RJ and Makay

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney will allow financial advisors to utilize the social networking sites LinkedIn and Twitter to market themselves and share ideas with clients.  The plan will start in late June with about 600 advisors before expanding within six months to the rest of the firm’s 17,800 brokers, according to an internal memo from Andy Saperstein, head of the brokerage’s U.S. operations.

“This will be a significant competitive advantage,” Mr. Saperstein said.  “We are the first major wealth management firm to announce a vendor solution for our advisors to use key social networking sites to market themselves and share the firm’s intellectual content.”

Just in time for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is launching the Multicultural Financial Advisors Forum (MFAF). The MFAF, a blog for financial advisors (FAs) of diverse backgrounds, is located at www.multiculturalfaforum.com.

It's similar to MSSB's Women Financial Advisors Forum (WFAF), a blog about successful women FAs located at http://www.womenfaforum.morganstanleysmithbarney.com/. Since its July 2009 inception, WFAF has had more than 70,000 visitors.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its Women Financial Advisors Forum (WFAF), the first blog to be developed by an investment firm specifically for women interested in a financial advisor career. 

The site presents the opportunities, challenges and advantages of a career as a financial advisor for women.  It provides information about the job requirements of a financial advisor, how to apply, career development and weekly profiles of women in financial advisor positions at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney who share their individual career journeys. There are also articles written by guest bloggers like the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) and iRelaunch, as well as weekly polls and recommended events.