Women and Wealth
Managing for what you value most. In life, your financial success is woven into a larger story: a unique web of circumstances, responsibilities and goals. You have a high-level career, but caring for your parents is turning into another full-time job. Your divorce has raised questions about how shared retirement savings can be divided so that each of you may be comfortable in the years ahead. You know you can do more with your wealth, but you need a clearer understanding of your options before expanding your efforts. A Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor will take the time to understand the many dimensions of your life, and then stand alongside you to help you address the financial complexities collaborating with you to develop strategies that translate into more confident and comfortable decisions.
4 Beginning with your unique circumstances / p3 / Life expectancy for women in the US is now just over 80 years. 1 This increased longevity along with volatile financial markets translates into new questions and complexities. Making informed decisions / p4 / We believe that a sound and productive relationship begins with listening to you and discussing what you have determined is important. 5 Getting information and understanding / p7 / Whether you are setting up a wealth plan that will span many years or working to manage short-term risk in your portfolio, you have to understand the what, why and how at a level that brings you not just comfort but confidence. 10 1
Complexity
Complexity / multidimensional analysis Beginning with your unique circumstances Life expectancy for women in the US is now just over 80 years. 1 This increased longevity along with volatile financial markets translates into new questions and complexities. Ultimately, whether or not you have the financial resources to support those you love, contribute to philanthropies you care about, provide a legacy for coming generations and enjoy those added years depends on making sense of that complexity. Devising sound fiscal and investment strategies that remain viable over decades and keep pace with changes in your life is not a simple undertaking. There are uncontrollable and often unpredictable external variables to consider such as the rate of inflation, bumpy financial markets and the rising cost of health care. There is also what led you to where you are in your own life. Like many women, you may have taken time off from work to care for children or parents, and your career and earning potential as well as accumulated savings may have suffered. You may be conservative about money, which is good when it comes to spending but can work against you as a long-term investor or your wealth plans may have been interrupted by divorce or personal loss. If you own a business, the puzzle can quickly become even more complex. How do you juggle business cash flows, employee benefit issues and daily operations while staying on top of your personal finances and retirement and estate planning needs? A Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor has access to professionals with years of experience in specific areas of wealth planning. The goal is to provide you with fresh perspective and advice to help you mitigate life s uncertainties, along with strategies that can help you through multiple market cycles. 3
Collaboration / matching goals and strategies Making informed choices We believe that a sound and productive relationship begins with listening to you and discussing what you have determined is important. That listening is the first step in building a relationship that includes clear explanations of our recommendations and ongoing dialogue about their effectiveness. The resulting collaboration can then evolve to address changes in your responsibilities and priorities, family situation, legacy goals your life. All too often, women report being ignored by financial advisors, despite their role as either primary or key decision makers. Some financial advisors may often quickly propose cookie-cutter strategies to complex goals or they present jargon-filled explanations of investment strategy that fail to address key questions in plain English. Formulating a wealth plan that will have a significant impact on your life for many years to come requires careful consideration and deserves an informed, two-way discussion of potential benefits, risks and costs. The conversation begins with a review of your full financial picture and the goals you hope to achieve. Once recommendations have been developed, your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor will invest the time to present proposals clearly, making sure you understand and are comfortable with the details. You may choose to include family members or other loved ones in discussions about your wealth plans. This collaborative process can capture everyday needs as well as long term objectives related to work, education, retirement or philanthropy and it is designed to result in strategies that are better aligned with your needs because they have been developed with your full involvement and understanding. 4
Collaboration
Confidence
Confidence / your learning curve Getting information and understanding Whether you are setting up a wealth plan that will span many years or working to manage short-term risk in your portfolio, you have to understand the what, why and how at a level that brings you not just comfort but confidence. Ultimately investing is about risk: how well you understand it, how comfortable you are taking it and how successful your strategy is at turning risk into potential return. When the process of developing your strategy includes ongoing discussion and refinement, and when you have the chance to ask questions and compare alternatives, you are likely to have the confidence you need to stick with a strategy which can often be critical to its success. We recognize that confidence is supported by information and education, as well as dialogue. Morgan Stanley offers many opportunities to learn and stay informed, including investment research and reports that explain specific strategies, online presentations, economic perspectives and seminars with other clients who share your interests and concerns. We consider education to be a vital part of financial preparedness which is critical to confidently managing your finances and future. The history of financial markets is filled with examples of people who did not fully understand or believe in the advice they followed and suffered the consequences. Your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor will work to help you develop the confidence that results from questioning, testing, learning, experience and collaboration. 7
Thoughtful decision making usually begins with a lot of questions. As you get answers and information, you can develop a framework for evaluating different choices and strategies. Step by step, you gain both the knowledge and the confidence to make decisions, create a plan and achieve your goals. As you assess how best to manage your wealth, your Financial Advisor will work with you to deliver the resources that help you shape and implement the strategy that best meets your needs. 8
Morgan Stanley recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on the investor s individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. This material was not intended or written to be used for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. 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. 2012 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. 1 US Census Bureau, Population Division. Table 10. Projected Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2010 to 2050 (NP2008-T10), http://www.census.gov/compendia/ statab/2011/tables/11s0103.pdf.
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