

The Stuart Group at Morgan Stanley

Our Mission Statement
Why The Stuart Group
Located in the heart of San Francisco, one of America’s preeminent biotechnology and technology hubs, The Stuart Group is a boutique practice that can specifically address the virtual family office needs of top biotech and technology executives, business owners, and creatives in marketing and the entertainment industry.
We encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions or if you would like a complimentary second opinion or stress test of your current portfolio.
- Executive Financial ServicesFootnote1
- Stock Option PlansFootnote2
- Business Succession PlanningFootnote3
- Financial PlanningFootnote4
- Life InsuranceFootnote5
- Philanthropic ManagementFootnote6
- Trust ServicesFootnote7
- Estate Planning StrategiesFootnote8
- Divorce Financial AnalysisFootnote9
- LGBT+ Planning ServicesFootnote10
FOR EQUITY COMPENSATION

As a successful corporate executive, you face unique challenges. Your investment portfolio may be heavily weighted with employer stock and stock options that are subject to rules of which you may not be aware. The Stuart Group in San Francisco is your link to extensive resources that can help you make more informed choices and manage your wealth more effectively.
Vesting events are important milestones in your wealth creation and financial planning journey. They can play a key role in helping you achieve your goals—whether you want cash now, plan to hold your stock based on your commitment to your company and the growth you'd like to see, or are wrestling with complex wealth management needs. In thinking through the choices, it's important to understand how to incorporate vesting events into your wider financial plan.
When it comes to equity compensation planning, executives must manage a complex group of considerations and obligations between meeting the expectations of the company and its shareholders and meeting the financial needs of their families.
As an executive, a significant portion of your compensation may be tied to your company equity. And because of your status, you may be privy to material non-public information (MNPI) about the company's business that could potentially expose you to insider trading liability. Here are key changes to be aware of.
A THOROUGH REVIEW OF YOUR WEALTH PLAN
As life changes, it is likely you are faced with an increasingly complex environment, which makes your wealth planning more challenging. Proper guidance can be a critical component of your long-term success. In order to help people like you achieve that success, The Stuart Group at Morgan Stanley is committed to providing resources to help investors protect and grow their overall wealth through our Second Opinion Service.
You would get a second opinion before having a major medical procedure. Why not do the same for your financial health?
If you would like more information, let's have a conversation about your unique financial situation to determine how we might be able to serve you. A few minutes spent with The Stuart Group will be time well-invested.
Location
Meet The Stuart Group
About Bruce S Stuart
Bruce is an Executive Financial Services Director trained to help clients with concentrated stock positions. He specializes in working with corporate executives at biotechnology and technology companies and business owners. He is also a Certified Investment Management Analyst®, considered a peak technical portfolio construction program for financial advisors. As a Certified Private Wealth Advisor®, Bruce is trained to serve high-net-worth clients through tax-efficient investing, protection of assets, growth maximization and transfer of wealth. And as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor®, Bruce has been trained to effectively engage with business owners and help them build more valuable companies through value-added conversations focused on growth and exit strategies.
Bruce has been actively engaged with promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives in financial services for much of his career including being one of the first financial advisors awarded the Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor℠ designation, among the first designations in the United States specifically focused on providing financial services to members of the LGBTQ+ community. He has also been a member of Morgan Stanley’s National Diversity and Inclusion Council and Morgan Stanley’s Pacific Coast Pride & Ally Council.
Bruce grew up in Upstate New York. He is an honors graduate of both Cornell University and Albany Law School and is a member of the law school’s Board of Trustees. He and his husband Bill, have a strong commitment to giving back through establishing and endowing scholarship programs at their alma maters for individuals who are in financial need. Bruce enjoys learning about the latest trends that will impact investment opportunities, traveling, writing and discovering exciting new food venues.
1* 2014-2024 Five Star Wealth Manager Award
Source: fivestarprofessional.com (Awarded 2014-2024). The award was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by Five-Star Professional based on objective criteria. The award was not based on a specific time period.
NMLS#: 1576026
CA Insurance License #: 0C33868
About Kai Aknin
Kai is amongst a select group of Financial Advisors who have earned the Financial Planning Specialist designation upon successful completion of a two-year financial planning curriculum offered at Morgan Stanley. During his time in this program, he served as a financial planner for multiple Morgan Stanley branches where he built and oversaw financial planning for several Morgan Stanley teams with over $500 million in clients’ assets.
Kai earned his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley. He interned at Morgan Stanley during his junior and senior years, before joining the firm full time after graduating in 2016.
Raised in Hawaii with his single mom and two younger sisters, Kai learned both the value of money and the responsibility of leadership at a young age. As a second-generation Financial Advisor, he was greatly influenced by his mother’s role in the industry, and discovered his own passion for investing in his early teens. Kai is trilingual in English, French and Chinese. In his free time, he stays active with cooking, gardening, and keeping in touch with his family and friends in Hawaii and overseas.
NMLS#: 1566227
CA Insurance License #: 0L33301

Contact Bruce S Stuart

Contact Kai Aknin
The Power of Partnerships
About Wendy Fortenberry
Private Bankers partner with Financial Advisors to develop a specialized approach for managing clients’ cash flow, liquidity and financing needs, leveraging our comprehensive suite of cash management and lending solutions.
Wendy began her career in financial services in 2001, and joined Morgan Stanley in 2015 as a Private Banker. Prior to joining the firm, she was a Wealth Management Banker at Merrill Lynch.
Wendy is a graduate of San Diego State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. She lives in the Bay Area. Outside of the office, Wendy enjoys attending professional baseball games & performing arts events as well as spending time with family and friends.
About Brent Curlow
Brent began his career in financial services in 2003, and joined Morgan Stanley in 2022. Prior to his current position, he worked at First Hawaiian Bank as an Investment Services Analyst.
Brent graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation and is a CFA charter holder . Brent lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife, Helen. Outside of work, Brent volunteers as Social Chair for CFA Hawaii and Board Director for Financial Planning Association of Hawaii.
About Clint Eddy
Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2022, Clint was a Wealth Strategist at Merrill Lynch for over 15 years. Clint also practiced tax and business law at the law firm of Fox Rothschild for over six years. He was a member of the firm’s Estate Planning and Tax and Corporate Transactions groups. Clint is a member of Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and is actively involved in the WSBA’s Real Property, Probate and Trust section. He is the co-author of the Washington Partnership and Limited Liability Company Deskbook and was named a “Rising Star” by Washington Law and Politics magazine.
Clint received his Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law, his Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon School of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington. He is Series 7 and 66 licensed.
Outside of work Clint is an avid, but admittedly, pretty awful skier. He and his fiancé live in Seattle with their 10 year old Boston Terrier named Annie.
Portfolio Insights
1Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
2Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
3Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
4Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
5Insurance products are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.
6Products and services are provided by third party service providers, not Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”). Morgan Stanley may not receive a referral fee or have any input concerning such products or services. There may be additional service providers for comparative purposes. Please perform a thorough due diligence and make your own independent decision.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
7Morgan 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.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
8Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
9Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
10Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures