Q: What did you do prior to Edward Jones?
A: I was at UBS Financial Services for two years. And prior to that I worked in retail banking. Q: What made you start looking for something else?
A: I was happy at UBS, but the Edward Jones culture really appealed to me. And as I looked into it further, the compensation opportunities were better at Edward Jones, along with the opportunity to become an owner in the firm and the wonderful diversification trips that you can qualify for. Q: Were you actively or passively looking at the opportunity?
A: I was recruited over a year by an existing Edward Jones Financial Advisor in my town. He just continually talked about Edward Jones, and it gave me a lot of information to contrast with my current employer. The ability to be my own boss, run my own branch office and have my own dedicated assistant were all things I did not have at my previous employer, so those things appealed to me right away. Q: What qualities at Edward Jones were most appealing to you?
A: There are a lot of good qualities about Edward Jones. Having my own branch office with my own assistant and setting my own hours were really the things that appealed to me most. Q: What does it take to be a successful Financial Advisor at Edward Jones?
A: We’re encouraged to make 25 real contacts a day. I figured if 25 is a recipe for success, then 35 or 40 is going to set me up to either succeed faster or do better. I tend to be a competitive person by nature, so building my business was just getting out and talking to as many people as I can and telling them what Edward Jones had to offer and what I had to offer and how we could serve their investment needs. Q: How connected are you to the community where your branch is located?
A: I feel much more connected to the community through Edward Jones, mainly because of the way I built my business – meeting with clients on a face-to-face basis. It allowed me to get to know those individuals much, much better, and I think I’ve translated that throughout my career. I get a lot more meaning personally from running that type of business. I’ve gotten involved in the community and different community causes, and that has helped my business. It’s not the main reason I do it. It’s just to give something back to a community that has been very generous to me. Q: How does the compensation structure compare to your previous employer’s?
A: When I was looking at Edward Jones’ compensation structure versus that of my previous employer, I really didn’t have any concerns because the five points of compensation that Edward Jones offers were an enhancement. The commission payouts at Edward Jones were significantly higher, particularly for a younger individual. Also, two things that stand out as part of Edward Jones’ compensation are the chance to earn wonderful diversification trips and the ability to become an owner in Edward Jones. My previous employer was a publicly traded company, and yes, you could become a shareholder in that company, but I think that’s different from having your own stake in the firm. Q: What gets you excited about going to work in the morning?
A: I think one of the main things that gets me to excited to go to work every day is just knowing that I’m going to help people. Whether it’s college financing for their grandchildren or preparing for retirement, I’ll have an impact.
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