Paul Keats got his first taste of the investment business in 1968 as a clerk on the Washington, D.C. trading desk of Francis I. DuPont & Company.
A year later, his blossoming career was interrupted by a letter from Richard Nixon ordering him to report to his local induction center. A quick trip to Fort Bragg, NC found him as a basic trainee with the rank of private. With a war in Southeast Asia, he volunteered for a course of training which might aid in self-preservation. He was assigned to the Engineering school at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to master the art of building bridges (and blowing them up). While there, the Army determined he might have a future as a small unit commander and he was directed to the Infantry Officers Basic Course (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia. He arrived three weeks early in Georgia and, despite his major fear of heights, he was ordered to parachute training at the Airborne School.
Paul’s luck held and it was determined he would be more useful as a Cavalry platoon leader in Germany.
Upon his release from active duty, he returned to Washington with the hope of resuming his participation in the investment business. Francis I. DuPont had gone out of business and a severe recession made investment opportunities unavailable until he was accepted into the training program at Reynolds Securities (later Dean Witter Reynolds) in March of 1975. To demonstrate his bravery, Paul married Carla on May 17, 1975 despite his meager salary as a broker-trainee. To demonstrate Carla’s bravery, she is still married to Paul after 44 years, three sons and six grandchildren.
For thirteen years, Paul worked with Dean Witter through several mergers and the firm’s acquisition by Sears Roebuck (“Stocks & Socks”).
Paul joined Shearson American Express in August, 1989. For the next twenty-three years, Paul remained with the firm through multiple name changes and more mergers. During that time his collection of business cards read, Shearson Lehman, Shearson Lehman Hutton, Smith Barney, Citigroup and then Morgan Stanley. Paul’s son, John joined him as his partner during the Citigroup Era.
On July 25, 2012, after careful consideration, Paul and John concluded that one final change was in order, and they joined RBC Wealth Management in Chevy Chase, Maryland. With no plans for retirement, Paul and John, both Senior Vice Presidents – Investment Advisors have the very satisfying jobs of advising individuals, non-profit organizations, pension plans and anyone else who is in need of sound planning and investment advice.
