RAYMOND JAMES RECRUITS $1 MILLION TEAM FROM MERRILL LYNCH IN TUSCALOOSA
Raymond James recently recruited the veteran team of Thomas Dedrick, CFP® and Pam Franklin, CRPC® to join the Tuscaloosa, Ala. office of Raymond James & Associates (RJA) ─ the traditional employee broker/dealer of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF) ─ according to Tash Elwyn, president of RJA’s Private Client Group. They will do business as the Dedrick-Franklin Group.“We are delighted to welcome the Dedrick-Franklin team to Raymond James,” said Elwyn. “Both Thomas and Pam have distinguished themselves over the years as outstanding financial advisors with a commitment to putting their clients’ interests ahead of their own. This focus aligns perfectly with the Raymond James culture and values and we could not be more pleased to have them join our Tuscaloosa office.”
Dedrick and Franklin combined have more than 35 years of investment experience and came to Raymond James from Merrill Lynch, where they managed more than $162 million in client assets and had fees and commissions in excess of $1 million..
“Raymond James reminds me of the firm I started with years ago,” said Dedrick, “with a true focus on serving clients and their wealth management needs. It’s a firm with no outside influences or pressures. Many bank-owned broker/dealers are going in another direction; one, I believe, which is counter to what is best for our clients, and counter to what we do as professionals. After much searching and due diligence, my partner and I selected Raymond James — it was the one firm that felt right, and offered the same, client-first values we want to live by.”
Dedrick began his financial services career in 1982 with Merrill Lynch and is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional. His areas of expertise include investment management consulting, portfolio management, retirement and financial planning services for not for profit organizations, high net worth individuals, professional athletes and business owners A graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Ga., he was inducted into their college football Hall of Fame.
A graduate of the University of Alabama, Franklin began her financial services career in 1987 as a Certified Public Accountant, joining Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor in 2007. As a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and a Certified Special Needs Advisor, Franklin focuses on providing comprehensive, personal financial planning services to each client.
Registered client service associate Beth Holman, a longtime assistant to Dedrick and Franklin, also joined the Tuscaloosa office of Raymond James.
CFP® | CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., owns the certification marks above, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements
Raymond James & Associatesymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC, which has built a national reputation for more than 50 years as a leader in financial planning for individuals, corporations and municipalities, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), a financial services holding company. Through its three broker/dealer subsidiaries, Raymond James Financial has more than 6,200 financial advisors serving approximately 2.5 million accounts in more than 2,500 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. In addition, total client assets are approximately $441 billion.
