Q: What about the Edward Jones opportunity appealed to you?
A: Joining the military, especially the screening processes, is difficult, but once you have joined, the whole team turns around to make you a success, and I have seen that at Edward Jones from the beginning. They told me what was expected and that if I did that, the result was going to be success. Once I joined Edward Jones, it seems to me that the firm's sole purpose in life was to make me a success. To this day, I see that not only in the associates in the home office but also every other person I come into contact with — the other Financial Advisors are constantly trying to make you a success. Edward Jones never stops. I love it because as you develop more abilities, there is more training waiting so you are going to be able to assist clients at a much deeper level, not on providing just stocks, bonds and mutual funds, but also going deeper into their life insurance and wealth transfer needs. Q: Talk a little about the support you've received at Edward Jones.
A: One of the things I really like at Edward Jones is the amount of support you get. I don't care what the question or concern, I have yet to receive a bad answer, and I get it right away when I call. Sometimes I feel like they are not even real. I have asked them, "Is this a machine?" because they just answer and sincerely try to help you. If they can't help you, they will tell who can help you, and they will transfer you right away. Q: Describe what it's like to build a business.
A: One of the things I really, really liked about Edward Jones was that they helped you establish a business from nothing. Once you establish it, they are going to help you manage it. They are going to be holding your hand until you no longer need it, and then you are on your own. I look at it as climbing a stairway in which as soon as you are able to assimilate the next step in your career, they are ready to help you get there. I moved to Naples, Florida, and I did not have an office. It was an exciting time — I get to choose where I put my office? The answer is yes. To me, that was absolutely amazing. I selected the office, and the process began for building and then moving into the office, and I became a part of the community. I have been in Naples three years, and I am an active member of the community. Edward Jones gives you the perfect tools to help you manage your business, and then they leave you alone so you can go do it in a way that you feel comfortable, as long as you do it legally and ethically in a profitable office. If that is not independent, I don't know what is. I look at Edward Jones as the best of all worlds because you have autonomy, you have the office, you have your own branch office administrator, and you have this huge support behind you that is ready to assist you. When I need help, it is there, but when I don't need it, let me do my work. There has not been a day that I am not excited to go to work since I have been at Edward Jones. Q: What one thing would you tell someone considering the Edward Jones opportunity?
A: I was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Puerto Rico. Even my friends, when they heard I was going to be a Financial Advisor, said, "Ed, you have an accent. People aren't going to give you their money." It's kind of bad, but it's true. They said, "You are Hispanic, and you are going to Naples, Florida?" But being a Hispanic has actually been a blessing for me at Edward Jones. There are so many people who need advice. I did not realize until I became a Financial Advisor that so many people are aching for financial assistance. It is not something that is taught readily anywhere, whether it is the Anglo culture or the Hispanic culture. I find myself helping people who have been in this country for years. If you speak a second language or come from a different culture, that is a plus. It is not who you are, it is what you can offer them and how trustworthy you are to them. The language and culture are not important. It is, "Do you know what you are talking about, and are you ready to help me?" That is where the success comes at Edward Jones. They will train you and give you the tools, they will give you every opportunity, and it is up to you to grab that and bring your personality, your desires — your inner feeling, if you will — and give that to the people you are going to help. Our nation and our culture are changing, and we need to include people of all races and backgrounds. Edward Jones does not lower its standards for anybody, nor does it raise them for anybody. Will they help you? Yes, absolutely, they will help you to reach the standards. Q: How have the five points of financial advantage impacted your income?
A: At Edward Jones, you start with a salary while you are going through the training and licensing requirements. Once you receive your license and approval to provide advice, you move to commission. It is a very exciting time when you start to see that your work translates to a better paycheck, not just a salary. That transition is amazing. I remember as the month came closer and closer that it was going to be a new beginning, if you will. Lo and behold, I just went right through, from a salary to salary and commission to commission only with bonuses for doing the work correctly. It was a smooth transition; you almost don't pay attention to it. Edward Jones was very clear from the very beginning that you are starting a business from scratch, so you cannot expect to be well compensated right from the beginning. You are starting your own business. After my second year, I noticed the pay started increasing, and on my third year, even my wife noticed that there was a pay raise. Q: Explain the dynamics of working in a two-person office.
A: Edward Jones is unique in the fact that you have your own branch office administrator. That person is critical to the team. In my case, Libbie Hendry handles all of my administrative tasks, giving me the time to help clients with their finances. In my office, Libbie is my other half in keeping clients happy. We are synchronized in such a way that we know what we are trying to do every day. Without that person, your job is so much more difficult. Libbie and I make a great team. Q: Are there any memorable experiences, perhaps with a client, that encapsulate or typify what it's like to work for Edward Jones?
A: I had been in Naples for about four months when I ran into this old gentleman cleaning his car. I was all dressed up, and I introduced myself. He looked at me and said, "You expect me to give you my money. Well, not today, but maybe someday." Then he said, "It's interesting that you came to my house because I just fired my broker, and I am looking for a new broker. I'm not going to get you all excited because there are two other brokers ahead of you that I am interviewing, but you are on my list." So I asked him to please give me the opportunity and not just listen to what the other companies were telling him. When I called him a couple of weeks later, he said, "I've got something to show you from the other company." I didn't completely understand the information — I was too new — but I called the home office, and they spent about an hour and forty-five minutes explaining it to me. I went back to the old gentleman and presented to him what I had just learned, and he gave me a $50,000 check. Six months later, I had his whole account — over $2 million. That's from face-to-face interviewing. You have to embrace the race, the culture; it is not where you come from, it is who you are and how you are serving the people. They are looking for somebody who is trustworthy because finances are something very personal. You become their doctors in finance. You have to be very sensitive to their situations or needs. I equate this to the military, because whereas before I got up every morning with this attitude of "I am helping my country," I now get up every morning and say, "I am helping our clients." I served my country for 22 years; now I am serving people. When they want to buy a boat, they call me. When they want to redo their pool, they call me. It is a great opportunity to help people, but you have to be able to listen to what people need. In the military, you needed to know what the mission was. At Edward Jones, you have the opportunity to listen to what people have to say and offer those this solutions. Once you do, they will be very grateful to you. Q: Was there any fear of transferring from the military to Edward Jones?
A: I was in the Marine Corps, stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and in charge of exercises in Thailand in which we put five different services of their nation and five different services of our nation together on a live fire exercise in which we had over 10,000 people firing live rounds in a peacetime training exercise, and you know that if you make a mistake, you are going to get people killed. It is very challenging to be able to sit there and concentrate to make sure that the plans are executed correctly. So how do you overcome it? By staying focused and coming to task. Just like at Edward Jones, you stay focused on what you need to do, and you do it. I would say it is a mission here: It's very clear what I need to do. Edward Jones put that very clearly to me, what my mission requirement was, if you will. I knew I could do it because of the fact that I had been trained properly by Edward Jones. There really wasn't any fear; I knew what I was supposed to do, and then I did it. Q: What part of the training was the most helpful?
A: Training at Edward Jones was similar to basic training. There is a lot of repetition in order to make sure you understand what is going to happen to you out there. I was most grateful for "Know Your Customer" training. I thought it was one of the better training sessions I received. It put everything into perspective. Now I knew what I had to do when I returned back to Naples and what I had to do to succeed as a Financial Advisor. Q: How has making face-to-face contacts worked for you?
A: At first you question it: Why do we need to do this? I was a senior officer in the military. But then I realized I was not an expert. I was receiving pretty good information from the firm as to what it takes to be successful. When I started doing it, I realized that this was the greatest opportunity for me to meet people and that people are aching for someone who will help them. If you go to their homes or businesses and introduce yourself, they are very open. I realized from that moment that you have to embrace the face-to-face contacts. It's been absolutely a great thing to do. Q: Articulate the spirit of volunteerism that exists at Edward Jones.
A: At Edward Jones, you always know you have the responsibility to pass your knowledge to others. Financial Advisors who have been around Edward Jones for a long time pass their knowledge to newer associates. I am already teaching newer Financial Advisors what they need to do to be successful. Just like in the military, we continually teach the mission to the new folks coming in fresh, and it absolutely works. I have gone to Afghanistan and Iraq, so sometimes I think my situation now is too good to be true. One of the things I decided when I came to Edward Jones was where would I offer my services. I narrowed it down to three organizations: I am the president of the founders club of Ave Maria University of Naples. I belong to Los Gatos International, which is a high-end Catholic businessmen's organization. I belong to the Marine Corps League in Naples, with organizations of retired military folks that get together and do service for the community. The more you do for a town, the more people get to know you, and the more they want to do business with you, so without a doubt you need to be out there. Q: Describe the support you've received in building your business at Edward Jones.
