The next step after success

Camille York Adrien is an advocate for wealth management that works for more people

Named a rising star in 2021* for her financial literacy outreach during the pandemic and the growth of her Tampa Bay-area practice, Camille York Adrien has effectively confirmed that stellar forecast. Now more than eight years into her career, she’s standing on a strong foundation and surrounded by abundant opportunity, with the time and space to be thoughtful about her next moves. 

“Early in my career, I was in a proving phase. I was learning very quickly and building credibility,” Camille said. “I focused on rapid growth, creating visibility for what I could offer people and earning my place in the industry. Now, I’m at a point where I can be more intentional and grounded – and focus on deepening my relationships.”

For her clients, this career transition is invisible, she said; the client-centered values and personal service that have driven her trajectory are steadfast.

“My clients have never been secondary, and my definition of success has not changed. I’m centered on serving my clients at the highest level,” she said. “But the business side looks a little different now. It’s steadier, growth is organic and I’m seeing more referrals. I don’t feel pressured to chase every opportunity. You get to the point where you can be much more intentional.”

As a result, her practice is shifting as she takes on clients whose complex wealth and lives require more sophisticated planning – Camille’s personal forte.

"I'm a planner by nature,” she said. I like to have things in place for every scenario. It's very natural for me to think of all the angles and scenarios, approaching issues from multiple lenses. It also means that I have the opportunity to develop deeper personal relationships with my clients.”

Meanwhile, Camille’s particular superpowers continue to support her growth. That is, she is willing to see, be seen and be specific. This has shown prospective clients not only who she is, but that she is capable of understanding their lives on their terms.

An example:

In her outreach and marketing, rather than casting the widest net possible, Camille is not afraid to speak to a general audiences with financial advice centered on women or others who are often left out of the mainstream financial conversation.  

“As a Black woman in the industry, I am very aware of how often general financial advice is spoken to a ‘default’ client. And I know what it means to not feel like you are represented within that default,” Camille said. “I wanted to build a practice where women didn’t feel like a plus-one or an add-on to another’s narrative. I wanted to serve women in navigating systems that weren’t designed for them – to educate, elevate and enhance their lives.

“When people feel clearly addressed, and you show them that this space was made for them, they engage differently.” 

When asked if she was ever concerned about turning off potential clients, she said it’s only come up once. She took the opportunity to assure the prospective client and talked about her personalized approach to wealth management.

“Women launched me into the business,” Camille said, “but I work with everyone. I’ve never been afraid to lose out on a client because I speak to women’s issues. What I find is I work with a lot of really supportive husbands or partners who want their women spouses to be involved in the wealth conversation.”

“I always knew my people were going to find me,” she added.

From passion to practice

Camille’s interest in finance came as she was earning a bachelor’s degree in public relations. That interest became a discipline when she earned a Master of Science in business management.

Her first industry job was as a financial literacy advocate for a credit union, working with college students and “making financial literacy fun,” Camille said with a knowing smile. “It was that work that showed me how impactful financial education could be when it was both practical and personal.”

Soon, she moved into providing personalized advice as a sales assistant for the credit union’s wealth management program, working with an advisor. Incidentally, the advisor’s book of business included a number of widows.

“They were terrified of finance,” Camille said. “Many didn’t know what they owned or how it worked.” She spent time with each of them to help them get a handle on their investments and set goals despite their grief. Over time, she started to wish she would have had the opportunity to help these clients before they were in dire need of it.

She realized that, with her own practice, she could prioritize education, risk management and goal-oriented planning – there would be no spouse left in uncertainty.  

She joined the Raymond James Advisory Mastery Program in 2018, a training program for new advisors. When the pandemic disrupted nearly everything, Camille took every opportunity to bring her message to a wider audience, joining podcasts and virtual conferences, and using social media to spread her ideas.

Despite the increasing demands on her time amid her rise to stardom, Camille has held on to her commitment to teaching financial literacy. In line with her strong faith values, she has formalized this commitment by dedicating 10% of her time to community and charitable causes.

As well as being an active member in BFAN, focusing on helping new advisors learn to thrive, she is also a council member for WFAN, the network for women advisors at Raymond James.

“Mentorship is a major reason I'm still in the industry,” she said. “When I was at the credit union, I was just learning what a financial advisor was, but I didn’t fit the stereotype. I hadn’t seen a female advisor, I hadn’t seen a Black advisor. I hope I can be an example to someone so that when they imagine a financial advisor, they can imagine themselves in that role.

“Making the industry accessible is not just about opening doors, but walking alongside someone once they’re inside and helping them thrive.” 

* Nominees for the InvestmentNews Diversity & Inclusion Rising Star Award must currently be working as financial planners, registered representatives or registered investment advisers, or as industry professionals in a role that supports financial advisers. These individuals are in the early stages of his or her career but have already demonstrated leadership qualities and are expected to be a driving force to building diversity and an inclusive culture in the financial advice profession. InvestmentNews received more than 120 nominations for the Diversity & Inclusions awards and selected 5 individuals for the Rising Star awards.  Each Rising star has less than 10 years of experience in the industry. The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating nor is Raymond James affiliated with InvestmentNews.

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