Forbes: Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 Financial Times: Top Financial Advisors 2018 & 2019 Barron's: America's Top 1200 Financial Advisors 2021 Congratulations! on achieving membership in the 2022 Chairman's Council*

Backed up with more than thirty years of experience in the financial services arena, Mark Thompson advises individuals and corporations. He and his team specialize in all facets of wealth management, including estate planning, retirement and financial planning, insurance analysis, risk management and investment allocation, as well as solutions for high net worth corporate executives.

Born in Philadelphia and spending his formative years in Atlanta, Mark graduated from the University of Florida and was employed for several years as a Unit Manager for Procter & Gamble in Memphis, Tennessee. He began his career in financial services in 1987 with E.F. Hutton (now Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney), then accepted a Senior Vice-President's position with Raymond James & Associates in 1995 thereby establishing the Melbourne, Florida office.

Mark attained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 1993 and is an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). He contributes regularly to industry and trade publications such as On Wall Street, Research and Financial Planning magazines, and was also a guest columnist for seven years in Florida Today.

At the request of then Chairman and CEO, Thomas A. James, Mark served two years on the Raymond James Executive Council. The Council represents various business segments within Raymond James, and members convene quarterly to weigh in on issues affecting the firm. He also represented the firm at a 2004 focus group hosted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in Atlanta. FINRA is the primary private-sector regulator of the securities industry, overseeing the activities of more than 5,000 brokerage firms and 663,000 registered representatives. Mark is justifiably proud of an entire career without a single customer complaint.

In 2008, Mark earned the Investment Management Consultant designation**. The certification program covers essential investment management consulting topics such as asset allocation, manager selection and portfolio construction and, therefore, provides advisors with knowledge commensurate with high-level institutional money management consultants. Over the years he has completed numerous hours of instruction earning the internal designation of Trust Specialist, advising on all types of trusts such as living trusts, irrevocable trusts, charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts. He is also a Retirement Plan Consultant, helping companies review their employee retirement plans for investment suitability, as well as addressing fiduciary concerns.

Mark's community involvement included serving as a board member for Space Coast Early Intervention Center, a school that educates and prepares children with and without special needs for the outside world. He served as chairman of their capital building campaign, coordinating fundraising activities and sharing the school's message with the local community to raise support for a new facility in Melbourne. He was also an active fundraiser for several Christian schools in the area.

When not in the office, Mark and his wife Stacy enjoy spending time with their children, all things Florida Gators, as well as traveling, fishing and playing sports.

*Membership is based mainly on assets under management, education, credentials and fiscal year production. Re-qualification is required annually since prior membership is no assurance of future membership. 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. No fee is paid in exchange for this award/rating.

**The Investment Management Consultant designation is awarded to those who complete the Raymond James Institute of Investment Management Consulting program.

The FT 400 was developed in collaboration with Ignites Research, a subsidiary of the FT that provides specialized content on asset management. To qualify for the list, advisers had to have 10 years of experience and at least $300 million in assets under management (AUM) and no more than 60% of the AUM with institutional clients. The FT reaches out to some of the largest brokerages in the U.S. and asks them to provide a list of advisors who meet the minimum criteria outlined above. These advisors are then invited to apply for the ranking. Only advisors who submit an online application can be considered for the ranking. In 2018, roughly 880 applications were received and 400 were selected to the final list (45.5%). In 2019, roughly 960 applications were received and 400 were selected to the final list (41.7%). The 400 qualified advisers were then scored on six attributes: AUM, AUM growth rate, compliance record, years of experience, industry certifications, and online accessibility. AUM is the top factor, accounting for roughly 60-70 percent of the applicant's score. Additionally, to provide a diversity of advisors, the FT placed a cap on the number of advisors from any one state that's roughly correlated to the distribution of millionaires across the U.S. 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. The FT is not affiliated with Raymond James.

The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State 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 into their practice 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 34,925 nominations, more than 6,550 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. 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.

Source: Barron's “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors,” March 2021. Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by over 5,000 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. 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.