Raymond James | Professionally Speaking | Federal Reserve Made Wise Break with Tradition in Bear Stearns Transaction

The sudden, even tragic, end of Bear Stearns points out the real-world fact that to thrive, financial firms require a reputation for financial soundness in addition to actually being financially sound. Raymond James Financial’s solidly conservative business model – so different from that of what had been the nation’s fifth largest investment bank – should reassure shareholders and anyone else who does business with the firm, says Raymond James’ Chairman and CEO Tom James. The company is not and has not been involved in the subprime mortgage business. Its profitability rests on its private client group and asset management businesses, James says in this edition of Professionally Speaking, hosted by Larry Pugliese.

For personalized advice on how you might consider dealing with current market volatility and uncertainty, please contact a Raymond James financial advisor.

Thomas A. James

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Raymond James Financial

Thomas A. James, chairman and chief executive officer of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), and chairman of its subsidiary, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1964 and from Harvard Business School in 1966, where he was a Baker Scholar and graduated with high distinction. He also holds a Juris Doctor from Stetson College of Law, St. Petersburg, Florida, and passed the Certified Financial Planner^Ò exam in 1978.

Mr. James is a member of the board of Cora Health Services and has previously served on the boards of several public companies.

In addition to the positions he holds in affiliated firms, Mr. James is the chairman of The Financial Services Roundtable (2007). He is a past chairman of the board of the Securities Industry Association (now SIFMA), the Southern District of the SIA, the Raymond James Bank, FSB and of Heritage Family of Funds (subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc.,) the District 7 Business Conduct Committee of the National Association of Securities Dealers, and a past president of the Florida Security Dealers Association. He has also served on the Regional Firms Committee and the Nominating Committee of the New York Stock Exchange.

Mr. James is chairman of the Florida Council of 100 and president of the board of trustees of The Salvador Dalί Museum. He is on the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School, the board of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and is the chairman of the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation. He is a past chairman of the Florida Council of Economic Education. In addition, Mr. James has been an active participant in the United Way of Pinellas County as a member of the board of directors and as founding chairman of the organization’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society and the 1995 Pinellas County campaign. He is a past member of the board of Junior Achievement of Pinellas County and has served as Commodore of the Treasure Island Tennis & Yacht Club.

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Raymond James & Associates, Inc. member New York Stock Exchange / SIPC and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. member FINRA / SIPC are subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc.