They say that some people are just born with it. Well, Carolyn Yates, who made her first investment decision at age 13, knew early on the importance of building a strong financial foundation. She currently serves as a senior vice president with Pinnacle Asset Management and offers securities as a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Her career in financial services began in 1996 at Legg Mason Wood and Walker, where she worked as a sales assistant. Convinced that she could do what the guys in the office were doing, and probably better, she obtained her licensing and started her financial services practice with Merrill Lynch, where she served as a financial advisor. Desiring more flexibility, Carolyn left Merrill and joined Pinnacle Financial Partners in 2009.
In its infancy stage, the focus of her practice was growing her business – getting clients. Carolyn was determined, however, to provide more than just asset management. She wanted to dig deeper into the challenges her clients were experiencing on a daily basis – to help them manage the money not going into the multicolored pie chart. Obtaining the Certified Financial Planner designation equipped and enabled her to help people budget and to show them a better way to live today. She began unwrapping the layers of her clients’ financial profiles and developing solutions that not only better positioned them for retirement, but helped them budget for today’s expenses as well.
In addition to saving her clients money and providing an unbiased opinion, Carolyn prides herself on servicing her clients. She reaches out to all of them 12 times a year. During that five minute call, she shares an overview of their accounts, current market conditions, and answers any questions they may have. She also makes herself available to meet with them as needed.
When asked what advice she had for the new business owner just getting started, she says, “Be realistic about your expectations. But keep in mind that your uniqueness as a woman sets you apart. It took me 16 years to figure out my value proposition. Find a niche that no one else is doing and do it.” In the financial services industry, the field is predominately male but Carolyn has yet to let that hinder her success. Instead, she has surrounded herself with a good circle of friends and a powerful network and continues to offer value to her clients.
Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and German from Furman University. She speaks fluent German and loves to travel overseas. Carolyn serves on various boards, among them the Boy Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Women Engaging in Business (President), Executive Women’s Golf Association and Women in Numbers.
In her downtime, her current book of choice is The Passion Test – The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Destiny by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood.
Connect with Carolyn!
Carolyn Yates, CFP, CRPC
Investment Executive, Raymond James & Associates
SVP, Pinnacle Asset Management