The Silicon Valley Group at Morgan Stanley

An industry veteran, John has dedicated his entire career to serving the sophisticated needs of corporate executives and their families in California and across the country. He is a Managing Director and founding partner of The Silicon Valley Group, a highly-skilled team of professionals located in Menlo Park. John offers a unique combination of knowledge, experience and specialized skills in wealth management and corporate equity services.

A graduate of the University of California at Chico, John has spent his entire career with Morgan Stanley, joining the firm in 1986. This 30+ year tenure is rare in today’s financial environment and has enabled John to build longstanding relationships with the firm’s senior leaders, providing clients and members of his team with immediate access to the full scope of Morgan Stanley’s intellect and global resources.

Throughout his career, John has remained committed to professional development. In 2005, he was named a Family Wealth Director, a credential achieved by less than two percent of the advisors at Morgan Stanley. This designation places John in an elite category of advisors who are qualified to serve the sophisticated needs of ultra-high net worth clients. John is also a Corporate Client Group Director, another distinguished achievement that allows him to work directly with executives of public and private companies on very specific needs, including pre-IPO and 10b5-1 planning services and other more sophisticated liquidity and diversification strategies.

John currently lives in Portola Valley with his wife and three sons. When he’s not working directly with clients, you can find him spending quality time with friends and family. Favorite leisure activities include coaching his sons’ baseball and basketball teams.


CA Insurance Lic. #0A33181
NMLS# 1279612

Brendan provides comprehensive wealth management advice to families, entrepreneurs, executives and companies. A 20+ year veteran of Morgan Stanley, he is a founding partner and Co-Chief Investment Officer of The Silicon Valley Group. As a Senior Portfolio manager, he shapes the Group’s strategic allocation of client capital and financial planning recommendations.

Brendan is also a Financial Planning Specialist, a designation he earned in 2005. In this role, he is responsible for leading the team’s financial planning analyses and provides a comprehensive, client-focused approach to portfolio construction that focuses on ensuring every tailored plan encompasses the client’s specific financial goals, time frames and risk tolerance. Brendan works tirelessly to ensure clients fully understand how their personal financial plan interacts with the team’s recommended investment portfolio and, most importantly, how it aligns with the Silicon Valley Group’s prevailing views of the capital markets.

Additionally, Brendan is one of the firm’s leading Executive Financial Services Directors because of his extensive experience advising corporations and executives on Rule 10b5-1 program rules and plan structuring as well as other liquidation strategies for control and restricted stock. Brendan works closely with Morgan Stanley’s Executive Financial Services (EFS) group to help ensure executives and senior managers meet all regulatory and reporting requirements associated with stock and option execution.

As the member of the International Wealth Management group, Brendan is one of a select few Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors designated as an International Client Advisor, which enables him to work with international families that invest in U.S.-based accounts. He has a far-reaching network of professionals with cross-border-taxation expertise.

A graduate of Santa Clara University with a B.S. degree in Finance, Brendan is an avid lacrosse fan. He has coached collegiate club lacrosse post graduation; more recently, he volunteers his time to coach his three sons and volunteers on the board of the local youth lacrosse organization to promote the sport. Brendan currently lives in Burlingame, Calif. with his wife and three young boys.


NMLS# 1268475

As a financial professional in the industry with 20 years of experience, Kathy provides customized solutions and wealth management services to financially successful individuals and families, corporate executives and stock plan participants living in the Bay area and across the country. Her goal is to work closely with each client to tailor strategies that help optimize their equity compensation benefits through goal-based investment and tax-efficient management.

After earning my Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Finance from McGill University in Montreal, Kathy worked as a tax accountant in both the public and private sectors. It is here where she discovered her true calling for wanting to advise clients beyond their tax and accounting needs. This led her to join Morgan Stanley in 2000, where she could focus solely on financial planning and portfolio management.

Throughout her career, Kathy has been committed to continuing education, so she may remain on the forefront of the latest and most effective wealth management strategies. She obtained her Chartered Professional Account of Canada (CPA, CGA – non-practicing at Morgan Stanley) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA – non-practicing at Morgan Stanley) designations before becoming a Financial Advisor. She earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) certification in 2004 and achieved the Financial Planning Specialist designation from Morgan Stanley. She currently holds her FINRA Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses and her life insurance license.

Kathy takes pride in her ability to put advanced concepts into action. Her ultimate goal is to guide her clients on the growth and preservation of their assets, while providing for current cash flow needs. Her approach is focused on articulating each client’s goals and aspirations. This information then serves as the foundation for the development of a custom strategy that can be adapted to respond to life changes and market activity.

Robert “Bobby” McKee IV is a First Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Financial Planning Specialist with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. As a 17-year veteran of the financial industry, he has developed a financial planning strategy specifically focused for clients serious about protecting and building their wealth.

Through extensive discussions, Bobby commits time to learning his clients’ needs, concerns, and goals allowing him to strategically prioritize each into a comprehensive financial plan. Moreover, by cultivating long-term relationships with clients Bobby earns a trusted position as his clients’ life-long financial planning specialist and wealth management strategist.

Whether you are interested in revisiting your current financial plan, crafting a new wealth management strategy or exploring what a comprehensive financial plan means for you, Bobby is ready to take that next-step with you.

Drawing on more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, Amy is often the first line of contact on a broad array of client services. Highly adept at answering questions quickly and efficiently, Amy is passionate about providing excellent service. She not only knows how to help meet each client's specific needs, she knows how to anticipate them as well. Her industry knowledge and reliability help provide clients with confidence, as she works to find solutions to their financial challenges.

Amy joined Morgan Stanley in 2005 and has been an integral member of The Silicon Valley Group since 2010. She currently holds her FINRA Series 7 and 66 certifications and was awarded the firm's National Service of Excellence Award in 2012. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Amy worked as a Registered Client Service Associate at Merrill Lynch for 17 years.

Tatum Maines is a Client Service Associate with The Silicon Valley Group at Morgan Stanley in Menlo Park, Calif. Outgoing and hard-working, she is deeply committed to providing the Group’s clients and financial advisors with the highest level of service and support every day.

Tatum leads the oversight of the team’s Executive Financial Services workflows and Rule 10b5-1 plan adoption desk. She has garnered experience in Rule 10b5-1 program rules and plan structuring as well as other liquidation strategies for control and restricted stock. In an expanded capacity, Tatum manages the financial plan inception process assisting the team’s advisors in modeling various client scenarios based on specific goals, objectives and market events.

Among her many other attributes, Tatum is extremely detail-oriented and has exceptional computer and interpersonal skills. She strives to add value with every interaction and is highly adept at handling a broad range of operational and administrative responsibilities.

To fulfill her many duties, Tatum stays current on the firm’s policies, procedures and digital capabilities and upholds Morgan Stanley’s core value of putting clients first with each decision that she makes. “When I fulfill the needs of our clients, I fulfill the mission of Morgan Stanley and help grow the Group’s business,” she says

To further promote the firm’s “client-first philosophy,” Tatum maintains close ties with Financial Advisors in her branch to foster an environment of learning and sharing from each other’s experience.

In her free time, Tatum enjoys traveling, watching college sports and playing golf. She loves dogs, adheres to a nutritious diet and places great importance on health and fitness. For 16 months, she worked as an intern in the University of Oregon football team’s strength and conditioning program. Tatum is a graduate of the University of Oregon, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in social studies with a focus on law and society.