Working With Us

Helping you achieve financial success is our first priority. Morgan Stanley has meaningful intelligence about every major asset class and a presence in every major market, as well as investment research from some of the world’s most respected analysts. Together, we will formulate a strategy to help you achieve your most important goals and then deliver a vast array of resources to you in the way that is most appropriate for how you invest and what you want to achieve.
Services Include
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*

Equity Compensation

The decisions you make around your company stock and options are among the most important financial decisions you will ever make. The process can be complicated, and you may be faced with questions such as:

• What type of stock and options do I have with my company?
• How do I maximize the value of my equity compensation?
• What are the tax implications of my company stock and options?
• What happens if I leave the company for a new job? Or I retire?
• How can I turn my company equity into something that brings me joy?
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    Understanding Equity Compensation
    This article explains restricted stock, stock options, gift options, and more. If you wish to discuss issues specific to your equity compensation, including strategies to diversify a concentrated positions, please speak to your wealth advisor.
    Understanding Equity Compensation
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    Executive Compensation: Stock and Stock Options
    Executives today are increasingly compensated with
    stock or stock options. It is critical that an executive understand the risk of investing financial assets and the potential reward of preferential income tax treatment. The following is a general overview of some of the basic rules applicable to stock and stock options.
    Stock and Stock Options
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    Equity Award Analysis Page from Morgan Stanley
    Your equity awards are your company's way of recognizing you for a job well done—and they can also play an important role in helping you achieve your financial goals. As a benefit of your company stock plan, you have access to our exclusive Equity Award Analysis to help you gain a deeper understanding of the full value of your equity awards.
    Equity Award Analysis from Morgan Stanley at Work
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    How we can help?
    We help you understand what you have and present you with insight and analysis to educate and empower each of your financial decisions. We cover all aspects of stock plans, non-qualified stock options (NQSO), incentive stock options (ISO), restricted stock and restricted stock units (RSU)—as well as the tax implications and intricacies associated with each. The depth of our knowledge and experience in this area has helped pave the way to our becoming one of the leading reinvestment stock plan teams at Morgan Stanley.
    Understand Your Equity Award Plan

Trust and Estate Planning

We help look at all aspects of your estate to understand the potential income tax and estate planning attributes of the vehicles. The goal is to make more informed investment decisions looking at the estate plan holistically.
We Will Assist You With...
• Perform preliminary due diligence – review balance sheet and your existing estate planning strategies
• Objectively educate you about income tax and estate planning strategies
• Analyze planning techniques in relation to your goals
• Implement the estate plan to the extent that you are comfortable but we do not provide tax or legal advice
• Integrate investment and estate planning strategies - combining “asset location” with “asset allocation”

You have been successful, and now you can be significant...

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We deliver the information, advice and support needed to help you define your philanthropic goals and create an effective strategy to reach them.

• With the right advice, your good intentions can become your greatest legacy
• Your favorite causes can become family causes
• Your wealth can become a tool to change lives
• Your passion for others can become a strategic plan for giving and one that inspires others to follow suit. If your passion leads you to join a non-profit board, there are ways to help ensure that the non-profit is governed well and raises funds effectively.

Many clients value philanthropy and thereby utilize various gifting structures while giving to different types of charities. In order to help you prudently invest, we need to grasp the salient features of client situations. We work with our clients’ lawyers and accountants to understand the complete framework under which you can then make sound investment decisions.
ADVISORY SERVICES
• Identifying effective and strategic giving options
• Researching charities to help identify ones that complement your philanthropic aims and operate efficiently
• Conducting philanthropic meetings and retreats to discuss family values, grantmaking strategies and charitable goals
GIVING ASSISTANCE
• Offering insight and advice on private foundations, donor-advised funds, and other charitable vehicles
• Educating you on methods of tracking the effectiveness of your philanthropy
• Keeping you informed on emerging trends in philanthropy
• Supporting your private foundation, donor-advised fund, charitable trust, and non-profit organization in creative programming to scale the impact of your gifts
CONNECTIONS
• Establishing philanthropic giving circles which extend the impact of individual efforts
• Identifying board positions and assisting you through the protocol of becoming a board member
• Working with you and your outside advisors to create grant agreements and negotiate the terms of your gift
• Connecting you to non-profit leadership and industry experts

We Are Here To Support All Your Key Life Events...

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    Birth
    Welcoming a child into the family is a joyous occasion for everyone. As your trusted advisor, I will help you plan and prepare for the financial components that a new child might introduce to your lives.
    Learn More About Giving to Children
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    Education
    Education is a major investment that often requires years of careful, advanced planning. As educational costs continue to rise - from primary education through undergraduate, graduate and professional schools - we will work together to implement the appropriate funding strategies for your needs.
    529 Plans: A Powerful Tool to Save for Education
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    Marriage
    There are few events more exciting than tying the knot with the person you love. Managing your wealth is a critical component to maintaining a long, fruitful marriage. Also, helping fund your child's wedding is a goal for many parents and grandparents.
    Learn More About Talking Money
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    Planning for Your Future
    At Morgan Stanley, we believe that identifying financial solutions begins with a solid understanding of each client's situation, goals, objectives and risk tolerance. We follow a disciplined process that allows us to work with you to craft a solution that helps meet your individual needs.
    Goals Based Planning
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    Retirement
    Some people look forward to retirement as their time to relax and enjoy the fruits of their decades-long career. Others worry about their ability to support their lifestyle given certain life challenges. Saving for retirement is a lifelong process that relies on defined financial planning strategies.
    Learn More About Retirement Planning
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    Wealth Transfer
    Dealing with eventual transfer of wealth is intense and challenging. Aside from coping with the loss of a loved one, legal matters also require immediate attention, including the administration of the estate. Even though it is a difficult conversation to have, we will help you determine your estate planning goals to minimize conflict and confusion for your loved ones when legacy is passed on.
    Learn More About Estate Planning

