Morgan Stanley at Work Announces 2022 End of Year Technology Enhancements

Rhea-AI Summary

Morgan Stanley at Work has announced significant updates to its stock plan platforms, Equity Edge Online and Shareworks. These enhancements aim to improve user engagement for corporate clients and participants. Key features include the ability to gift vested shares, a fractional shares withholding option to cover tax liabilities, personalized vesting videos, and expanded translation capabilities for plan administrators. These updates are designed to streamline the management of financial benefits across a comprehensive ecosystem of equity compensation and retirement solutions, reinforcing Morgan Stanley's commitment to client engagement.

Positive

• New feature for gifting vested shares to family, friends, or charity, enhancing participant control.
• Fractional shares option for tax withholding reduces out-of-pocket tax expenses for participants.
• Personalized vesting videos improve participant engagement and provide relevant information at critical times.
• Expanded translation capabilities enhance accessibility for plan administrators.

Negative

• None.

Updates to stock plan platforms unify and personalize the user experience for both participants and administrators across the full suite of Morgan Stanley at Work offerings.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morgan Stanley at Work today announced a fresh bundle of technology enhancements on its stock plan platforms Equity Edge Online^® (EEO) and Shareworks, which together serve roughly 40% of the S&P 500 in the US.¹ The updates target smoother engagement for Morgan Stanley at Work’s corporate clients and participants, focusing on fractional shares, personalized participant videos, automated translations, and gifting vested shares in time for the year-end holidays.

Expanded and enhanced functionalities include:

• A feature in Shareworks that enables stock plan participants to easily gift or transfer their vested shares to family, friends, or charity. With 42% of all gifts of equity shares occurring over the holiday season, this timely upgrade helps maximize the control participants wield over their equity.
• A fractional shares withholding capability in EEO that reduces the need for restricted stock recipients to fund tax consequences out of pocket, which is a major pain point. Now participants can simply use fractional shares up to a precisely rounded decimal point to cover tax collection needs.
• A new video experience on the Shareworks platform that offers companies the ability to engage directly with their participants through personalized vesting videos, connecting them to relevant information when it matters most.
• Expanded translation capabilities in Shareworks that allow plan administrators to navigate their company admin site in their native language, with the ability to translate the admin dashboard, employee tabs, delivered plans, reports, and tools tabs.

These updates come as a part of Morgan Stanley at Work’s ongoing rollout of a more integrated user experience, which will allow all workplace participants to view and manage their financial benefits and other products and services offered across the Morgan Stanley at Work ecosystem of retirement, wellness, and equity compensation.

“The last few years have seen us solidify a comprehensive workplace financial benefits ecosystem, finding new ways to empower our clients and their participants wherever they are in their journey,” said Mark Mitchell, Chief Product Officer of Morgan Stanley at Work. “As we remain laser-focused on engaging both participants and plan sponsors through intuitive digital experiences, these updates serve to strengthen the connective tissue across stock plan, retirement, and wellness, as we create a more seamless experience regardless of how you engage with us.”

1. Statistics refer to equity compensation administration services for Shareworks and Equity Edge Online®. S&P 500® Companies Represented includes companies for which Morgan Stanley at Work provides equity compensation solutions as of 2021.

About Morgan Stanley at Work

Morgan Stanley at Work offers a suite of financial solutions, which spans Equity Compensation through Shareworks and E*TRADE Equity Edge Online, Retirement and Financial Wellness Solutions. Morgan Stanley at Work combines cutting-edge planning and Morgan Stanley intellectual capital and financial education delivered through multiple channels to enable employees to build a holistic plan to achieve their financial goals. Shareworks services are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC, and its affiliates, and Equity Edge Online® employee stock plan solutions are offered by E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services, Inc., both are parts of Morgan Stanley at Work and all wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

About Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a leading financial services firm that provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement, and trust services.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 41 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

Shareworks, a part of Morgan Stanley at Work, is provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC, and its affiliates, all wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley. Equity Edge Online employee stock plan solutions are offered by E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services, Inc. which are part of Morgan Stanley at Work. Securities products and services are offered by E*TRADE Securities LLC, Member SIPC. In connection with stock plan solutions offered by Morgan Stanley at Work, E*TRADE Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC provide brokerage services to stock plan participants. E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services, Inc. and E*TRADE Securities LLC are separate but affiliated subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.

© 2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221209005012/en/

Media Relations Contacts:

Jeanne Joe Perrone, Jeanne.perrone@morganstanley.com

Lindsey Madnick, Lindsey.madnick@morganstanley.com

Source: Morgan Stanley

FAQ

What updates were announced by Morgan Stanley on their stock plan platforms?

Morgan Stanley announced updates to its stock plan platforms Equity Edge Online and Shareworks, aimed at enhancing user experience with features like gifting vested shares and fractional shares for tax withholding.

How do the updates to Morgan Stanley's platforms benefit stock plan participants?

The updates allow participants to gift vested shares, utilize fractional shares for tax liabilities, and receive personalized vesting videos, improving overall engagement and control.

What percentage of the S&P 500 does Morgan Stanley serve with its equity compensation solutions?

Morgan Stanley serves approximately 40% of the S&P 500 with its equity compensation solutions through its platforms.

When did Morgan Stanley announce the updates to its stock plan platforms?

The updates were announced in a press release dated December 9, 2022.

What is the focus of the updates made to Morgan Stanley at Work offerings?

The updates focus on unifying and personalizing the user experience for both participants and administrators, enhancing engagement across the entire suite of offerings.