The Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management Group (GWMG) today announced it has approved five new professional designations through which its Financial Advisors can receive specialized training in areas ranging from trusts and retirement planning to alternative investments and the financial aspects of divorce.

“Continuing professional education enables Financial Advisors to sharpen their skills and gain knowledge that will help them advise our clients on a comprehensive range of wealth management needs.  We chose these five new educational programs because of their particular relevance to affluent and high net worth clients,” said Andy Saperstein, Chief Operating Officer, National Sales.

Financial Advisors earn the designations by successfully completing specialized curricula, including examinations, offered by various professional organizations.  The five new designations are:

• Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) - Offered by the Institute of Certified Bankers, this training focuses on personal trusts, with emphasis on fiduciary responsibilities and trust activities, personal financial planning, tax law, investment management and ethics.
• Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) - This professional designation is sponsored by the CAIA Association and focuses on alternative asset categories such as hedge funds, private equity, commodities and real estate.
• Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPCR) - This curriculum focuses on the pre- and post-retirement needs of individuals, with focus on such topics as the retirement planning process, sources of retirement income and retirement plan distributions.  It is offered by the College for Financial Planning.
• Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPSR) - Also offered by the College of Financial Planning, this designation is targeted to professionals who design, install and maintain retirement plans for businesses.
• Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFATM) - Training sponsored by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts for financial expertise required in divorce cases.  This training equips participants to provide client education about the financial implications of various divorce settlement proposals.

With the addition of these educational programs, Morgan Stanley now offers a total of 13 professional designations to its Financial Advisors.  Other designations include Certified Financial Planner, Certified Investment Management Analyst, and Chartered Financial Analyst.

One of the largest businesses of its kind in the world with $690 billion in client assets, GWMG provides a range of wealth management products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions.  These include brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, credit and lending, banking and cash management, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management, wealth management and credit services.  The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals from more than 600 offices in 31 countries.  For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

Investments and services are offered through Morgan Stanley DW Inc., member SIPC.

Contact: Media Relations, Christy Pollak, 914.225.6827