Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has announced that financial advisor Jeff Forster of the firm’s Santa Barbara office has been appointed a Corporate Retirement Director (CRD).
Forster earned the CRD designation after advanced training and examination, focusing exclusively on the corporate retirement plan marketplace. The curriculum involves in-depth study of plan design, investment strategy, plan administration, fiduciary issues and other related retirement topics.
In addition, financial advisors must have $50 million in retirement assets, five years of industry experience and maintain a clean compliance record. Of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s more than 17,000 financial advisors, Forster is among only about 180 individuals who have qualified for this prestigious designation.
The CRD designation recognizes financial advisors who have dedicated their practice to helping corporate clients manage all aspects of their retirement plans. The services Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s CRDs can offer include assistance with: plan evaluation and design, vendor selection, investment review, fee benchmarking and educating participants on topics critical to retirement security such as asset allocation and dollar cost averaging.
“Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is pleased to recognize Jeff for his proven ability to help retirement plan sponsors manage their responsibilities in today’s complicated retirement environment,” said Patrick Rieck,executive director and national retirement distribution manager for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. “The Corporate Retirement Directors represent the backbone of our commitment to the retirement industry. We are confident that through their outstanding leadership, extensive training and commitment to excellence, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney will continue to lead the industry by providing our clients with the highest level of service possible.”
With about 14 years in the financial services industry, Forster joined Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in 1998 as a financial advisor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international business from California State University, San Diego.
He received the Certified Investment Management Analyst, CIMA® certification in 2007 and is a financial planning specialist.
He is very involved in the local community, serving as a board member on the First Tee of the Central Coast and is member of the Finance Committee of the Santa Barbara Foundation. He is also a founding member of the CPA/Law Society of Santa Barbara.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, a global leader in wealth management, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, credit and lending, cash management, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services.
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— Julie Williams is a financial planning associate for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.