With her father working as an accountant, Sheila King was practically born into the money management business.

“I started investing at 16,” she said. “In North Carolina, we lived next door to a stockbroker. I find it a pure joy and what I was destined to be. My father was a CPA, so I’ve always thought of myself as a tax nerd.”

After she finished college, King knew she wanted to work in finance, and a friend’s mom forwarded her resume to Raymond James’ home office in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now, 35 years later, she is still there, running money with Eagle Asset Management Inc., a subsidiary of the investment management business at the brokerage.

“A lot of us have stayed at Raymond James and Eagle Asset Management for a long time,” she said. “For women, it’s important to try to mentor, get out there and bring more women into the field, that’s including daughters and granddaughters, and take an interest in this industry.”

Since 1993, King has managed fixed-income portfolios, keeping in mind after-tax returns and low turnover of securities. “Each client has a different tax situation, and that dictates how we manage portfolios,” she said. She works with about $1 billion in assets for 1,100 accounts.

Under her watch, Eagle Asset Management also recently launched its first environmental, social and governance fixed-income portfolios. “It’s a new product,” King said. “We’re just not slapping a new label on a current fund and calling it ESG.” — Bruce Kelly