asset allocation, individual security selection and comprehensive portfolio management for his clients. He also develops the economic and capital market views for the team. He was promoted to Senior Portfolio Management Director in 2015, the highest internal designation given to Portfolio Managers at Morgan Stanley.

Mark was a client of the Firm before he became an Advisor. Over time he gradually became more and more interested in the markets, how they work, and looking for discrepancies between price and value. Finally, his advisor helped him get into the business.

Born in Texas, Mark's father was in the Army, so they moved several times before settling in Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from the University of Wisconsin Platteville with minors in Business and Sales Training.

Mark and his wife, Gail, live in Jefferson, WI. They have a son, Ben, and two daughters, Emily and Celia and one grandchild, Wylie. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, golf, spending time with his family, and looking for value in the markets.

Asset Allocation does not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining financial markets.

This material is intended only for clients and prospective clients of the Portfolio Management program. It has been prepared solely for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument, or to participate in any trading strategy.

The individuals mentioned as the Portfolio Management Team are Financial Advisors with Morgan Stanley participating in the Morgan Stanley Portfolio Management program. The Portfolio Management program is an investment advisory program in which the client’s Financial Advisor invests the client’s assets on a discretionary basis in a range of securities. The Portfolio Management program is described in the applicable Morgan Stanley ADV Part 2, available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV or from your Financial Advisor.

Sara began her career at Morgan Stanley in 1999. In 2010 she joined The Riverwood Wealth Management Group and focuses most of her time on working directly with clients on areas of their lives outside of the capital markets. In 2015 Sara acquired Morgan Stanley’s Family Wealth Director Designation, recognizing her experience in advanced financial planning areas such as business succession planning, estate and legacy strategies, tax minimization, family governance and dynamics and creditor protection. This designation is currently held by less than 3% of the over 16,000 Financial Advisors at the Firm.

In 2018, Sara was a part of the 5th annual MAKERS @ Morgan Stanley award, an honor given to the most influential female leaders at the Firm. The women who are deemed MAKERS have made a positive impact on the lives of their families, colleagues and clients. Sara has also been named to Working Mother’s Top Wealth Advisor Moms, Forbes’ Top Women Wealth Advisors and Forbes’ Best in State Wealth Advisors and her team is included in Forbes’ Top Wealth Management Teams.

Sara lives in the Village of Vernon with her husband Jon, and their three children, Tyler, Zachary and Gabriella.

When not in the office, Sara enjoys watching her children in their many sports activities, spending time outdoors and visiting our great national parks.


2018-2022 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2018-2022. Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.

2020-2022 Forbes America's Top Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2020-2022). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month time period concluding in March of the year the award was issued.

2017-2021 Working Mother Magazine & SHOOK Research's Top Wealth Advisor Moms
Source: Workingmother.com (Awarded October 2017-2021). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month period concluding in March of the year the award was given.

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

Jeff has spent his entire 17 year career at Morgan Stanley. He started with the firm in 2007 by working as a Client Service Associate with a Corporate Services Director in Chicago, IL.

In 2010, he moved back to Milwaukee and began working with clients as a Financial Advisor with The Riverwood Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley. His responsibilities include alternative investment analysis of strategies such as hedge funds, fund of funds, private equity, private credit and private real estate investment trusts. He also helps clients in advanced planning areas such as pre-liquidity planning, gift and estate trust tactics, tax minimization strategies, and retirement planning. In 2021, he was promoted to Senior Vice President.

Jeff has obtained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation and the Certified Private Wealth Advisor^® designation. He also achieved Morgan Stanley’s internal designation of Family Wealth Director. In 2022 and 2023 he was named to Forbes Magazine's List of Top Next Generation Wealth Advisors. In November of 2017, Catholic Memorial High School presented Jeff with the Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

Outside of the office Jeff enjoys volunteering his time to organizations he cares deeply about. He and his wife Carissa are passionate supporters of Children's - Wisconsin. They organize an annual community event called Bowl for the Kids, sit on the committee for the Tee Up Fore Kid's Golf Outing, and participate in the Miracle Marathon, all of which raise funds for the Children's -Wisconsin Foundation. Jeff is also active at his alma mater, Catholic Memorial High School, where he chairs The Annual Crusader Golf Outing, chairs the CMH Development Committee and sits on the school’s Board of Directors. He also sits on the golf committee at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield, WI.

