Tash Elwyn, new president for Raymond James & Associates, talks Thursday about his job.To Tash Elwyn, financial advisers rank behind only physicians and pastors in importance for most families.
Despite the battered markets of 2008 and 2009 and more recent criticisms from the Occupy Wall Street movement, Elwyn views the more than 1,300 financial advisers he oversees at Raymond James & Associates as the financial equivalents of those who care for people’s physical or spiritual health.
“I believe that the financial services industry, despite all the turmoil of this financial apocalypse in 2008-2009, is a very noble profession,” Elwyn said during an interview last week at the Chattanooga office of Raymond James that he once managed.
On Tuesday, the 40-year-old former Chattanoogan was elevated to president of Raymond James private client business.
The promotion capped an 18-year career that began at Raymond James when Elwyn was waiting to get into the Peace Corps in Atlanta. As a major in political science at Emory University, Elwyn thought he wanted a public service career but got interested in Wall Street after applying for overseas volunteer work.