The Westchester Group at Morgan Stanley

Ellis is a founding member of The Westchester Group at Morgan Stanley.  He is primarily responsible for discretionary portfolio management and overall investment policy planning and research.

Ellis began his career in financial services in 1970 on the institutional corporate bond desk of Smith Barney, a predecessor firm of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s.  Prior to his 1981 decision to focus exclusively on individual investors, Ellis served as an institutional corporate bond salesman and sales coordinator and as head corporate bond trader at both Smith Barney and Shearson Hayden Stone, predecessor firms of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.  He was the founder and first manager of Smith Barney’s Corporate Bond Research Department and authored its weekly “Corporate Bond Comments” for several years.

In 1990, Ellis joined the Portfolio Management Group and as of July 2017 managed or helped to advise some $400 million of client assets for the Westchester Group.  Ellis integrates financial planning into his investment process to assist in setting risk tolerance and return targets for clients.

Ellis was a founding member of the board of the Portfolio Management Institute, a not-for profit association of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney portfolio managers and served as its first secretary/treasurer from 2004-2010.  He was also a member of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s proxy voting committee for managed accounts. 

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Ellis became quite active in community service, first as a member of the Board of Appeals and later its Chairman, and thereafter as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham Manor, NY, his home town.  He was also President and a member of the Board of Governors of the Shenorock Shore Club of Rye, NY.  A Rotarian, Ellis was named a Paul Harris Fellow and has served as President and on the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of the Pelhams.  He has been an active member of the service organization since 1981 and currently chairs the club’s scholarship committee.

A 1970 graduate of Princeton University, Ellis played varsity football for three years and captained the university’s 1969 Ivy League Championship team.  He is on the Board of Directors of the Ivy Football Association and currently serves as an advisor to the Princeton Football Association.  Ellis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

Ellis resides in Yorktown Heights, NY, and Raymond, ME, with his wife, Marilyn.  They have four children: Jon, also a member of the Westchester Group, Carrie, Michael and Nikki; and six grandchildren, Natasha, Leo, Maxwell, Nathan, Stella and Natalie.  In their leisure time, the Moore’s enjoy reading, travel, and exercise.

Jon Moore joined the Westchester Group at Morgan Stanley in August, 2009 and is in charge of financial planning for the group.  He joins his father Ellis Moore, Jr., a Senior Vice President and founding member of the group, in using financial planning as a basis for working to help meet client goals and objectives.

Upon attaining a Bachelor of Arts with honors at Syracuse University, Jon entered the financial services industry in 1996 working at Smith Barney.  Within 2 years he was managing the creation, production and training for the financial planning software platform used by the firm.  Over time, this developed into a role as director of strategy and development for the subsequent generation of Smith Barney’s financial planning software platform.

After many years engaged in financial planning on a theoretical level, Jon realized that his real passion lies in working directly with people in this capacity; he deeply enjoys drawing from his wealth management experience to provide personally crafted strategies that help individuals and families establish and meet their life and financial goals.  His background allows him to work from a broad based, holistic financial planning platform that goes well beyond that of the casual practitioner.

Jon believes that asset management is best conducted not as an abstract exercise, but as a specific response to the particular needs and financial landscape of a client; as such, Jon works closely with Ellis to help design and implement financial life plans integrated with informed portfolio management.

As a CFP^® certificant, Jon has successfully completed the rigorous education, examination, experience and ethics requirements required by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, an independent professional regulatory organization.  As such, he holds himself to and is held to the highest standards of ethics and competency for his clients.  Jon’s enjoyment of working with those who are currently or will soon be retired has also led him to obtain his certification as a Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM and Retirement Income Certified Professional^®.

Jon lives in Ridgefield, CT with his wife Lisa, his son Leo and his daughter Stella.  In his free time, Jon coaches wrestling and t-ball, and enjoys obstacle racing.

Joanna Rrezja is a Financial Advisor and Financial Planning Specialist at The Westchester Group. She began her career in financial services at Morgan Stanley in 2019, joining The Westchester Group in 2021. Her primary responsibilities include establishing and maintaining client relationships, with a special focus on financial planning to help meet client goals and objectives.

Like many, Joanna has had more than one successful career. After graduating from Pace University with a BBA in Finance, she spent years in luxury retail management, managing store for top brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Alice + Olivia, and Vince. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to launch Marak Boutique in 2019, an evening wear boutique in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

Her retail career began in sales as a Style Advisor. Much like a Financial Advisor builds portfolios for their clients based on their unique goals, risk appetite, and the financial climate, Joanna helped her clients with their fashion investments by building a wardrobe based on their lifestyle and body type. Her clients trusted her as their personal style expert, advising on fashion trends, and then personalizing them to fit their needs. However as she began moving up the ranks from sales to management and her responsibilities shifted to coaching and development of her staff, Joanna soon realized she missed her favorite part of the job - the client relationship aspect of retail sales. Her decision to pursue a career as a Financial Advisor was a natural transition based on her interest in helping others, seeing a need and desiring to meet it.

As a woman and first generation American born to Albanian immigrants, Joanna knows first-hand the challenges many face when planning for their future and reaching for financial independence. She is passionate about financial coaching and empowering women with financial literacy, with a special emphasis on divorcees. Joanna’s unique experiences and broad perspectives bring both the knowledge and empathy needed to help clients financially achieve what is most important to them. Once she has a complete understanding of her clients’ goals, Joanna then works closely with Ellis and Jon to help design and implement financial life plans integrated with informed portfolio management.

Outside of work, Joanna enjoys reading and getting outdoors. She has a keen interest in learning about different cultures, frequently traveling abroad. Originally from Westchester, Joanna now lives in New York City and is an Ursuline School alumna.

Sandrina V. Freitas is a Senior Client Service Associate with The Westchester Group at Morgan Stanley, in Purchase NY. She provides support to both clients and the entire team.  Her responsibilities include coordinating client meetings, preparing reports, overseeing client service and managing the administrative responsibilities of the team.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Sandrina was a Registered Private Client Associate & Operations Manager at Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, in Purchase, NY  for 14 years. She is a registered sales assistant and obtained her Series 7 & 63 in 2010.

Sandrina earned her Bachelor of Science degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, NY. She majored in Psychology and minored in language arts. She speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish fluently.

Sandrina has lived in Westchester, NY her whole life. She dedicates most of her free time to what she calls Paying It Forward, by helping local individuals in need and various organizations in her community. To name a few: She is the NY PARP Reading Advocacy Coordinator for the Hendrick Hudson School District. She has been a drop-off location for Toys for Tots for the past 8 Years. She also works with various groups to provide food, clothing and toiletries to the homeless of NYC; and volunteers at homeless shelters, cooking and serving food. She is also a Portuguese School Teacher to children from Kindergarten to 3rd grade and runs the Youth Program at The Portuguese American Culture center of the Tarrytown's.