
C. James Taylor
The Taylor Group is known as of one of the top teams in the country managing over $4.25 billion* in client assets. They work exclusively with Engineers, C-Suite Executives and Senior Management in publicly traded companies in Silicon Valley.
The team's founding member, James Taylor, has been ranked by Forbes 18 times. Most recently in 2025, he was ranked #1 in New York City on Forbes' Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-In-State list. Shane Drumm also made his third appearance on the list, coming in at #5 in New York City. The team was also ranked as a whole in the Forbes' Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams list in 2024 and 2025 as well as the Barron's Top 250 Private Wealth Management Teams list in 2025.
Internally, James has been named to Morgan Stanley's Chairman's Club in 2025, which is an elite group of Morgan Stanley financial advisors in the country. In addition to demonstrating leadership through best practices of wealth management, this accolade recognizes James's consistent excellence in providing a wide range of investment products and wealth management services to clients. James Taylor ranked #8 and Shane Drumm ranked #39 in Top 40 under 40 in Financial Planning Magazine 2025.
The team has been coveted for their elite service model of comprehensive quarterly reviews, monthly financial planning calls, and weekly commentary around the financial markets. James states, "our team purposefully limits our number of clients so that we can provide the attentive and detailed service that significant wealth demands and deserves. We have the privilege of advising C Suite Executives, Engineers, and Senior Management at publicly traded companies in virtually all areas of financial strategy, including concentrated stock management, asset and liability management, trust and estate planning strategies, retirement planning services, and access to cash management and lending solutions."
*as of July 2025
Disclaimers:
2025 Barron's Top 250 Private Wealth Management Teams
Source: Barron's.com (Awarded Apr 2025) Data compiled by Barron's based on time period from Dec 2023 - Dec 2024.
2024 - 2025 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2024 - 2025). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month time period concluding in March of year prior to the issuance of the award.
Forbes America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors & Forbes Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State
2020 - 2024 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 2020 - 2024). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month period concluding in Mar of the year the award was issued.
Forbes America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors & Forbes Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State
2019 -2025 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 2019 -2025). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month period concluding in Mar of the year the award was issued.
Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
2022 - 2025 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2022 - 2024). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.
Financial Planning Magazine Top 40 under 40 is not an investment advisory or brokerage award. As such, criteria associated with financial services including, but not limited to, industry experience, client retention, assets under management, investment performance, revenue, quality of advice or client experience are not factors for consideration.
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Chairman's Club members must meet a number of criteria including performance, conduct and compliance standards, revenue, length of experience and assets under supervision. Chairman's Club membership is no guarantee of future performance.
Founded in 1977, Private Wealth Management is the division of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management that is dedicated to serving the firm's most affluent clients, including some of the world's most accomplished entrepreneurs, executives and stewards of multigenerational wealth. Functioning as an exclusive investment boutique within a global financial firm, we deliver sophisticated solutions that leverage the intellectual capital and insight of Morgan Stanley's substantial global resources. Drawing on a deep understanding of your financial life, our goal is to help you:
Source: Barron's.com (April 2023) 2023 Barron's Top 100 Financial Advisors awarded in 2023. This ranking was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by Barron's during the period from Dec 2020 - Dec 2021. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to Barron's to obtain or use the ranking. This ranking is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations, and quantitative criteria, including assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion. Rankings are based on the opinions of Barron's and this ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience. This ranking is not indicative of the Financial Advisor's future performance. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is not affiliated with Barron's. Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved.