Margaret's Musing: Reflections on Amazing Week (ADV)

Last week was one for the books. It began with a trip to New York City for the Investment News Women to Watch Awards gala, where I was honored with the 2025 Alexandra Armstrong Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Financial Services Industry.

This award is the highest honor of the evening—and of the entire Women to Watch program.” It recognizes a female leader with at least 15 years of experience who has made significant contributions to the advancement of wealth management and financial planning in the U.S. While there are no strict criteria, it celebrates someone who has consistently demonstrated leadership, inspired others, and prioritized the betterment of the industry throughout her career”.

Receiving this recognition was both humbling and unexpected. I closed my acceptance speech with these words:

Today, as I celebrate my 45th year with Raymond James, I’m filled with gratitude—

• For the people who believed in me,
• The clients who trusted me with their dreams and wishes,
• And the colleagues who continue to inspire me.

Raymond James family – Celebrating the Award Gala

On my flight home, I received a message from a dear family friend and longtime client. Her husband, Wallace Wooten, had passed away at the age of 97.

The timing of his passing felt especially poignant as I reflected on my journey—from the Mississippi Delta to where I am today. I haven’t shared much about my family’s story before, but Wallace and the Wooten family played a pivotal role in it.

My parents were both Chinese immigrants. My father came to the U.S. at age 12 after his mother passed away. He attended public school in Memphis for a few years before working for his cousins in Greenville, Mississippi, where he learned the grocery business. Eventually, he opened his own store in Shelby, MS.

My mother arrived in Shelby after my father returned to China for a traditional arranged marriage. She didn’t speak, read, or write English and had only attended school in China. Yet she quickly adapted—becoming a savvy businesswoman and the perfect partner to my father. I was born soon after, the eldest of six children.

Our store was rented from the Wooten family, who owned a nearby plantation with some of the finest farmland in the Delta. In the South, we rarely used last names. To us, they were Miss Lucille and Mr. Lee—figures of warmth, generosity, and quiet strength. Mr. Lee managed the farm and properties, which included the store my Dad rented.

When I was ready to start first grade, a Supreme Court ruling (Lum v. Rice, 1927) barred Chinese children from attending white public schools. Fortunately, Mr. Lee was head of the local school board. My father approached him, and thanks to the relationship they had built, Mr. Lee persuaded the board to allow me—and later my siblings—to attend public school.

Miss Lucille embraced our family and made sure we kids experienced the joys of American life. She’d arrive in her big Cadillac to take us to our first parade, our first circus. She taught my parents about Christmas and other holidays. She even invited us to the plantation for family photos—since we couldn’t afford a camera, those are the only childhood pictures we have. She also opened my world to reading, sharing books by many famous Southern authors when I was still quite young.

My sisters and I at the Wooten Plantation

Mom_ Dad at the Wooten Plantation

When Miss Lucille passed, her properties were inherited by her two nephews. Wallace, who just passed, inherited our store. Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, most Chinese immigrants didn’t own property. Wallace immediately offered to sell the store to my father, who was thrilled to finally own the business he had built.

Years later, shortly after I joined Raymond James, Wallace approached me. Farmland prices were soaring, and he wanted to sell some of his prime acreage. He asked me to invest the proceeds. I hesitated—I was just starting out and lacked experience. But Wallace insisted, saying, “I know I can trust you. I’ve watched you grow up and succeed. I know you will continue to do so”. That account became one of my very first at Raymond James. His family are still clients today.

Next week, my siblings and I will return to Mississippi to honor Wallace’s life. We owe the Wooten family so much—for their trust, generosity, and belief in our future.

This is more than my story—it’s an American immigrant story. One of resilience, kindness, and the power of community. I’m proud to share it with you.

Sincerely,

Margaret C. Starner
Senior VP - Wealth Management
2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Suite 500
Coral Gables, FL 33134
305-461-6660

BARRON'S Hall Of Fame Advisor
Barron’s 2024 Top 1200 Financial Advisor
2024 BARRON’S Top 100 Women Financial Advisors
2025 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors
2025 Forbes America's Top Wealth Management Teams Best-in-State

InvestmentNews Women to Watch – The Alexandra Armstrong Award For Lifetime Achievement in the Financial Services Industry 2025

InvestmentNews Women to Watch – The Alexandra Armstrong Award For Lifetime Achievement in the Financial Services Industry was released on 10/22/2025 and recognizes and celebrates a female leader with a minimum of 15 years' experience who has contributed greatly to the advancement of the wealth management and financial planning industry in the US. When judging this category, the following criteria were considered: Exhibited leadership and provided inspiration to others, whilst putting the interests of the industry at the top of their priorities throughout their career; senior leadership position held, including: firm founders, innovator/inventors, and highly influential thought leaders whose perspective and advocacy has had a transformational effect. Time period upon which the rating is based on the nominee's career history, and was released on 10/22/2025. Out of over 100 individuals nominated, one was named the winner by the InvestmentNews staff. The award is not representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor's future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award. Investment News is not affiliated with Raymond James.

Nominees for the 2020 InvestmentNews Diversity & Inclusion Lifetime Achievement 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. Judges will consider management, team development, achievement and a minimum 15-year commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. InvestmentNews received about 130 nominations for the Diversity & Inclusions awards and selected 1 individual for the Lifetime Achievement award. 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.

The Forbes ranking of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. This ranking is based upon the period from 9/30/23 to 9/30/24 and was released on 02/11/2025. Research Summary (as of February 2025): 48,220 nominations were received and 100 women won. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James, nor any of its financial advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the ranking. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-women-advisors/?sh=36214c902a8f for more info.

The 2025 Forbes ranking of America’s Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 3/31/2023 to 3/31/2024 and was released on 01/09/2025. Advisor teams that are considered must have one advisor with a minimum of seven years of experience, have been in existence as a team for at least one year, have at least 5 team members, and have been nominated by their firm. The algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 11,674 team nominations, 5,331 advisor teams received the award based on thresholds. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please see https://www.forbes.com/lists/wealth-management-teams-best-in-state for more info.

Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors 2024. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by 6,595 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. Time period upon which the rating is based is from 09/30/2022 to 09/30/2023, and was released on 03/11/2024. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.

Barron’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisors (2024)

Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. There were a total of 1,094 applicants and data points that relate to quality of practice included professionals with a minimum of 7 years financial services experience, acceptable compliance records (no criminal U4 issues), client retention reports, charitable and philanthropic work, quality of practice, designations held, offering services beyond investments offered including estates and trusts, and more. Financial Advisors are quantitatively rated based on varying types of revenues produced and assets under management by the financial professional, with weightings associated for each. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. This ranking is based upon the period from 03/01/2023 to 03/31/2024 and was released on 07/19/2024. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.

Barron's Hall of Fame Award, 2019. Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. "Barron's Hall of Fame" is an award honoring a group of advisors who exemplify long-term success and commitment to their clients. Each member of the Hall of Fame has appeared in 10 or more of Barron's annual Top 100 Advisor rankings, and their long-looking commitment to excellence is a hopeful example for the industry to follow. The Top 100 Advisor rankings are based on data provided by individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. Data points that relate to quality of practice include professionals with a minimum of 7 years financial services experience, acceptable compliance records (no criminal U4 issues), client retention reports, charitable and philanthropic work, quality of practice, designations held, offering services beyond investments offered including estates and trusts, and more. Financial Advisors are quantitatively rated based on varying types of revenues produced and assets under management by the financial professional, with weightings associated for each. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients' risk tolerance than by an advisor's investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor's future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron's is not affiliated with Raymond James.

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