James M. McLaughlin,

Jim is a founding member and Managing Director of Princeton Wealth Advisors (PWA) of Raymond James. He previously served as a first vice president of investments and a wealth management advisor with Merrill Lynch, where he focused on advising high-net-worth clients for 15 years. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Jim spent 10 years as a financial advisor at Prudential Securities.

Before entering the financial services industry, Jim was employed in various positions with the Marriott Corporation. His last role was as a senior financial analyst where he became acquainted with Wall Street by virtue of analyzing many research reports on the airline and hospitality industries.

In 2002 Jim earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst ℠ designation offered through the Investment Management Consultants Association and The Wharton School of Business.

Jim has been recognized by:

• Forbes Top Wealth Advisors in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 as well as the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth advisors in 2021 and 2022, as well as 2024, 2025 and 2026, #14 in the state of Florida.

• Barron’s Top 1200 Advisors in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, #26 in the state of Florida 2024 and #25 in the state of Florida 2025. Barron’s Top 1500 Advisors in 2026, #28 in the state of Florida.

In addition, Jim is a member of Raymond James Chairman’s Council* (2008-2025) and holds the Series 7, 9, 10, 63 and 65 securities licenses.

Jim has earned the Private Wealth Advisor designation from Raymond James. This designation reflects his experience in managing the financial concerns of families, individuals and organizations of significant wealth, and his mastery of methods and resources necessary to support their expansive financial interests.

Jim received a Bachelor of Science in business administration and economics from Montclair University and a Master of Business Administration from Fordham University. He currently resides in Vero Beach, FL and Newtown, PA with his wife, Meg.

The Forbes ranking of the Top 250 Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 33,567 nominations, 250 advisors received the award. This ranking is based upon the period from 3/31/20 to 3/31/21 and was released on 8/24/21. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please see https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2021/08/24/methodology-americas-top-wealth-advisors-2021/ for more info.

The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2025 ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2023 to 6/30/2024 and was released on 4/8/2025. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 48,944 nominations, roughly 9,722 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors/ for more info.

Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by 7,855 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria, and 1,500 won. Time period upon which the rating is based is from 09/30/2024 to 09/30/2025, and was released on 03/20/2026. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.

Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by 6,595 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. Time period upon which the rating is based is from 09/30/2022 to 09/30/2023, and was released on 03/11/2024. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.

Private Wealth Advisor is a designation awarded by Raymond James to financial advisors who have demonstrated mastery in anticipating and managing the expansive financial needs of high-net-worth individuals, families and organizations.

Chairman's Council - Membership is based mainly on assets under management, education, credentials and fiscal year production. Requalification is required annually. 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. No fee is paid in exchange for this award/rating.