Meet Nic Breen of Morgan Stanley in Denver Tech Center

Nic, Thanks for sharing your story with us. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story starts in south Denver when my parents, who are both immigrants from South Africa, decided to plant roots and raise their family in the United States. They sacrificed and hoped big so that my sister and I could have an amazing childhood. My parents are shining examples of the American Dream… constantly hoping for opportunities, believing in the authenticity of family ties, and working hard as a preschool teacher and computer programmer, they provided for our family.

I am a Cherry Creek High School alum, and attended the University of Colorado, where I graduated from the Leeds School of Business and earned a minor in Economics…Go Buffs! After an incredible 4 years at CU, spending too much time hiking the Flatirons and eating Cosmo’s Pizza, I headed to Oklahoma to work for ConocoPhillips, and then onto Houston. While living in Texas and working in corporate finance for ConocoPhillips, I reconnected with my college sweetheart, Becca, and we got married in 2016. She also grew up in south Denver, so we knew a move back home to Denver was on our horizon. My father-in-law, Art Harter, a successful financial advisor, inquired if I would be interested in partnering with him in his solo practice at Morgan Stanley. I have been an active real estate investor since 2013 but felt that my knowledge in the stock market and investments had room to grow, so what better way to start learning than from a 40-year veteran! I jumped at the prospect. To be able to genuinely help people day to day, and pursue my passion around investments is well worth the challenges. After a grueling few months of licensing and insurance tests, I got the opportunity to start working with clients and growing our business in May of 2017.

Has it been a smooth road?
I have loved the transition to Morgan Stanley and I feel like I have truly found a great fit for the rest of my career, but yes, there have been some bumps along the way. I enjoyed the perks, safety, and community of ConocoPhillips, so it was a big leap of faith to partner with my father-in-law (a huge no-no to anyone you talk to) and leave the comfort of a great job for a far more entrepreneurial pursuit. When I arrived at Morgan Stanley, I was told I had a few weeks to study for an important licensing test called the Series 7. Along with the initial exams, the stock market is an unpredictable beast. I have seen both great days with incredible gains, and hard days, with incredible losses. I often have to remind myself of historical trends, instead of falling into an emotional trap, being caught in the day-to-day volatility. Finally, one of the most difficult aspects of this business, like all businesses, is finding and bringing in new clients. This is one of my favorite challenges, but it can also be discouraging after weeks of fruitless meetings before finding a great fit for the services we offer. On a personal level, owning my own business, so to speak, means work never stops. I am constantly wrestling with spending quality time with my amazing wife and our family/friends and trying to grow a new business.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Morgan Stanley – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Morgan Stanley is a leader in the Wealth Management space, and my role as a financial advisor is to help our clients accomplish their goals. While my partner loves the investment selection process, I particularly enjoy the financial planning aspect, which is our process of assisting our clients in building a plan to accomplish their goals in the best way possible. We are quite the dynamic duo, ensuring that we take care of our clients. We often work with our clients’ entire families, from the grandchildren to the grandparents, so we have experience working with every life stage. Many of our top clients are entrepreneurs (doctors, dentists, realtors, business owners, etc.) that have built their wealth through hard work, disciplined savings, and compounding growth. We operate under the fiduciary standard and have a combined experience of 45+ years in addition to the vast resources and expertise of a firm the size of Morgan Stanley. We take great pride in our level of client service, investment knowledge, and experience working with families.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I consider Denver my hometown and the best part has to be the four seasons! I love the 300+ days of sunshine, so I can go enjoy outdoor activities like Spikeball and hiking. I love the culture of adventure as everyone in Denver is here to enjoy a good life enriched with outdoor activities. My least favorite part has to be the explosive growth that has led to terrible traffic along I-25 most times of the day. I enjoy listening to audiobooks and podcasts, but I can only spend so many hours in my car a day.