Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Women Financial Advisors Forum Reaches Milestone with 25,000 Visitors

Dec 17, 2009

New York —

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney's Women Financial Advisors Forum (WFAF) http://womenfaforum.morganstanleysmithbarney.com, a blog for women interested in a career as a Financial Advisor, has reached a milestone of over 25,000 individual visitors since its inception last July.

The online site, which showcases the opportunities, challenges and advantages of a Financial Advisor career for women, averages about 5,000 visitors per month of which 76 percent are new and 24 percent are returning visitors.  The largest audience comes from the United States followed by the United Kingdom, India, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Canada and Asia Pacific.

"When we launched the site earlier this year, we honestly didn't know what the response was going to be.  Now, women around the world are bookmarking this blog for career insights they'd be hard-pressed to get anywhere else," said Andy Saperstein, Head of Wealth Management in the U.S. for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.  "But whether you're male or female, interested in a career as a financial advisor or any other client-oriented position, you'll find plenty of engrossing stories on this site about entrepreneurship, resilience and hard work." 

The WFAF site is the first blog developed by an investment firm specifically for women interested in becoming financial advisors.  It contains information on the job requirements of a Financial Advisor, how to apply, career development as well as weekly profiles of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Financial Advisors, articles written by guest bloggers such as the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) and iRelaunch, weekly polls and recommended events, books and sites.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, a global leader in wealth management, provides a 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.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services.  The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 36 countries.  For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

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©2009 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

Media Relations Contact: Tricia Nestfield, 914.225.6369