The Santa Barbara Group at Morgan Stanley

Emma Bridges is an Executive Director, Financial Advisor and founding partner of The Santa Barbara Group. Emma has extensive experience working with clients whose lives are in transition, due to a death in the family, a divorce, a relocation or sale of a business. She guides them in building, preserving and passing their wealth to future generations. Thanks to her strong professional network, she surrounds her clients with experienced professionals to further support achieving their goals. Emma also holds Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation, working primarily with women to help ensure they have a clear understanding of their finances, while empowering them to make confident decisions.

Born near London and raised in Yorkshire, England, Emma graduated from the University of East Anglia with an Honors B.A. in Economics and a minor in Accounting. She spent a year working Australia before settling in the U.S. in 1996. She began her career at Morgan Stanley in 1997 and has been a valuable member of the firm ever since. After establishing herself as a highly respected advisor, Emma held several management positions in the firm’s Costa Mesa, Burbank and Santa Monica branches. In 2008, she was named Complex Manager for eight branches. Emma formed the Santa Barbara Group in 2013 for the opportunity to work more directly with clients.

Emma is a leader in her community and generously volunteers to improve the lives of others, with a special focus on empowering young girls and women. She served 9 years as a board member of Women’s Economic Ventures (Board Chair for 2 years); a board member of Coastal Housing Partnership from 2014 to 2018; and a board member of the National Association of Women’s Business Owners from 2013 to 2016. Emma is deeply dedicated to several other organizations, including the Pacific Pride Foundation and Girls Rock Santa Barbara.

Emma lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, Ed, a former university professor and now the Managing Partner of their real estate company. They enjoy playing tennis, pickleball, hiking, traveling and spending time supporting UCSB Athletics, specifically the men’s soccer and basketball teams.

Christian Marx is a Financial Advisor, Financial Planning Specialist, Portfolio Manager and partner of the Santa Barbara Group. With over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, he works closely with clients to help solve their financial challenges and achieve their long-term goals. His clients include local business owners and professionals as well as their families. His ultimate mission is to help clients simplify their financial lives so that they may enjoy their wealth and leave the legacy they desire.

Born and raised in Denmark, Christian moved to the United States in 1981 to attend college. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working at DuPont as a Field Engineer in between. In 1991, he had the opportunity to work on Wall Street for Prudential Securities in their institutional fixed income division. It is here where he discovered his true passion for finance. He moved to Morgan Stanley in 1993, and also completed his MBA in Finance and International Business at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Christian spent 12 years working in the field of Institutional Fixed Income, with eight of those years at Morgan Stanley. Christian moved to London in 2002 where he headed up a European team first for Morgan Stanley and then for Normura International. After a sabbatical, he returned to Morgan Stanley in 2010 for the opportunity to share his detailed financial knowledge with individuals and families. He became a member of The Santa Barbara Group in 2014.

Leveraging his engineering and financial training, Christian takes pride in his ability to take complex financial concepts and effectively communicate them to his clients. All too often, fear drives financial decisions, becoming a major reason why many financial plans fail. Christian helps clients go beyond the noise to stay focused on achieving their goals.

A world traveler, Christian has lived in Copenhagen, New York, Boston, London, Cape Town and now in Santa Barbara since 2006. He has also visited many exotic places, including the Galapagos Islands, Cuba, Namibia and Egypt. Other favorite hobbies include surfing and racing cars. He is involved in the local car community, enjoying track days and annual trips to the Nurburgring, Germany, where he once raced.

Howard Jay Smith is a Vice President and Wealth Advisor with The Santa Barbara Group, where he focuses on asset management strategies for risk adverse high net worth individuals, foundations and non-profit organizations.

A long-time resident of Ojai and Santa Barbara, Howard, brings a diverse set of skills and experiences to his role as a Wealth Advisor. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 1996, Howard was an executive with ABC and Embassy TV, a professor at UCLA and national lecturer. He is a frequent Op Ed contributor to the Ventura County Star and the Ojai Valley News and his articles and photographs have appeared in national publications. He has written three books. Each experience offers vital hand’s on knowledge that Howard generously shares with clients to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.

