Story and Services

As your life evolves, not only do your finances become more complex, but the opportunities for effectively managing your assets increase as well. Often, evaluating these opportunities and wisely choosing among them may require the time and experience of a skilled financial advisor – one who not only understands your specific challenges, but has access to customized programs that can be properly utilized to provide you with solutions.

At The Vista Planning Group at Morgan Stanley, we are a seasoned advisory team whose experience and knowledge reflect the unique financial circumstances of our clientele. We focus on what is most important to you and seek to provide the specialized skills, sophisticated strategies and world-class resources needed to make informed, confident decisions about your life, your family and your finances.

We believe comprehensive wealth planning means more than providing investment advice. It means helping you strengthen the financial independence you've worked your whole life to achieve. It means striving to ensure you have the means to pursue what's most important. And it means understanding you and your family as individuals with unique goals, values and circumstances so we may develop effective strategies on your behalf.

As our relationship grows, we hope you will come to regard us as trusted stewards of your wealth, here to help you make more informed decisions on any financial issue. We are committed to helping you preserve and build your wealth and will work to strengthen your family’s financial security for generations to come.
Services Include
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

How We Help You

We help individuals and families define and achieve financial financial goals at different stages of their life. Our process can be applied to any point in your financial story.
    No Matter What Stage of Life You're In ...
    This Is Our Process:
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    Accumulation
    During the accumulation phase, our clients are contributing to employer-sponsored retirement plans, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), and other savings or investment accounts.
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    Discover
    Our relationship begins with a thorough understanding of you – your needs, lifestyle, family, risk tolerance and especially your goals for the future. What you want your wealth to do will dictate appropriate investments.
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    Consolidation
    The consolidation phase typically begins when clients start planning for retirement. They bring all investment assets together under one manager to facilitate distribution and cohesive investment strategy.
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    Create
    Next we design a financial plan based on our understanding of you and current economic conditions. Our goal is to help guide you from where you are now, to where you want to be in the future.
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    Distribution
    Distribution is the strategic syphoning of assets from investment accounts to our clients personal bank accounts for funding living expenses and other financial goals while investing the balance for continued growth.
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    Implement
    Your custom investment allocation will have the attention of a disciplined portfolio manager. We manage your investments from right here in our office, watching the markets daily for changing risks and opportunities. Adjustments are made as needed based on market cycles and inevitable life changes.
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    Transfer
    At some point in the future, our clients' assets will transfer from their possession to their beneficiaries of their choosing. We help facilitate that transfer according to our clients' wishes whether to the next generation or charitable cause.
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    Monitor
    We check in with you to deliver metrics around your portfolio, and ultimately measure trajectory towards or away from your goals. Our ultimate mission is your financial success and well-being.

Valuable Tools and Resources

Our comprehensive suite of digital tools are designed to help enhance every aspect of your financial life. Below are a few of the technologies we have to offer our clients.
    Tools Our Clients Can Use:
    Tools We Use to Help Our Clients:
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    Morgan Stanley Online
    Beyond viewing your account balance and activity, Morgan Stanley Online (MSO) has a suite of features that allow you to manage your everyday finances from paying bills and sending money, to transferring funds and authorizing transactions with one click using eAuthorizations.
    Morgan Stanley Online
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    LifeView - Intelligent Planning
    LifeView is a suite of planning tools that includes goal-specific analysis that we can use with our clients to create a realistic, holistic strategy that integrates the various aspects of an individual’s financial life, including investments and cash management needs.

    Fill out the questionnaire to get started talking with us about creating a personalized strategy for your long-term goals
    LifeView Questionnaire
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    Digital Vault
    The Digital Vault on Morgan Stanley Online and the Mobile App allows for easy sharing and convenient access to life’s most important documents from wills and deeds to financial statements and tax fillings. Easily manage your encrypted financial records all in one place.
    Digital Vault
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    eDelivery
    eDelivery provides you with the ability to view statements and other Firm documents electronically in lieu of paper. Clients who are registered in Morgan Stanley Online (MSO) may enroll in eDelivery.
    eDelivery
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    Strategy - Intelligent Withdrawals
    Building wealth is a means to an end. Taxes can eat up a significant portion of your assets upon withdrawal. We are backed by sophisticated technology that enables us to look across multiple accounts and products to determine the right combination of securities and positions to sell for client needs.
    View Tax-Aware Strategies Here
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    Total Wealth View
    The ability to view all of your assets together provides the opportunity to advise on your Morgan Stanley accounts with your entire financial picture in mind. Completing your financial picture with Total Wealth View gives our clients the benefit of more informed wealth planning, more secure data access, and convenient connectivity.
    Total Wealth View

Protecting Your Online Security

Your security is our top priority. Morgan Stanley proactively defends our systems and monitors our digital landscapes to anticipate issues before they arise and respond appropriately when they do.

