See It, Be It – Mentorship Matters
This month marks three years since Solitaire joined Weiss Wealth Strategies (WWS). Recently, on the cusp of this anniversary, Solitaire and I (along with our spouses and her twin sister) travelled to NYC where she was honored by InvestmentNews (a leading industry publication) as a “See It, Be It” award recipient. In the spirit of efficiency, while in the Big Apple for two days, we also attended diligence meetings with some of our hedge fund and structured investments partners.
“The Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Awards honor individuals who measurably advance diversity and inclusion with their clients, colleagues, and communities. See it, Be It honorees demonstrate ways forward that other individuals and firms can replicate to accelerate inclusion in the profession.”
The Raymond James recipient of this award for 2022 is a forty-year industry veteran with a practice in Alabama. He currently sits on the Raymond James Executive Council (the hand selected advisory council I served on from 2020-2021, which engages with senior management on the needs of the firm’s financial advisors to best serve clients). He is a humble servant to his clients and community and has mentored and blazed trails for many, including Solitaire.
Solitaire has been actively involved with the Raymond James Women’s Financial Advisor Network and Black Financial Advisor Network for several years. These advisor inclusion networks serve as a safe space for advisors of similar backgrounds to connect, share and develop. Solitaire has sat on numerous panels, led roundtables, coached, and informally mentored a vast array of minority students, women and advisors who have expressed an interest in entering and/or furthering a career within the financial services and advisory business. She has shared her story, how others have helped her, and provided advice on how they too can distinguish themselves and grow professionally, despite some of the adversities they face as women and/or minorities. She also recently sat on an Advisor Best Practices panel with other Black financial advisors from all stages of their career to discuss their best ideas and strategies to grow their teams and businesses at the 9th annual Raymond James Black Financial Advisors Network Symposium.
Solitaire has become the most credentialed advisor on our team and within the entire office. During the early stages of the pandemic, while in-person meetings and networking opportunities were not an option, she chose to utilize her time wisely and since transitioning has obtained three highly regarded and complementary designations (CFP®, CPWA®, and CEPA®) to add to her existing credentials.
Solitaire was also recognized as a 2022 Top 50 Under 50 by the Association of African American Financial Advisors (AAAA).
Within our practice, Solitaire has spearheaded initiatives and coordinated events focused on financial literacy and planning for women and young adults. She has strengthened generational client relationships and worked to deepen our connections with centers of influence and professional partners, both internally and externally. She has developed processes and created efficiencies within our business that have taken our client service and engagement to the next level. She has completed extensive due diligence and onboarded a variety of unique investment solutions for many of our complex client cases. The aforementioned are just a few of her WWS accomplishments achieved while simultaneously doing a stellar job in her primary role of engaging with clients and prospects to help them chart and navigate a path to achieving their financial goals.
Solitaire has demonstrated a remarkable level of excellence in her commitment to her craft, our clients and community. The value she brings to our team has exceeded my expectations in every way! I am grateful and proud to call her my friend, colleague, and partner. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Solitaire!
-Gary Weiss, July 2023
Senior Vice President, Investments
See It, Be It (Individual Award) 2023 is based upon the period from 01/01/2022 to 12/31/2022 and was released on 04/17/2023. 35 nominations were received and 10 individuals won. Neither Raymond James nor any of its advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award. More: https://go.rjf.com/3oHmXwO
The 2022 Association of African American Financial Advisors 50 under 50 recognizes and celebrates influential Black/African American financial advisors, planners, consultants, and operations/administrative executives in financial services industry. 273 nominations were received and 50 were honored based on their accomplishments, contribution to the industry, leadership and promise. These individuals exhibit a dedication to professional development and continued learning, are actively involved in the B/AA community through volunteerism and affiliations with various nonprofit organizations, and have demonstrated upward professional growth in their respective careers. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. The Association of African America Financial Advisors is not affiliated with Raymond James.