A strong believer in giving back, Howard has been a community activist his entire career. He served on the Board of the Council of Charitable Gift Planners of Santa Barbara and is on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Symphony. He helped initiate the Planned Giving Advisory Council at CSUCI, where he chaired their annual “Breakfast with the Federal Reserve” program. He served for three years as Chairman of the Board of the Ventura County Economic Development Association. In addition, he represented the City of Ojai on the Board of the county’s Economic Development Collaborative and the Ventura County Film Council. He is Past President of the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, served as Secretary of the Ojai West Rotary and on the board of the World Business Academy. Howard was one of the founders of the Ojai Film Festival and organized one of the most successful exhibits ever at the Ventura County Maritime Museum.

For his decades of work, Howard has been recognized as “Business Executive of the Year” by the Ventura County Leadership Academy in 2006, “Small Business Advocate of the Year” by the SBA in 2007, and a “Top Regional Business Leader” in 2005, 2007 7 2008 by the Pacific Coast Business Times. In 2008 He was awarded Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition by Rep. Elton Gallegly and Rep. Lois Capps and was honored by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and both the California State Senate and Assembly.

Howard graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from the University of Buffalo and Nanyang University of Singapore with an Ed.M. in Administration and a B.A. in Asian Studies. He is a Graduate Fellow at the American Film Institute and holds a Certificate in Estate Planning for Financial Professionals from the American College.

Gavin Kirby is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, a Financial Advisor and the newest addition to The Santa Barbara Group. His priority as an advisor is to help clients with every aspect of their financial lives – from purchasing a new home and putting children through college to preparing for retirement and leaving a lasting legacy. Gavin believes successful people all share a common bond: They encounter important life events that require timely guidance to help them make the right financial decisions for themselves, their careers, and their families. He wants to be there each step of the way.

Growing up in the suburbs of London, England, Gavin always had an intuition with numbers and always enjoyed helping others. Pursuing a career in financial services was the perfect opportunity to bring these two passions together. With a degree in Economics from Queen Mary University of London, Gavin moved to Tampa Bay, Florida in 2013. He began his financial services career as an Anti-Money Laundering Analyst at Citibank. This led to a similar role at Raymond James, followed by a new opportunity to become a Succession and Acquisition Planning Consultant, helping Financial Advisors evaluate, negotiate and sell their practices while adhering to FINRA’s strict rules and regulations.

While he enjoyed building relationships with advisors, Gavin knew something was missing; he wanted to work more directly with clients. He made a decision that would change the trajectory of his career. He decided to become a Financial Advisor himself, moving to California in 2021 to join his cousin, Emma Bridges, at The Santa Barbara Group. Gavin has been an invaluable member of the team ever since.

With a focus on financial planning, Gavin’s goals-based process begins with asking the right questions and actively listening. This ongoing dialogue serves as the foundation for the development of a comprehensive strategy that reflects each client’s goals for the future. Gavin receives great satisfaction knowing he is helping his clients understand the complexities of their finances, so they can make more confident decisions to achieve what they want out of life.

Today, Gavin and his wife, Heather, live in the Santa Barbara area. Outside of the office, Gavin enjoys a wide array of outdoor activities from playing and watching soccer to hiking and bicycling in the mountains to kayaking and playing tennis.

Rehan Arif is a Registered Client Service Associate for The Santa Barbara Group at Morgan Stanley. He has professionally served clients in the financial services industry over the past 8 years assisting them with a wide array of account servicing needs while providing comprehensive financial service and investment support to the team.

Rehan attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he concentrated in Economics and Accounting. Paired with his professional work experience, Rehan also holds his Series 7, 66, 99, and SIE.

Outside of work, Rehan has a passion for cars and enjoys spending time with his dog Buddy. Residing in Santa Barbara, he has gained an interest in water sports such as kayaking, jet-skiing, and sailing. Rehan has an organic interest in the field of finance and aspires to pursue a thriving career in this field as he likes to make a positive difference in the lives of others.