Joshua Ulmer, CFA, CIMA®, CRPS®
Managing Director, Wealth Management, Institutional Consulting Director
Joshua Ulmer is a Managing Director and Institutional Consulting Director at the firm. He leads the Graystone Consulting - Pacific Mountain team within Morgan Stanley. As the practice leader, Joshua is charged with overseeing all aspects of the fiduciary consulting process and client experience.
Joshua received his Bachelor of Arts in Business & Economics from Lewis and Clark College in 2001. He went on to complete the Certified Investment Management Analyst program at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 2005. In 2010 he earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation after completing 3 years of study and examination. In 2012 he completed the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist designation through the College for Financial Planning and in 2014 the Risk Management professional Certificate program at the New York Institute of Finance. In March of 2020, Joshua enrolled in the flagship online business program at The Stanford Graduate School of Business, completing the LEAD certificate in June 2021.
Joshua has been the recipient of various forms of industry recognition, including:
•2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year
•InvestmentNews Top Advisors of 2024 - #2 Rank
•PLANADVISER'S TOP 100 RETIREMENT PLAN ADVISERS 2017 - 2024
•Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors in America 2016 – 2024
•Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisors 2015 - 2020
Joshua Ulmer is active within the financial services industry, he regularly contributes to, and participates in, industry news articles, events, panels, and product evaluation committees. In 2019, Joshua joined the Corporate Retirement Director Advisory Board at Morgan Stanley. In January of 2017, Mr. Ulmer was selected to serve as a council member for the Retirement Advisor Council of America and in 2016 he joined the Advisory Board for the largest 401(k) record keeper in the marketplace. Joshua is also an Advisory Board member for two of the most recognized retirement Conferences.
He is presently a member of the CFA Institute, the Portland Society of Financial Analysts, the National Association of Plan Advisors, as well as a Member of the Investment Management Consultant Association.
Outside of work, Joshua is on the Advisory Board at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Lewis and Clark College. He also oversees his family’s charitable fund the A+J Ulmer Global Impact Funding Trust.
Awards Disclosures and Criteria:
PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Advisors 2017-2024. Source: planadviser.com (Awarded in 2017-2024). Data compiled by ISS Media during the period from 1/1 – 12/31 of the year preceding the award.
2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year. Source: planadviser.com (Awarded May 2017) Data compiled by ISS Media based on time period from 1/1/16-12/31/16.
Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors 2016 -2024: State-by-State (formerly referred to as Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State). Source: Barrons.com. Awarded in 2016 – 2024. Data compiled by Barron's based on 12-month period concluding in Sept of the year prior to the issuance of the award.
Source: ft.com. Data compiled by the Financial Times based the following time periods: Awarded 2020; data 12/31/16 - 12/31/19 | Awarded 2019; data 12/31/15 - 12/31/18 | Awarded 2018; data 12/31/15 - 12/31/17 | Awarded 2017; data 12/31/14 - 12/31/16 | Awarded 2016; data 12/31/13 - 12/31/15 | Awarded 2015; data 9/30/13 -9/30/14.
Source: InvestmentNews. Only advisors nominated were eligible for the list. All information on the nominees had to be verified by their compliance team before it could be accepted. The final list was determined based on each advisor’s weighted ranking in overall AUM, AUM growth, and client growth (both between September 2022 and September 2023). The InvestmentNews team then tabulated a ranking for each advisor in each category and combined those scores to determine the advisor’s final ranking on the 2024 Top Advisors list.
Ready to invest in what matters to you?
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link: https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
The securities/instruments, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or investment strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. The views and opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and CFP (with flame logo)® in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services.
Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates.
Life insurance, disability income insurance, and long-term care insurance are offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC's licensed insurance agency affiliates.
Not all products and services are available to clients outside of the United States.
When Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors (collectively, “Morgan Stanley”) provide “investment advice” regarding a retirement or welfare benefit plan account, an individual retirement account or a Coverdell education savings account (“Retirement Account”), Morgan Stanley is a “fiduciary” as those terms are defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as applicable. When Morgan Stanley provides investment education, takes orders on an unsolicited basis or otherwise does not provide “investment advice”, Morgan Stanley will not be considered a “fiduciary” under ERISA and/or the Code. For more information regarding Morgan Stanley’s role with respect to a Retirement Account, please visit www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley does not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a Retirement Account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA and related consequences of any investments or other transactions made with respect to a Retirement Account.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers investment program services through a variety of investment programs, which are opened pursuant to written client agreements. Each program offers investment managers, funds and features that are not available in other programs; conversely, some investment managers, funds or investment strategies may be available in more than one program. Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on a client’s specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for the client. Please see the applicable program disclosure document for more information, available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV or from your Institutional Consultant.
The Global Investment Manager Analysis (GIMA) Services Only Apply to Certain Investment Advisory Programs. GIMA evaluates certain investment products for the purposes of some – but not all – of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s investment advisory programs (as described in more detail in the applicable Form ADV Disclosure Document for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management). If you do not invest through one of these investment advisory programs, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not obligated to provide you notice of any GIMA Status changes even though it may give notice to clients in other programs.
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) program provides a discretionary investment management solution for accounts generally in excess of $25 million in assets. The program’s robust investment process includes investment policy statement development and review, customized asset allocation, investment product selection, risk management, disciplined rebalancing and ongoing portfolio monitoring. To learn more about the OCIO program, read the applicable Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC ADV brochure and/or brochure supplement, available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV. In the OCIO program, accounts are subject to an
annual asset-based fee which is payable quarterly in advance (some account types may be billed differently). In general, the Fee covers all fees or charges of Morgan Stanley (including investment advisory services, brokerage commissions, compensation to Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Morgan Stanley custodial charges) except certain costs or charges associated with the account such as any applicable Sub-Manager fees or certain securities transactions, including dealer mark-ups or mark-downs, auction fees, certain odd-lot differentials, exchange fees, transfer taxes, electronic fund and wire transfer fees; charges imposed by custodians other than Morgan Stanley.
Information contained herein is based on data from multiple sources considered to be reliable and Morgan Stanley makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley.
You should understand the differences between a brokerage and advisory relationship. When providing you brokerage services, our legal obligations to you are governed by the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the rules of self-regulatory organizations such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and state securities laws, where applicable. When providing you advisory services, our legal obligations to you are governed by the Investment Advisers Act, Federal statutes and regulations relating to retirement accounts, and applicable state securities laws. These latter advisory obligations govern our conduct and disclosure requirements, creating a legal standard which is referred to as a “fiduciary” duty to you. We also may have a fiduciary duty to you, with respect to brokerage retirement accounts.
Please reach out to your Institutional Consultant if you have questions about your rights and our obligations to you, including the extent of our obligations to disclose conflicts of interest and to act in your best interest. For additional answers to questions about the differences between our advisory and brokerage services, please consult with your Institutional Consultant or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at https://www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
©2024 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Member SIIPC. Graystone Consulting is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.
Awards Disclosures
