Q: What part of the training was the most helpful?
A: Early on I didn’t fully appreciate how important it would be to meet people face to face. What I know now is that it is by far the best way to build very strong relationships with clients and add value to those families. After you pass your Series 7 exam, you come into either St. Louis or Tempe to attend a Know Your Customer (KYC) class. There you learn all about the culture of Edward Jones and the type of clients that you’ll be working with as a Financial Advisor in your own branch office. And that training is all-encompassing, where you learn from example the different types of clients and their needs, and how to offer solutions to those clients. The training I received at the midpoint of my Edward Jones career came at the perfect time. I was working with clients, and I knew that what I had learned up to that point was what I needed to keep those relationships strong, but I needed something more. This training allowed me to make deeper relationships with clients and also pursue business retirement plans and work with small-business owners. The training we received in the military was very purposeful for our role and responsibility. With Edward Jones, the training has been just-in-time training. There are a lot of things in this career that you don’t need to know in the beginning. However, Edward Jones is there to support you throughout your career and provide you with training when you’re building your business that will enable you to continue on and grow your business and better serve clients. Q: What about the Edward Jones opportunity appealed to you?
A: The only concern I had with the opportunity was having the necessary support to be successful in this career. And fortunately with Edward Jones, the training is ongoing and continues to benefit me today. The characteristics that serve someone well in the military are honesty, integrity, focus and the ability to get the job done. And those attributes have really benefited me in this career. Even when I thought things were at their darkest early in my career, having that ability to rely on what I learned in the military really pushed me through. Q: How important is it to have your branch office located in your community?
A: My initial feeling after finding out that I would be making face to face contacts in my community was a sense of relief. I feel it’s important for us to get to know the people that we may possibly be helping and benefiting and we meet them face to face rather than simply calling them and introducing ourselves to them. Q: Describe what the Edward Jones culture means to you.
A: The Edward Jones culture to me is a warm culture. People are there to help you. What I really appreciate about the Edward Jones culture is it’s a family-type atmosphere — even though my office is over 1,000 miles from St. Louis, I know I can call the home office, and any person I speak with is there to help me help clients. Q: Articulate the spirit of volunteerism that exists at Edward Jones.
A: With veteran Financial Advisors, we know that volunteerism will have a direct impact on us and benefit us by helping those new Financial Advisors in our area become more successful. It’s something we take very seriously by offering our time, knowledge and coaching. It’s always good to learn from someone else’s mistakes. Mentoring other new Financial Advisors in my area always energizes me more. And it’s enjoyable to see the drive and the need to be a part of the community in the new Financial Advisors and to see them succeed. It’s something that it just makes you feel good. Q: Describe what it's like to build a business.
A: When you build a business from scratch, you have the personal satisfaction of creating all that by yourself — but you really didn’t do it by yourself. You have the support of the other Financial Advisors in your community. You also have the support of St. Louis and Tempe. But the enjoyment you get from building your own business is knowing that everyone you’ve come into contact with are now clients on whom you’ve made a meaningful impression. The recipe for success is certainly one part talent and one part effort, but it’s also the home office. If you’re able to put forth the talent and apply the effort with the recipe for what Edward Jones has for you, you can’t help but be successful. Q: What are the benefits of working for a partnership?
A: Being employee-owned rather than shareholder-owned has a strong effect on the culture of our firm and the direction our firm takes. For example, Edward Jones is based on long-term investments and long-term decision making. This allows us to look far into the future, see where we want to be, build that vision and pursue it. One thing I really appreciate about Edward Jones is how the regional leaders in our area are there to help not only the new Financial Advisors, but the veterans as well. What’s important to understand is that the regional leader role is purely voluntary. Those people who decide to reach out and take that leadership role are not compensated for it. And they do run their own businesses, and typically it’s a lot of hours and a lot of hard work. Q: What one thing would you tell someone considering the Edward Jones opportunity?
A: I remember the day my branch opened, and as I walked up to the front door I saw my name on it, and it put a big smile on my face in knowing that it was another milestone in my career with Edward Jones. As a visiting vet in a KYC class, what I really want to communicate to our new Financial Advisors is that 100% of our firm, whether in St. Louis or Tempe or Canada or the U.K., is entirely set up to help them become successful in their communities. I really appreciate the home office support when I run into a problem with understanding fully a client’s retirement situation. I know that I can call St. Louis and get the information I need to really come back to the client with a solution.
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