Deborah Montaperto, a managing director at Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management in Palm Beach, Florida, is a top-ranked wealth advisor with a team handling assets of $22.7 billion. Montaperto’s journey in the finance industry started as a secretary at Dean Witter in 1984, leading her to eventually become a managing director at Citigroup’s investment banking division before joining Morgan Stanley in 2009. She now leads a team of 38 people across four cities, working with a diverse range of clients and focusing on multigenerational wealth management.
Montaperto’s investment philosophy revolves around understanding clients’ risk tolerance to determine asset allocation, without major U.S. equity sector tilts at the moment but considering adding more cyclical exposure. She also incorporates alternative investments like private equity to diversify portfolios. With an outlook that favors rate cuts but acknowledges inflation concerns, Montaperto’s clients are largely overweight on U.S. equities with exposure to emerging markets like India, Mexico, Brazil, and China, while also adding Japanese equity due to attractive market conditions.
One of Montaperto’s biggest challenges in her career was being a woman on Wall Street when she first started, but she thrived by believing in herself and being tenacious, even in male-dominated leadership environments. Her best advice for success is to specialize in something, as expertise brings value regardless of age or background. Outside of work, Montaperto enjoys spending time at the beach, traveling (especially to London and Italy), and maintaining connections to the art world through organizations like the National Arts Club while representing Morgan Stanley.
In her client-centric approach to wealth management, Montaperto emphasizes liability management to address clients’ concerns about wealth impact and inheritance planning. She encourages clients’s involvement in decisions and hosts a yearly next-gen conference to engage their children in financial education and planning. Montaperto’s team is proactive in looking for opportunities in areas like private market investments for potential outperformance, despite the illiquidity risk, by meeting with funds regularly to assess market conditions.
While Montaperto acknowledges the challenges of her early career as a woman in finance, she thrives on those challenges and uses them to drive her success. Her determination and belief in herself have been key to navigating a competitive industry and rising to leadership positions. Montaperto’s focus on specialization and expertise, combined with a client-focused approach to wealth management, has been instrumental in her journey to becoming one of America’s top wealth advisors. As she continues to grow her practice at Morgan Stanley, Montaperto remains committed to delivering exceptional service and value to her clients while pursuing her passions outside of work.
