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Take the Next Step on Your Stock Plan Journey

Everyone wants the freedom to retire on their own terms—and that typically requires a certain amount of financial flexibility. But when resources are limited, it’s natural to prioritize day-to-day obligations over saving for the future.

Morgan Stanley at Work is your primary resource for managing your stock plan benefits. To enhance your stock plan experience, your Morgan Stanley at Work stock plan account can now be linked to an E*TRADE brokerage account and integrated with your stock plan.

 

Please note if you are registering for a stock plan account for the first time, you are required to open an E*TRADE brokerage account or link an existing, eligible1 E*TRADE brokerage account in order to complete the stock plan account creation process.  If you are an existing stock plan account user, there will be a deadline for you to open a new E*TRADE brokerage account or link an existing, eligible E*TRADE brokerage account.  If you do not open an E*TRADE brokerage account or link an existing, eligible E*TRADE brokerage account by the deadline, you will no longer be able to access your stock plan information online.  You will continue to have access to your dedicated service team by telephone if you have questions or would like to initiate a stock plan transaction.

 

1Eligible accounts include most individual brokerage accounts

 

How Does it Work?  |  Benefits of the Morgan Stanley at Work Relationship  |  Frequently Asked Questions

 

How Does it Work?

While you will continue to view and track your stock plan grants in your stock plan account, available cash is deposited into a linked E*TRADE brokerage account as part of your Morgan Stanley at Work stock plan experience.

Have an existing E*TRADE brokerage account?

If you already have an E*TRADE brokerage account, you can link that account with your stock plan account. Then, when you sell your stock plan shares, you can receive your proceeds in that linked E*TRADE brokerage account. Just click on the “Open or Link Now” button in your stock plan account offer to elect to link your existing E*TRADE brokerage account.

Benefits of the Morgan Stanley at Work relationship

Benefits of Morgan Stanley at Work

  • Educational resources to help you make confident financial decisions
  • Seminars and digital webinars to prepare you for your financial journey ahead
  • Complimentary One on One financial consultation with a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor to offer personalized guidance

Benefits of an E*TRADE Brokerage Account

  • $0 commissions for online US-listed stock, ETF and options trades2 and no account minimum or maintenance fees3
  • A full range of investment choices, including stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs and more
  • Easy-to-use investing and planning tools on desktop and mobile with 24/7 support

FAQ

General

Morgan Stanley at Work is continuously working to make enhancements to your stock plan experience. With that goal in mind, we are integrating the E*TRADE brokerage account with your Morgan Stanley at Work stock plan account experience. The E*TRADE brokerage account will now be the default account for sales proceeds and in the future for company shares. 

If you already have an E*TRADE brokerage account, you can link that account with your stock plan account. Then, when you sell your stock plan shares, you can receive your proceeds in that linked E*TRADE brokerage account. Just click on the “Open or Link Now” button in your stock plan account offer to elect to link your existing E*TRADE brokerage account. 

At this time, if you do not open an E*TRADE brokerage account, you will continue to sell your stock plan shares from your stock plan account. In the future, you will need to open an E*TRADE brokerage account in order to log in to your stock plan account and sell stock plan proceeds. You will receive notice of the deadline in advance so that you can plan accordingly. After the deadline, you will be required to open an E*TRADE brokerage  account when logging in to your stock plan account and will need to complete the process before accessing your stock plan online. 

If you are registering for your stock plan account the first time, you are required to open an E*TRADE brokerage account or link an existing, eligible E*TRADE brokerage account in order to complete the stock plan account creation process. Your stock plan account and linked E*TRADE brokerage account will work together to provide you with a seamless experience.

Account Opening

At the time of creation of a new stock plan account or upon logging in to an existing account, you will see an offer in front of your home screen which asks you to open an E*TRADE brokerage account. At the bottom, click on the "Open Now" button and you will be taken to the account-opening screen. 

When you log in to your stock plan account, if you see an offer window asking you to open your E*TRADE brokerage account, then you are eligible to open the account and can click on the "Open Now" button to open your E*TRADE brokerage account. Generally, eligible participants are U.S residents who are not directors, officers and insiders (Section 16 and/or Rule 144 filers are not eligible for the E*TRADE account .)

Regulations require that we collect the information in the event that E*TRADE is requested to make suitability determinations for any investments you may choose to make outside your equity compensation benefits.

In some cases E*TRADE will ask users to submit documentation to verify their identity.

E*TRADE uses many methods to monitor customer accounts to protect clients from fraud. In certain cases, your account may be restricted temporarily if E*TRADE needs to verify information on your account.

Sometimes older E*TRADE User IDs are not eligible to link to your stock plan account. You can either call customer service to upgrade your User ID or create a new one. 

Fees

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley charges $0 commission for online US-listed stock, ETF, mutual fund, and options trades. Exclusions may apply and E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley reserves the right to charge variable commission rates.

