Creating diversity within the financial planning industry
C. James Taylor
Senior Financial Adviser Merrill Lynch Wealth Management/Bank of America
Rising Star
"Putting people in a position to succeed is the most important thing when it comes to making lasting change. It’s important to understand the strengths of the person you are hiring and putting them in a position to best market that strength. Leverage what they’re good at, whether it’s business development, marketing, financial planning, investment management, etc. Ongoing training and teaching is key. Industry leaders usually discuss a process that was key to their ongoing success. Checking a box will not affect change as much as teaching a repeatable, scalable process. By doing this you are going to have diverse professionals making this a career and not a job. When young people see that other people who look like them can build a career in the financial services industry there will be more candidates that want to get into the business."