Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is targeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples and domestic partners with a series of wealth planning seminars available via podcast for use by financial advisors and their clients.

The podcasts includes an overview of legislative and economic topics affecting the LGBT community, presented by Brad Sears of the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, with which the firm is partnering for the venture. There will also be wealth planning information presented by Alan Wolberg, executive director of wealth advisory services for MSSB.

Due to their format, the podcasts are intended to reach LGBT couples beyond the major metropolitan markets.

They are part of a wider initiative from the firm’s diversity council, including a series of private receptions and investment symposiums hosted by MSSB which will focus on wealth planning for LGBT couples in California, Delaware and Minnesota.

The events, which are open to the public with pre-registration, will provide information on areas such as trust preparation, insurance, retirement, wealth transfer and charitable donations. They will be held in Menlo Park, California; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As part of MSSB’s efforts to reach the LGBT communities and provide relevant services, the firm’s diversity council has also introduced an Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor qualification, available to MSSB financial advisors through the College for Financial Planning.