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Robbie Moseley

Practice Management > Diversity and Inclusion

Raymond James Pride Network Continues to Grow in Third Year

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What You Need to Know

  • Raymond James’ annual Business of Pride Symposium was held June 28-30.
  • The firm says that the event provides the opportunity for attendees to learn about topics important to the LGBT+ community.
  • Raymond James gives advisors a lot of freedom to brand themselves, the co-chair of the Pride Network says.

The Raymond James Pride Financial Advisors Network has continued to grow since it was created in June 2020, according to Robbie Moseley, vice president of AdvisorChoice Consulting and national co-chair of the Pride Inclusion Network.

Attendance at PFAN’s annual Business of Pride Symposium has also grown over the past three years, he said, noting the third event was held June 28-30, at Raymond James headquarters and The Karol Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“We had over 200 advisors and allies join us and about 80 individuals from the home office” this time, he told ThinkAdvisor in an online interview. “We’ve seen that number grow from 40 to about 65 to 80 [advisors] that are registered and take part in the Symposium.”

Therefore, “we are just really excited that it continues to grow as an organization,” he said. “We have two pride organizations: One is our Pride Financial Advisor Network, and one is our Pride Inclusion Network, which [includes] home office and service associates.”

The Business of Pride Symposium provides the opportunity for attendees to learn about topics that resonate with the LGBT+ community, according to Raymond James.

The biggest change to the event this year was an attempt to, “with its title being Business of Pride,” help advisors grow their business and their brand and make an impact in the community they wish to serve, according to Moseley.

What makes Raymond James unique is that “independence really goes beyond any specific affiliation and so, regardless of affiliation at Raymond James … we give our advisors freedom to brand themselves in a completely different way,” he said. “So if you look at the way that we’re branding, even employee-side advisors, it allows them to really build this brand within the LGBT community.”

He explained: “We’re not saying we have this one-size-fits-all model. This is the logo you have to use. We’re saying that if you want to serve the LGBT community and understand the needs of those families and individuals and couples in a different way, we want you to do that.”

One important key is giving advisors the tools, the resources, the capabilities and knowledge of what’s going on in the marketplace to serve the LGBT community, he said.

So, “rather than just being an advocacy group, it’s really become this group that can do multiple layers of just growing business, impacting communities, changing or evolving your brand, not just staying stagnant and not just doing it any one way,” he explained.

The Pride Network activities, in turn, are also helping all Raymond James advisors, he said, explaining: “One of our focuses is our business is a people business. It’s all about people and their financial well-being, and so our advisors are drawn to this idea … I think it allows advisors to think differently across the organization about every family [being] unique regardless of being in the LGBT community or not.”

The advisors who participate in the Business of Pride Symposium are then “going back to their branches; some of them are in management, others leadership … and we’re getting ideas from our best and brightest external partners as well [about] what’s working in the marketplace, he said.

Pictured: Robbie Moseley


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