A: From the beginning at Edward Jones, I noticed that whenever I met with other Financial Advisors in the region, the veterans made sure I understood that I was an equal. There is no competition at Edward Jones. What we've got is a team effort, and everybody is trying to make sure you succeed. Veteran Financial Advisors are willing to provide to you whatever answers they have. As a matter of fact, my region maintains list of everyone's specialties, and you can call anyone with whatever question you have. To this day, I have yet to ask a question at Edward Jones and not get a great answer to help me in my business. As we grow the firm and add Financial Advisors and branch offices, people might see that as competition. I see it completely differently. That is name recognition. More people see Edward Jones offices, and more business comes your way. Some people tell me this is too good to be true. Well, there is not a catch. It is that good. You have got to have faith in the fact that if Edward Jones tells you that if you to do the following things, this will happen to you. If you do it, you will be successful and have a very rewarding career. Q: Describe what the Edward Jones culture means to you.
A: The culture at Edward Jones is so critical to the way that we do business. It is the foundation of everything we do. It is that glue that holds all of us together — the Financial Advisors, the home-office staff, the branch office administrators. We have to keep the culture because we stand for something. At Edward Jones, I believe we stand for helping the serious individual investor achieve his or her financial goals. We are all on that same path to help those individuals. If we continue to teach that culture, we won't go wrong. Q: What are the benefits of working for a partnership?
A: The opportunities to become a partner at Edward Jones are amazing. Not only are you part of a great culture and a great group of people who are trying to help, but also you take ownership, which means you will be even more involved in ensuring the business standards we maintain at Edward Jones will continue. This is not "they" and "us," it is all of us trying to help our clients. To me, that is when you internalize the firm and become the firm. Q: Talk a little about the spirit of inclusion at Edward Jones.
A: When it comes to inclusion, Edward Jones wants to ensure that this opportunity is for everyone. People of every race need financial advice, and anyone of any race can become a Financial Advisor. Just because you have not done it does not mean that you cannot do it. Q: Does race help ensure or prohibit your success with Edward Jones?
A: I mentioned that giving financial advice is very personal. You have to put yourself in the client's shoes. You've got the tools. You've got the training. You've got the recipe for what they need. How then do you apply that to them in their environment? Every time I meet with a client or prospect, I am there to listen. They probably don't know it yet, but they sense that they need some advice. How you present it to them is wonderful. They will take it and thank you for solving their problem. If that is not satisfaction, I don't know what is. Q: How important is it to have your branch office located in your community?
A: The uniqueness of Edward Jones is that by putting offices where people live, you become part of the neighborhood. Clients have become for the most part friends of mine. They invite me to their functions. I invite them to my functions. It's actually a deeper relationship than even a medical doctor. With all of the changes that people go through in their lives, they need a Financial Advisor, one who is close to them, close to home and willing to come to their house. When I began looking for a location in Naples, Edward Jones was there to guide me, but the final decision was mine. I selected the building and asked Edward Jones to build it right on that corner, and they did. Edward Jones has already done the studies, and they can show you where openings are in your chose location without any problems whatsoever. Then you select the one that fits your personal wishes. Q: Detail an incredible diversification trip that you would never have considered had it not been for that benefit.
A: Edward Jones' diversification trips are a great treat. You work very hard, and you are compensated for it. I have had the opportunity to take two trips. One of the places is somewhere I never thought I could go: I went to Portugal with my family. It was a wonderful trip to see the beautiful old churches. It's a chance to get away from the office and reflect on your success, and then get back to work. The diversification trips are another great way to provide financial assistance to you, because otherwise you would not do it. Q: What qualities do you think a person needs to thrive as a Financial Advisor?
A: You need to be aware of your responsibilities, and if you have that fire in your belly, do it because the fact is that Edward Jones needs you. People need you. The right person is someone who is energetic, happy and positive. You can't recommend an investment if you are not happy about it. Q:
What would you describe as the most challenging aspect of being a Financial Advisor?
A: I would have to say the most challenging thing at Edward Jones is overcoming your perception of your own abilities. Can I do this job? Can I really offer financial advice? The answer is a resounding "yes." Once you do that, you open yourself up to Edward Jones and let them know, "I am here; train me." People have said to me, "I don't think I can be a Financial Advisor." You don't know it until you try it. The training that Edward Jones provides is second to none, in my opinion. They provide you with the tools and are there to assist you if you forget something. As long as you are ready to learn a lot, because there is a lot to learn, you can apply that knowledge to helping people. Q: How do you see your future at Edward Jones unfolding?
A: I am going to be at Edward Jones. I did 22 years in the Marine Corps and loved every minute of it. I see myself easily spending 20 years with Edward Jones. It is a great firm. It is an exciting time to be a Financial Advisor, with 77 million baby boomers reaching retirement. They need help. It is a great time to join our organization.
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