Our Raymond James corporate home office was so inspired by the nonprofit organization we co-founded, they included our story in their annual report to shareholders.
In the business of people, giving back is one of our firm’s favorite traditions. Inspired by her mother, financial advisor Alana Scott has made giving back a professional and personal practice, championing financial literacy as founder of the Women’s Education and Leadership League (WELL). Alana understood the value of financial literacy at an early age – a benefit of growing up with a mother who stressed the importance of being debt-free and saving for the future.
She also saw compassion in action. “When I was in elementary school, our neighbors lost their business and were on the brink of losing their home,” remembers Alana. “Instead of simply consoling them, my mom – a special education teacher – took action, working extra hours during summer school to help make their mortgage payments.”
Alana never forgot the look of gratitude on the family’s faces. “I knew from that moment on, I wanted to make a lasting impact on others, just like my mom.” It’s not surprising then that Alana found a passion and career in financial advising, which led her to co-found her practice – Lattig Scott Wealth Management Group of Raymond James – in 2017 after nearly 10 years in the business.
It’s also not surprising that she wanted to do more. To that end, Alana founded the Women’s Education and Leadership League, also known as WELL, to help women develop financial literacy. It’s grown into much more, now offering a multifaceted curriculum to help women establish well-being and confidence to flourish in their lives, businesses and communities and, in turn, give back. As Alana likes to say, “WELL women don’t just help themselves. They turn around and help others.”
Alana’s story is just one brilliant example of how advisors at Raymond James are “giving back in the communities in which we live and work” – an integral part of the firm’s mission since the very beginning. That comes to life in myriad ways, from our almost 50-year partnership with the United Way, to department-based charity funds – including a snack room run by the St. Petersburg Information Technology group that’s been going for over three decades, with profits purchasing more than 2,100 holiday presents for children – to a separate nonprofit called Friends of Raymond James that provides financial assistance to associates and advisors who have experienced some type of catastrophe or tragedy in their lives.
