MAKER Maureen Shuler: Invested In Mentorship

From an early age, Maureen Shuler was drawn to financial management, though she didn't quite know it at the time. She worked tirelessly as a teenager, 12 to 14 hours a day during her summers as a nanny and diligently would “sock away my earnings in a passbook account,” she remembers. “As soon as I reached a critical mass, I wanted to invest.”

Invest she did, and she benefited from the bull market of the 1980s and 1990s. At Franklin & Marshall College, she studied business and economics, immersing herself in the field of financial management. By her senior year, she was captain of the varsity squash team and secured an interview with Cambridge Associates, a well-respected investment firm specializing in institutional investing and endowment management. “They gave me my first job, which was one of the hardest jobs to get,” she reflects.

Her work ethic remained unwavering. After nine intense months of working 12- to 14-hour days, she earned a promotion, but she ultimately moved to Morgan Stanley to work alongside team members who were willing to “educate me on all things portfolio management and construction while I dedicated myself to being the best steward of capital I could be for my clients.”

Today, as Senior Vice President and Institutional Consultant with Graystone Consulting, a division of Morgan Stanley, Maureen continues her steadfast client-first approach, providing customized financial planning and investment management services to high-net-worth families, endowments, foundations and other non-profit organizations.

A Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)  for more than 20 years now, she remains grateful for her mentors. “I've been so fortunate to have many mentors who recognized my willingness to put in the hard work,” says Maureen, who said “yes” to each new opportunity, knowing she’d learn—and thrive—as she immersed herself in the roles. “I like to get my hands dirty and get things done.” One of her mentors, now retired, insisted she earn “the CFP designation, and it was the best thing I've ever done,” adds Maureen.

A MENTOR

Now, Maureen pays that education forward by mentoring young professionals. “I try to help every step of the way,” says Maureen. She’s known for leading by example in mentoring other women at the firm as well as young men of the Washington Jesuit Academy, helping them understand the industry and the career possibilities within it. As a former board member, treasurer and president of the Association of Professional Investment Consultants (APIC), Maureen has built a reputation for sharing her knowledge and experience and opening doors for others. “Rather than hiding the keys to the castle, I like to hand them out,” says Maureen.

She also enjoys helping others and consistently strives for excellence. In turn, she requires excellence of those around her but knows “I can't require it unless I'm also walking the walk,” she states.

Her commitment extends beyond her industry to her community. Maureen and her husband Michael live in Chevy Chase, Md., with their three sons—ages ten, eight and one. She teaches her children about the importance of giving back, engaging in education, wellness and arts-focused initiatives.

One such initiative is THEARC—Building Bridges Across the River, which serves  meals and provides a variety of support to those in need. As chair of its annual Tea fundraiser, she moved the event  to THEARC, increasing visibility and funds for the organization and its mission.

AN EDUCATOR

The product of her school-teacher mother and tennis-instructor father, it’s no surprise that she places a high value on education. “It’s the building blocks of everything you do, and it’s a big part of our practice,” she says of their focus on educating clients.

For Maureen, success isn’t just about financial achievements—it’s about her service to others and her family in raising compassionate and engaged children. “Success, first and foremost, is making sure my clients are well cared for and that I am doing the best possible job as a mother and wife,” she says. “I want my children to really feel what it means to give back in their local community and to be kind, aware and intentional.” She leads her 14-member team with the same values she instills in her family: integrity, hard work and community focus.

A MORGAN STANLEY MAKER

These efforts have not gone unnoticed, earning her a coveted recognition as a Morgan Stanley MAKER, Class of 2025—a distinction reserved for innovators, advocates and groundbreakers in inclusion, all nominated by their peers. It’s a recognition she considers a lifetime achievement and a reminder to be “more intentional about cultivating and supporting the next generation of advisors,” she says, as she looks to her next 20 years in the business.