Raymond James, London CityPoint Welcomes New Financial Planner

Nathan Adam is joining Raymond James, London CityPoint as a Financial Planner alongside Harry Burnham and Jonathan Mack’s investment management team. He will be based in their office in the heart of the City of London, ideally placed to cover their national client base.

Nathan has been working within Financial Planning for over 5 years across the South of England following his degree in International Politics and a Master’s degree in International Relations. He has considerable experience across numerous areas of financial advice including protection, pension planning, tax efficient investments, retirement planning and Inheritance tax planning.

Nathan will provide wider wealth management advice to the team’s expanding investment management client base.

On joining, Nathan said:
‘This is a tremendous opportunity to work with a range of clients on their long-term planning and further add to the bespoke offering at Raymond James, London CityPoint. The depth of resource at Raymond James and the CityPoint team makes this a very exciting career move for me and I look forward to it enormously.’

Harry Burnham adds:
‘In this modern day and age it is critical to work alongside top financial planners and we are delighted that Nathan is joining us, bringing his knowledge and prowess to the table.

21st century wealth management is all about combining the best advice from both investment managers and financial planners to provide a coherent and joined up strategy for clients. This complements the highly personal service the team offers and is particularly relevant in these challenging times.’

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Black Monday

On 19 October 1987, the stock markets experienced a dramatic plunge that prompted many firms to shut down their trading desks and turn off their phones to minimize internal losses. Raymond James refused to do the same. Our desks stayed open to help meet clients’ needs, resulting in our first and only unprofitable quarter since the firm went public in 1983.

Who was Raymond James?

The Raymond in our name is actually from Edward Raymond, owner of a 15-employee mutual fund sales group, Raymond and Associates, along Florida’s west coast. He sold his company to Bob James on 15 July 1964, on condition that the surviving firm be called Raymond, James & Associates.

Three days after the sale, Ed Raymond was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident and never joined the firm.

Nonetheless, even after Raymond had passed away, Bob James insisted that his name remain on the door – ahead of James’ own. That was a promise he made to Ed Raymond three days before the accident, and Bob James was a man who kept his promises.

Bear Market of 1974

The severe bear market of 1974 threatened the existence of Raymond James, which was bleeding capital by the day. Tom James, his father and other leaders took extreme measures to keep the firm afloat, slashing costs, foregoing paychecks and even attempting to sell the firm for just enough capital to protect client assets and retain as many associates as possible. The story could have ended very differently if not for a sharp upturn and continued rebound in the stock markets late in the year.
This “fortunate near-death experience” (as Tom calls it) permanently marked his psyche, and has influenced our firm’s character and culture since, solidifying the conservative nature that emphasizes a determined focus on the long term – both for clients and the firm.

Taking Raymond James Public

When consideration was being given to taking Raymond James public, Tom James penned a letter to shareholders (largely employees at the time).
He wrote:

” … the public offering should be considered as a statement of our independence. While this is a psychological rather than an economic rationale, it is nonetheless very important. We have asserted for some time that we are not interested in becoming a small part of a very large corporation. That assertion results mainly from the inclinations of management rather than the economic benefits associated with either alternative. The public stock offering affords us the opportunity to enjoy a little bit of the best of both worlds. While shareholders will be given liquidity at fair market value, we will still have the ability to control our own destiny.”

After 40+ years of Tom’s leadership, upon becoming CEO, Paul Reilly was often questioned about whether the company might ultimately surrender its cherished independence and be acquired by some larger entity. His response: “Not while I’m around.” It’s a theme that continues today.