Alan Whitman

Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management, Pasadena



Age:

61


Education:

B.S., finance, University of Nebraska at Omaha




Team Assets:

$1.1 billion

Typical Account:
$1 million-$10 million plus


Years in Business:

36


Quote:

“If you have legal problems you see an attorney, if you have medical problems you see a physician. When investing, it really behooves you to use the advice and input from myself and others in the industry. I think we more than justify our existence.

Most of the top wealth advisors find their plates full with about 100 clients. Alan Whitman has 750.

“I work probably more hours than anybody in the office,” Whitman said. “I’d say about 28 hours a day.”

With almost 2,700 accounts under his purview, the 61-year-old financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management said he actually works about 12 hours daily to ensure that he is always available and attentive to his clients’ needs. He even works when he goes on vacation.

But Whitman wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I get as excited getting up each morning and coming to work as I did the first day.”

Whitman is the sole financial advisor on his five-person team, while the rest handle the operational side of the business. The team has amassed a portfolio exceeding $1 billion working primarily with high net worth clients, as well as a small number of ultra-high net worth individuals and even some institutional and corporate clients.

Despite the large number of accounts, Whitman said what sets him apart and has earned him the trust of investors is dedication to each client. “We spend an incredible amount of time on service,” he said. “There isn’t anything that we won’t take the time to help you do.”

Whitman does not use a mathematical financial model, but views each new account individually, weighing the client’s needs, objectives and risk tolerances, and tailoring his investment advice accordingly. Though this approach takes time, Whitman believes it is the reason he has multiple generations of family members among his clients.

“I do not use a model and that’s somewhat unique for most managers,” he said. “I think that really does set me apart.”

Whitman characterized his investment strategy as value-driven and quality-oriented. He said he does extensive research and follows trends at a very fundamental level looking at how individual companies fit within their industries and how those industries fit within the whole economy.

With this knowledge, he said he likes to stay with investments even when they don’t initially pay off because they often do in the long run. In fact, Whitman said some of the best advice he ever received was when his family’s broker told him to be an investor, not a trader.

“I tend to be relatively long-term in nature and hold things if they seem to be working. I don’t trade actively,” said Whitman. “The tendency for a lot of investors is as soon as they have a profit they can’t wait to take their money and run. Give it a little time don’t be too quick to pull the trigger in either direction.”

Whitman currently favors financial service stocks and thinks there are not enough value-driven opportunities within the tech sector. He’s optimistic about the economy, which he sees as fairly stable.

“The economy is still growing nicely and in a reasonably controlled fashion, and inflation seems to be under control,” he said. He also noted corporate earnings have exceeded most expectations. “We’ve had an incredible run the last couple of months. It’s been enjoyable. I hope it can keep going.”