Why David chose to become an independent contract at Raymond James.
David Stevens is a branch principal and senior investment manager of the Hanover Square branch. After spending most of the last 30 years working in the City, initially in the insurance market, David has been involved in the private client industry for over 21 years. Alongside, co-branch principal, David Roblin they look after private clients through the bespoke management of a wide range of portfolios and, where appropriate, work closely with clients’ intermediaries.
Raymond James has an attractive business model for private client wealth managers who put the client at the forefront of their decision making and investment process. I’ve already started to make full use of its excellent support framework to deliver the level of service which our clients have come to expect.
I’ve known David Roblin for many years and am delighted to be working with him again, combining our experience to help navigate clients through these challenging and interesting times.
Given the challenges of working remotely, it’s been remarkably straightforward which is a testament to Raymond James and their culture of looking after their offices through providing a high-quality service
My start was very different to the one I was expecting. Between resigning from my previous role, Covid-19 had taken hold, the world was in a state of lockdown and very few people were travelling to work or elsewhere – a truly extraordinary time.
I was very pleased with how supportive the different departments and teams at Raymond James were, always on hand to help with a query however large or small. Being able to operate as fully as I can is amazing especially as I haven’t met in person many of the very people who had been instrumental in getting me to where I am now, as it was all done remotely. The Raymond James business model of servicing offices all over the country lends itself to this but of course, that is their modus operandi! Starting at a new firm is always going to have its challenges as you learn new procedures and systems and at the same time, trying to bring clients on board. But in view of everything, I’m delighted with where the branch is and I’m confident that David and I have a great base with which to move forward.
Generally, I feel what Raymond James provides in terms of correspondence, online systems and paperwork is comprehensive and “user-friendly”. The documents and systems which clients receive or have access to – which is a very important consideration, have been well received. In the early weeks, I had several one-to-one training sessions with numerous departments including Compliance, Relationship Management, Operations and IT which were helpful in getting me up to speed. All the people I dealt with in those early days were very welcoming, sympathetic and above all helpful.
We heard of other well-established companies that floundered in the current pandemic situation because they weren’t set up to facilitate looking after clients in a remote working environment. With Raymond James I have remote access to research as well as portfolio management and trading systems, plus the tools to meet with clients virtually, so I never felt disadvantaged by working from home. Now we’re back in the office but we have the option to work remotely, and of course, wherever we are, we know we have the support of Raymond James.
When you decide to leave behind a business which you’ve built over many years, you have be as sure as you can be that where you are going has the right ethos, top quality third party research and access to companies, facilities, systems, compliance and support that will attract clients. Raymond James provides access to a larger range of quality third party research than I’ve been used to and has all of the systems in place that allow us to really look after our clients. Leaving a firm that you have been at for some time is never easy and one always wonders if clients will join you again, but the reality has proven these concerns to be unfounded. This is a people industry and this is something that we and Raymond James have built our offering and reputation around.
The quarterly strategy document published by Raymond James for clients and potential clients is an invaluable document, it’s well structured with lots of useful content drawing on Raymond James’ significant resources in the US as well as locally. I found it particularly helpful having something to send to clients to give them a feel for Raymond James’ capabilities. It’s a great way of keeping in touch via email and maintaining relationships.
At Raymond James we seek to attract and empower wealth managers across our multi-proposition model, enabling you to deliver the best experience possible to your clients.
If you’re a firm authorised by the FCA seeking a platform partner that understands and can support your investment management offering, our Investment Management Platform offers a highly competitive solution with optimal efficiency and control.
Our employed affiliation option empowers wealth managers to run their own practice while benefiting from the security of employment. Raymond James takes responsibility for managing office space, hiring and HR support, whilst allowing the wealth manager to fully concentrate on clients and developing their practice.
Wealth managers that choose to work with Raymond James as an independent contractor enjoy all the rewards of running their own practice alongside the resources of a full-service, global financial services firm.
Unlike employed affiliates, our independent contractors are responsible for choosing their office space, hiring, and management of their teams.