At home, Jeff and his wife Carissa enjoy spending time with their daughter Addison, sons Sawyer and Everett, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescue, Peaches.


The investments listed may not be appropriate for all investors. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment will depend upon an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.

Morgan 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.

2022 and 2023 Forbes America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors & Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State (formerly referred to as Forbes America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, Forbes Top 1,000 Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, Forbes Top 500 Next Generation Wealth Advisors)
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2022 and 2023). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month period concluding in Mar of the year the award was issued.

Denison began his wealth management career in 2001 at A.G. Edwards & Sons, he moved to Morgan Stanley in 2007 with the focus of enhancing his practice for his clients. He joined The Riverwood Wealth Management Group in 2017. His responsibilities are to support all aspects of the portfolio management piece of the team. By doing thorough research he can provide in-depth analysis and reporting to the team from which we formulate our investment decisions.

In November of 2018, Denison attained the Certified Portfolio Manager (CPM^®) designation. The CPM^® Program advanced his knowledge in three vital areas: Valuation Analysis, Portfolio Construction, and Risk Management. His commitment is to help our clients stay calm through the turbulent times by helping them understand the short-term causes while maintaining focus on their long-term goals.

Denison is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Political Science. He is a lifelong resident of Wisconsin and currently lives in the Oconomowoc area with his wife Kin and two sons, Noah, and Brady. When away from the office he enjoys fishing, reading, traveling. hiking, and watching his sons' numerous athletic events.

Kurt's professional career started in Arizona as an Actuarial Analyst. A desire to have more personal interactions with families led him to change professions and become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNING PROFESSIONAL^®. He later took his professional designations a step further and earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant. This goal was driven by a personal desire to make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities or special needs. Kurt joined Morgan Stanley in 2016 and soon thereafter joined The Riverwood Wealth Management Group. His role on the team is creating retirement plans, distribution strategy analysis, impact investing and special needs planning.

Kurt is very involved in the community coaching baseball, basketball, and girl’s high school volleyball, advocate for people with disabilities, leading Bible studies, mentoring youth and serves on several ministries offered through his local parish, St. Charles, in Harland, WI. He currently sits on the Life Navigators Board of Directors.

Currently residing in the small Lake Country town of Merton, Kurt and his wife Jennifer have six children, Caden, Claire, Isaac, Lucas, Maximilian, and Lucy. His duties outside the office include downhill and water skiing, coaching baseball, fishing, golfing, cheering on the Packers, and gardening. On top of that, his time is mostly spent trying to be a good husband and father.

The investments listed may not be appropriate for all investors. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment will depend upon an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.

Daniel Krause is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management with 46 years of experience in the industry. Dan brings his years of experience to the Riverwood Wealth Management Group as an Executive Director.

At home Dan and his wife Joann enjoy time outdoors, fishing and spending time with their kids and three grandchildren.

As the Group Director for The Riverwood Wealth Management Group, Deb is responsible for overseeing our administrative, operational and client service activities.

Clients will find her as a valuable resource in helping them in many ways including coordination with their accountants, navigating complex administrative issues and ensuring annual requirements are satisfied.

Deb joined the team in 2012 and looks forward to servicing our clients every day.
She graduated from UW-Stout and holds securities licenses (FINRA Series 7 and 66) as well as her insurance licenses in life, health and annuities.

She grew up in Minnesota but has resided in Waukesha for over 25 years with her husband, Garett. They have three girls, Abigail, Josie and Molly.

Lisa has 27 years’ experience in Financial Services, with the last 10 years in Wealth Management. As a Wealth Management Associate for the Riverwood Wealth Management Group, she holds her security licenses (FINRA Series 7 and 66) and also Insurance licenses (Life, Health & Annuity).

Her primary responsibility is helping our new families officially become clients of Morgan Stanley. Lisa organizes the administration of account opening, wire transfers, account transfers and linking external accounts for electronic funds transfers. She also helps with beneficiary updates and coordination, insurance analysis and college savings accounts.

Lisa resides in Waukesha and has two adult children, Tressa and Tony.

With over 11 years of experience here at Morgan Stanley I have assisted in my different areas of the firm before joining The Riverwood Wealth Management Group. As a Senior Client Service Associate on the team, I’m always happy to assist you with any money movement, password/online issues, bill pay questions or anything else you may need. Our goal is to always make the process as smooth as possible.

I currently reside in West Bend with my husband Eric and our two sons Geno and Vinny.