 

The standard options contract fee is $0.65 per contract (or $0.50 per contract for clients who execute at least 30 stock, ETF, and options trades per quarter). The retail online $0 commission does not apply to Over-the-Counter (OTC) securities transactions, foreign stock transactions, large block transactions requiring special handling, futures, or fixed income investments. Service charges apply for trades placed through a broker ($25). Stock plan account transactions are subject to a separate commission schedule. All fees and expenses as described in a fund's prospectus still apply. Additional regulatory and exchange fees may apply. For more information about pricing, visit etrade.com/pricing (opens in a new tab).

There are no minimum balance or maintenance fees for your E*TRADE brokerage account. Transaction fees, fund expenses and service fees may apply. For more information about pricing, visit etrade.com/pricing (opens in a new tab).

No, there is no fee for dividend reinvestment.

Benefits

No.

Stock Plan Transactions

You can log in to your stock plan account to see your unvested and vested shares.

Timing of shares transfers vary by company and will be completed automatically. Once your shares are transferred, you will receive an email confirmation that the transaction has been completed.  If you would like to transfer shares ahead of the automatic event, you may be eligible to do so by requesting a transfer through your stock plan account or by contacting your dedicated service team at (866) 842-0657.

E*TRADE Brokerage Account

Yes, you can add a beneficiary by completing the online form on etrade.com (opens in a new tab) or calling the dedicated service line for help (866)-842-0657. 

After you have opened your E*TRADE brokerage account, this account will be displayed as a disbursement option in your stock plan account. You would select "E*TRADE Account" to send cash to this account.

 

 

 

 

Transaction history in your stock plan account will record all activity in the stock plan account, including any cash or shares transferred to your E*TRADE brokerage account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can either: a) log in directly at E*TRADE.com; or b) log in to your stock plan account and then navigate to your linked E*TRADE brokerage account from your stock plan account screen.  As a reminder, the sites maintain separate terms of use and privacy policies.

 

If you access your stock plan account through Single Sign-On (SSO) from your company’s network, you may be required to log in at E*TRADE.com if you navigate to your E*TRADE brokerage account from the stock plan account dashboard.

Your new or existing E*TRADE brokerage account will be linked automatically once you open or link the account from your stock plan account.

There are no minimum funding requirements on your E*TRADE brokerage account.

 

Once you have set up and initiated a transfer, funds may take up to three business days to be available in your account. Transfers from your stock plan account (unless to an IRA) are immediate. You can log in to your E*TRADE brokerage account to see your transfer status.

Yes. You will receive a Form 1099 separately from Morgan Stanley at Work for your stock plan account and from E*TRADE for your E*TRADE brokerage account.

Yes, you can add a beneficiary by completing the online form on etrade.com (opens in a new tab) or calling the dedicated service line for help (866)-842-0657. 

You can link your existing E*TRADE brokerage account by clicking on "Open or Link Now" in the banner when you log in to your stock plan account. We will recognize that you already have an E*TRADE brokerage account and display any eligible E*TRADE accounts to select for linking to your stock plan account. After your selection, you will see a confirmation that your stock plan account and E*TRADE brokerage account have been linked.  If your existing account(s) are not eligible to link to your stock plan account, you will need to open a new E*TRADE brokerage account. 

Yes, you can single sign-on and move between accounts without logging out. However, if you are accessing your stock plan account from your company intranet using Single Sign-On (SSO), this feature is not available. 

If you receive an error when logging into your E*TRADE brokerage account, and you believe your credentials are correct, please follow the below steps, based on the browser you are using:

  • Chrome: Change Settings to allow all cookies then restart your browser.
  • Edge: Turn off “Block third-party cookies” settings then restart your browser.
  • Safari: Uncheck “Prevent cross-site tracking” then restart your browser.

Brokerage Transactions

No. If you would like to exercise a stock option, please log in to your stock plan account to do so.

Plan pricing for stock plan transactions executed in your stock plan account will remain the same and may differ from the commission schedule of the E*TRADE brokerage account.

No. This is a self-directed account and any Financial Advisor is prohibited from transacting or speaking with our Service Professionals regarding your E*TRADE brokerage account. 

Other

You should contact us immediately at: (866) 842-0657.

Yes, as a stock plan account participant, you have access to a dedicated service line for help with your stock plan and brokerage accounts (866)-842-0657. 

All shares that are vested and are not restricted by your company will be automatically transferred into your linked E*TRADE brokerage account at a date in the future. We will notify you in advance of the transfer. 

At a point in time in the future, you will be required to open an E*TRADE brokerage account.  You will receive notice of the deadline in advance so that you can plan accordingly.  After the deadline, you will be required to open your account when logging into your stock plan account and will be required to complete the process before accessing your stock plan online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes. As a stock plan account participant, you will receive a quarterly statement which reflects your stock plan activity and account balances. Additionally, you will receive monthly or quarterly statements for your E*TRADE brokerage account if you have any activity within the prior month. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you leave your employer or are terminated, you will be able to keep your vested shares in your E*TRADE brokerage account.

Still have questions?

CONTACT US AT (866)-842-0657.