Shampooing carpets as a youngster in the northern suburbs of New York to earn money, C. James Taylor demonstrated the drive, determination and ability to win over clients that has led to his early success as a Merrill Lynch adviser. Aiming for a position at a wirehouse, he took a job at a small New Jersey firm after graduating from Marist College and was licensed in three months. Soon after, he persuaded the local office of Merrill Lynch to hire him.
But Taylor had bigger dreams: heading his own team in New York City. So after more persuasion, he moved to Merrill’s Rockefeller Center offices in 2012 and began building the high-touch, high-net-worth practice he wanted. His firm now boasts about the growth, asset size and production — as well as diversity — of his 12-person Taylor Group.
“Diversity provides important insights into clients,” says Taylor, whose team includes two people of color and four women, as well as an LGBQT planner. As the youngest and first Black chair of the group representing the interests of firm advisers to management, as well as a member of the Black Leadership Council at parent Bank of America, Taylor’s voice is sure to be heard for quite some time.
— Evan Cooper