Location

411 Borel Ave
Suite 220
San Mateo, CA 94402
US
Direct:
(650) 358-1800(650) 358-1800

Meet The Weala Group

About Jacqueline Kwong

How I can help you:

I am your Personal CFO. Thinking Partner. Financial Consigliere.

We have your financial back and are your biggest advocate. We lead with financial planning (Money must have a purpose since you can't take it with you!) and advise on anything dollar related. Our goal is to simplify and help you become strategically intentional with your finances.

Finances are multi-faceted. Often you don't know what you don't know or even where to start – we can help. We start with mapping your goals and adjust as life changes and evolves. In addition to providing investment advice and strategy to clients, we help:

- design tax-efficient and goal oriented portfolios
- protect their assets from the unexpected
- provide guidance on company stock plans and equity
- plan for exciting life events (like retirement, weddings, college, etc)
- leave a legacy
- philanthropic giving

What makes me knowledgeable:

A proud UC Berkeley grad (GO BEARS!), I have been a trusted financial advisor for over 16 years. I am a Certified Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Portfolio Management Director. I am passionate about financial education and I work hard to make sure my clients know what they are invested in. I have seen my clients through both the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic crash – our job is to guide clients through that uncertainty. Behavioral finance is also important to me and my job is to help client maintain a "buy low and sell high" mindset.

Getting to know me:

Parenthood is my greatest adventure– the good, the bad and the cuddly. Seeing the world through the eyes of a 3 year old and vivacious 1 year old is both hilarious and life-changing. (My 3 year old told me the Salesforce Tower is a ROCKET… and indeed it is!). When I am not busy optimizing a client's finances or refereeing a toddler wrestling match, I can be found indulging in podcasts about personal growth, development and entrepreneurship.
Securities Agent: HI, CA, NC, WI, FL, VT, SD, NY, NV, GA, TX, OK, AZ, MD, MI, IL, OR, VA, WA, AR, MA, UT, MN, CO, MT; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 2213872
CA Insurance License #: 0F97098

About Robert Alden McLalan

How I can help you:

Character. Value. discipline. I practice these principals in all that I do.

What makes me knowledgeable:

I have over 40 years of implementation of plans into equities and fixed income. I have been through the ups and downs of the market and can help clients navigate this space efficiently and effectively. As a former Marine and growing up in a Marine Corp family, I maintain a disciplined and strategic approach to investing.

After serving three years in the Marine Corps, I went on and graduated from UC Berkeley. I am a prolific reader and developed the ability to take complex financial concepts and translate them into a language clients can understand.

Getting to know me:

I have spent much of my life caring for my sister who was born with Down Syndrome. That experience led me onto boards for 15 years that dealt with special needs children and people who live on the margins of society. I try to live my life with purpose. I am also an author and narrator of my stories for a radio show.
Securities Agent: OK, MD, MN, NC, NV, NY, OR, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, MT, HI, AR, WI, SD; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1435711

About Jerrick Lien

Born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, Jerrick moved to the U.S. after high school and earned his BS in accounting at San Jose State University. He focused on tax planning and served as a member and volunteer of Tax-Aid during the tax season.

The Power of Partnerships

By partnering with experienced individuals across wealth disciplines, Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors can align specialized resources with your custom needs and deliver strategic guidance through the familiarity and trust of existing relationships

About Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown is a Senior Private Banker serving Morgan Stanley Wealth Management offices in California.

Private Bankers partner with Financial Advisors to develop a specialized approach for managing clients’ cash flow, liquidity and financing needs, while leveraging our comprehensive suite of cash management and lending solutions.

Ryan began his career in financial services in 2006, and joined Morgan Stanley in 2011 as an Associate Private Banker. Prior to joining the firm, he was a Licensed Premier Banker at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Ryan is a graduate of the University of California at Irvine, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a minor in Management. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California with his family. Outside of the office, Ryan enjoys playing golf, road and mountain biking, and spending time with friends and family. He also volunteers his time as a youth sports coach and at several non-profit organizations.
NMLS#: 465566
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
Taking Control of Your Finances After Death of a Spouse
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Taking Control of Your Finances After Death of a Spouse

Financial planning after a divorce or death can be trying, but with the right approach and the right advice you can turn a difficult situation into empowerment.

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.
Ready to start a conversation? Contact The Weala Group today.
1Morgan 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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2Morgan 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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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.

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4Morgan 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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5Insurance products are offered in conjunction with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates.

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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)