Morgan Stanley at Work Announces 2023 Mid-Year Technology Enhancements

Updates leverage automation to streamline and scale user experiences for both the administrator and participant across Morgan Stanley at Work stock plan offerings.

Morgan Stanley at Work today announced the latest batch of technology enhancements to 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 focus on improved administration, automation, and private market client liquidity solutions, all to further advance Morgan Stanley at Work’s ongoing integration journey and help deliver a more unified experience for corporate clients and their workplace participants.

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(Graphic: Morgan Stanley)

On the EEO platform, enhancements include:

• Releasing the E*TRADE stock plan single account structure, which follows participants throughout their workplace lifecycle and personal financial journey.
• Creating a centralized support infrastructure to handle all participant inquiries via the call center, online, or advice channels.
• Completing the initial phase of migrating E*TRADE onto the same back-office and brokerage license as Morgan Stanley, allowing participants to transfer assets from any account within the firm.
• Issuing new capabilities for admins to schedule automated workflows at a pre-determined time and interval, as well as more Workflow Templates they can download, edit, and schedule to fit their own requirements. To date, 250+ companies have run over 6000 automated workflows in EEO to speed up processing Releases and ESPP purchases.
• Refreshing digital Financial Wellness tools, starting with a robust Learning Center, to offer a stock plan digital experience that helps educate and empower participants through seamless connection to on-demand and self-guided support content on a range of financial topics.

And on the Shareworks platform:

• Streamlining participant taxes with new bulk tax sale algorithms. Transactions made by the system on behalf of participants to cover taxes due are more accurate than ever, with algorithms now able to sell to within a single share. This helps participants keep more shares and helps minimize the need for cash due to the participant or the company.
• Automating participant roll-forwards in ESPP offering periods, which will help admin processes scale and allow for participants to have more control and optionality in their ESPP enrollment.
• Introducing new private company liquidity options and support for secondary transactions, helping companies make the most of the value of their equity for participants. Participants can now sell shares to a buyer of their choosing with right of first refusal workflow and signed documentation functionality, all within Shareworks.
• Strengthening digital security for Shareworks participants, with mandatory two-factor authentication rolling out in phases.
• Enabling a pilot program for select participants to pay for their stock plan transactions using cash in their linked E*TRADE accounts.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley at Work now offers deferred compensation technology solutions to support plan sponsors and participants, from record keeping, to digital enrollment, plan management and reporting. And lastly, for both EEO and Shareworks, Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors now have increased visibility to access stock plan details when private company participants engage an Advisor.

“Since the very beginning of Morgan Stanley at Work, our mission has been to reinvent the user experience for companies and their participants, delivering a more intuitive ecosystem that plugs our workplace offering into the full power and potential of Morgan Stanley as a whole,” said Mark Mitchell, Chief Product Officer of Morgan Stanley at Work. “It’s an exciting frontier, and these latest updates help us continue to drive deeper automation—knowing this helps businesses and their participants achieve even more.”

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 March 2023.

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. 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.

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 42 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit https://www.morganstanley.com/.

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

© 2023 Morgan Stanley at Work and Shareworks services are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC, and its affiliates, all wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

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