MWI Adjunct Scholar, 2017–18

Scott Helfstein, PhD is the Head of Market Strategy and Thematic Portfolios at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. He is responsible for developing and communicating global strategic and tactical investment advice as well as building and managing thematic portfolios based on rigorously analyzed differentiated theses. Additionally, he serves as lead strategist for the International Wealth channel as well as managing thematic exposures for the digital platform. Scott is an Adjunct Scholar at the Modern War Institute at West Point and Senior Fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at The George Washington University. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Scott was Senior Investment Strategist in a small global macro/relative value team at BNY Mellon Investment Management with responsibility for multi-asset allocation research, global equity coverage, and market-relevant geopolitical developments. He served as the Director of Research at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center and as Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Science at the United States Military Academy from 2008 to 2014. In that capacity, he helped run a small entrepreneurial organization focused on geopolitical strategy and national security providing global macro analysis to flag officers and civilian equivalents. He holds a Joint Doctorate in Public Policy and Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master’s Degree in War Studies from King’s College, London. His research focused on behavioral economics and complexity theory. From 1999 to 2002, Scott was an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston. He also worked at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 1997 to 1999. Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from GW, is a member of the Economic Club of New York, and was a Term Member in the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).