The firm is actively supporting multiple layers of security. Security includes the following; Strong encryption protocols designed to protect your data, continuous monitoring to help detect and prevent fraudulent activity in your accounts, routine testing of our systems to identify potential vulnerabilities, and independent reviews by outside security firms to penetration test our applications and evaluate our processes.
Cybersecurity Best Practices
  • Safeguarding your personal information is one of our highest priorities. While we are all continuing to work from home we find ourselves utilizing technology more now than ever. We believe these 5 easy and important cybersecurity habits will help to protect you from cyber and fraud risk.
Security Features and Proactive Defense
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Alerts and Notifications
  • Automatic Session Time Out
  • VoiceID
  • Fraud Detection and Prevention
  • Digital Tools
  • Cybersecurity Fusion Centers
  • Threat Landscape Monitoring
  • Employee Training and Testing

A Look Into the Markets

The following research is meant to transform complex financial analysis and research into concise and easily digestible content. We hope you find this information helpful.
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    GIC Weekly Research Report
    The Global Investment Committee's Lisa Shalett headlines this weekly look at markets, asset class performance, and fixed income.
    Read The Latest Report
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    On The Markets Research Report
    Detailed market commentary from Morgan Stanley's thought leaders on topics such as global equities, fixed income, monetary policy, and more.
    Read The Latest Report

Location

1650 Tysons Blvd
Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
US
Direct:
(703) 556-8183(703) 556-8183
Toll-Free:
(800) 336-0156(800) 336-0156

Meet The Vista Planning Group

About Pamela Murphy

Pam is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Pam has over 26 years experience in financial services and delivers planning based investment recommendations for clients with a strong background in Education, Retirement and Estate Planning. She has dedicated herself to understanding the priorities of clients and providing them with personalized attention and disciplined, customized investment strategies. Prior to becoming a Financial Advisor in 2000, Pam was a Vice President and Director of Financial Planning for a regional financial services firm where she provided financial guidance, retirement and estate planning support for high net worth clients around the country. Pam holds a B.S. in Marketing from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and Masters courses in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She maintains her Chartered Life Underwriter® and Chartered Financial Consultant® designations from the American College.
Securities Agent: IL, CA, VT, CT, UT, WV, VI, SD, CO, OK, OH, MT, AZ, WA, NC, PA, MO, GA, TX, VA, TN, NY, IN, RI, OR, FL, NJ, SC, MD, MA, DC, PR, MI, ME; General Securities Principal; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 638973

About Jeffrey Hale

Jeffrey Hale is a First Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley. By serving as the Vista Planning Group at Morgan Stanley's Chief Investment Officer, he is responsible for the portfolio construction, implementation, and monitoring of all client investment plans.

Touting over 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, Jeff has managed client portfolios through a number of different market cycles and economic conditions. His approach allows him to create customized investment strategies that strive to meet and exceed client’s financial goals and objectives. Jeff focuses on the outcomes that matter while seeking to control risk in order to provide cash flow through retirement. His guidance is tailored to support a client’s current lifestyle, retirement income needs, and legacy goals.

Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Penn State University where he met his wife, Kelly. They have 3 children: Ryan, Taylor, and Connor. He enjoys golfing at the Lansdowne Golf Club near his home in Ashburn, Virginia. Jeff is an avid sports fan (We are…Penn State) and continues to support the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jeffrey Hale is a Financial Advisor 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.
Securities Agent: PR, DC, AZ, UT, VI, TN, MT, RI, OH, MA, GA, OR, MO, ME, VT, NJ, CT, VA, MD, CA, SC, PA, NC, MI, IN, WA, TX, IL, WV, NY, FL, OK, CO, SD; General Securities Principal; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 638923

