Lou Mandia, Head of RIA Strategy and Distribution for Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Equity Division, joined Julie Cooling, Founder and CEO of RIA Channel, at iCapital Connect 2026 to discuss how the firm is enhancing its capabilities for RIAs and family offices.
Mandia highlights Morgan Stanley’s Integrated Firm Initiative, which brings together the Institutional Securities Group and Morgan Stanley Investment Management to solve complex client issues, especially with a potentially challenging market on the horizon. The initiative delivers the firm’s best intellectual property thought leadership to client portfolios by combining resources across equities, alternative investments, and partners like Parametric.
For advisors working with clients who hold low cost-basis concentrated positions, commonly referred to as a “champagne problem,” Mandia points to Morgan Stanley’s Hedging and Monetization Suite as a powerful vehicle. He explains that these positions carry significant idiosyncratic risk relative to a client’s net worth. The framework allows clients to retain ownership, establish downside protection, and build diversified portfolios.
Mandia also notes strong momentum in structured products after Morgan Stanley captured the number one market share in January. In volatile markets, he explains that structured products can offer support through hedge-equity-like returns, yield enhancement without extending further along the credit curve, and tactical plays.
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