Brian E. Morales
PIM Portfolio Manager
Senior Financial Advisor
Background and Experience
Brian is a Senior Financial Advisor, Senior Vice President -Investments and PIM Portfolio Manager for Wells Fargo Advisors. Brian co-leads a Private Wealth Management team and is one of the two advisors, along with Mike Brennan, who lead The Brennan Morales Private Wealth Management Group at Wells Fargo Advisors. Brian leads the team’s discretionary portfolio management, security selection and trading efforts while utilizing a variety of research sources that include the Wells Fargo Investment Institute. Brian is responsible for building, implementing and managing the team’s portfolio management strategies and also handles the team’s corporate executive clients. He is responsible for designing and executing the team’s 10b5-1 trading plans and 144 sales for corporate insiders at publicly traded companies. While Brian manages several of the team’s private and family office clients, his primary responsibility is overseeing complex equity transactions, managing the team’s many 401k retirement plans and setting investment policy for the team’s clients. Brian is responsible for developing the team’s equity strategy along with screening and managing alternative investments that include long short equity, macro and market neutral strategies.
Brian joined Wells Fargo Advisors in 2006 after 9 years as a Corporate Services Financial Advisor at UBS Wealth Management. At UBS, Brian co-founded the firm’s corporate services practice in Washington DC where he was responsible for concentrated equity transactions as well as analysis and strategy for corporate executives of publicly-traded companies. He began his career in the financial services industry in 1991 after graduating from the University of Maryland in College Park with a Bachelor of Science degree. He held a variety of management and advisory positions after graduating and prior to joining UBS in 1997.
Brian is a PIM* Portfolio Manager, an advanced designation held by less than 10% of the firm’s Financial Advisors and provides highly customized discretionary investment solutions for clients, guided closely by the recommendations and collective insights of our research partners.
Away from the Office
Brian is a periodic guest lecturer on wealth management topics at American University in Washington DC and George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and shares Wells Fargo Advisors’ commitment to the local community.
In the community, Brian serves as a Blue and Gold officer at the United States Naval Academy where he guides exceptional high school students through the application, nomination and appointment process. He is the son of a US Air Force pilot and lived with his family in Madrid, Spain. He is a general aviation and military aviation enthusiast and enjoys bass fishing and golf in his spare time. He is very proud of his two children Jack and Rachel and has called Southern Maryland home since 2002.
Michael G. Brennan , CFP
Private Wealth Financial Advisor
Senior Vice President - Investments
Background and Experience
Mike is a Senior Vice President–Investments and Private Wealth Financial Advisor for Wells Fargo Advisors. Mike co-leads a Private Wealth Management team and is one of the two advisors, along with Brian Morales, who lead The Brennan Morales Private Wealth Management Group at Wells Fargo Advisors. He leads the team’s planning efforts and takes a holistic and needs based approach to helping the team’s wealthy private as well as corporate and institutional clients solve their complex financial needs. Mike utilizes the firm’s Envision platform to help clients identify, quantify and prioritize their life and financial goals and help organize them into a dynamic wealth forecast. He further utilizes Envision to help identify each client’s ideal asset allocation and build risk optimized portfolios for the team. Mike emphasizes the preservation and prudent growth of client assets which complements his dedication to this planning driven approach. Among Mike’s many responsibilities is serving as the lead advisor to the team’s wealthy families and non-profit clients. Mike develops and implements reserve management strategies for the team’s non-profit clients and is responsible for the team’s fixed income strategy and portfolio holdings that include taxable fixed income and municipal bonds.
Mike joined Wells Fargo Advisors in 2006 after 9 years as a Corporate Services Financial Advisors at UBS Wealth Management. At UBS, Mike co-founded the firm’s corporate services practice in Washington DC where he was responsible for portfolio construction and investment management.
Mike is a CFP® professional and a Private Wealth Financial Advisor, a designation reserved for the firm’s top financial advisors who have demonstrated exceptional experience in managing the complex issues of high-net-worth clients and dedicated themselves to extensive professional development. He has an additional 10 years combined experience in corporate financial analysis, direct sales and marketing in the telecom and homebuilding industries. Mike earned a BBA in finance from Texas A&M University in 1988.
Away from the Office
Mike is a periodic guest lecturer on wealth management topics at American University in Washington DC and George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and share Wells Fargo Advisors’ commitment to the local community.
Mike volunteers for a variety of grass roots organizations that are focused on addressing hunger and food insecurity. He is a neighborhood coordinator for Backpack Buddies and co-manages a community organic garden to provide for families in need. He enjoys cooking, music and is a veteran of more than a dozen community theater productions. Mike, his wife Annette, and their 5 children have called Northern Virginia home since 1993.