About Samuel C. Swanson

Sam is a Senior Client Service Associate who joined Morgan Stanley in August of 2017. With over 14 years of experience in Financial Services, Sam has held positions at both UBS Financial Services and Merrill Lynch, while specializing in customer service, financial risk, and regulatory operations. Sam graduated from Radford University with a BBA in Management and a BBA in Marketing. He and his wife Kathleen live in Potomac Falls, VA.
Wealth Management
Global Investment Office

Portfolio Insights

Retirement

Working with you to understand your life goals and develop a personalized wealth strategy. Today and for the years to come.
  • 401(k) Rollovers
  • IRA Plans
  • Retirement income strategies
  • Retirement plan participants
  • Annuities
4 Financially Smart Ways to Take Money Out of Retirement Accounts
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4 Financially Smart Ways to Take Money Out of Retirement Accounts

Discover how planning for required minimum distributions from retirement accounts can help you fund future needs and support loved ones.

Investing

Working closely with you to guide your wealth and investments through the most challenging market cycles.
  • Asset Management
  • Wealth Planning
  • Traditional Investments
  • Alternative Investments
  • Impact Investing
2025 Global Economic Outlook: U.S. Policies May Temper Global Growth
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2025 Global Economic Outlook: U.S. Policies May Temper Global Growth

Global growth is likely to be around 3% in 2025 and 2026, as tariff and immigration policies begin to slow the U.S. economy late next year, and China's underperformance restrains emerging markets.

Family

Creating customized financial strategies for the challenges that today’s families face.
  • Estate Planning Strategies
  • 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
  • Long Term Care Insurance
  • Special Needs Planning
  • Trust Services
Are You Prepared for Tax Day?
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Are You Prepared for Tax Day?

The countdown to Tax Day has begun. Here are some strategies to consider as the deadline approaches.

Business Planning

Helping you on key aspects of your business such as ownership, liquidity and developing opportunities.
  • Succession Planning
  • Business Planning
  • Qualified Retirement Plans
Financial Planning for Life After Selling a Business
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Financial Planning for Life After Selling a Business

Selling your business can mean big changes for your life, both personally and financially. Know how to make the most of your windfall.

Philanthropy

Making sure your philanthropic dollars are managed with the same high quality service as the rest of your wealth.
  • Endowments
  • Foundations
  • Donor Advised Funds
  • Impact Investing
Donor Advised Funds: A Smart Way to Manage Your Giving 
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Donor Advised Funds: A Smart Way to Manage Your Giving 

There’s more to charitable giving than you may realize. Here’s one method that may be a tax-efficient way to give and can help maximize your impact.

Financial Wellness

Enhancing Financial Wellness enables your workforce to do their best work. Companies that invest in financial wellness have an opportunity to:
  • Reduce employee stress,
  • Improve retention and engagement, and
  • Set themselves apart by offering comprehensive financial wellness benefits.
The Business Case for a Financially Resilient Workforce
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The Business Case for a Financially Resilient Workforce

In the face of turbulent markets, the word “resilience” may be top of mind. Broadly speaking, resilience is the ability to “bounce back” when encountering life’s inevitable challenges.
Ready to start a conversation? Contact The Vista Planning Group today.
Market Information Delayed 20 Minutes
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

1Morgan 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.

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2Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.

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3Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on your specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for you. Please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC program disclosure brochure (the “Morgan Stanley ADV”) for more information in the investment advisory programs available. The Morgan Stanley ADV is available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.

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4Morgan 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.

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5Annuities are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.

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6Insurance products are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.

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7Insurance products are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.

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8Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services.

Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

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9Morgan 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.

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10The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) aware investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because ESG criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.

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11Products 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.

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12When Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors (collectively, “Morgan Stanley”) provide “investment advice” regarding a retirement or welfare benefit plan account, an individual retirement account or a Coverdell education savings account (“Retirement Account”), Morgan Stanley is a “fiduciary” as those terms are defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as applicable. When Morgan Stanley provides investment education, takes orders on an unsolicited basis or otherwise does not provide “investment advice”, Morgan Stanley will not be considered a “fiduciary” under ERISA and/or the Code. For more information regarding Morgan Stanley’s role with respect to a Retirement Account, please visit www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley does not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a Retirement Account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA and related consequences of any investments or other transactions made with respect to a Retirement Account. Individuals 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.

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13Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.

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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
CRC 6491812 (04/2024)