Building a Financial Career with Edward Jones

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Video Transcript

SAM DEL ROWE, REPORTER, FINANCIAL ADVISOR IQ: I’m with Jasmine Butler, a financial advisor at Edward Jones. You began your career in human resources. How did you decide you wanted to then become a financial advisor?

JASMINE BUTLER, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, EDWARD JONES: Yes, so I did get my start in human resources for a payroll company. And I actually had the same misconception I would say that most people have, which is that if somebody is successful in their career or in their business, that they must be really successful and know what to do with their finances.

And once I really started delving into more of retirement solutions and 401(k)s, I realized that that was false. And so as I started to educate and have more conversations in our community, I just realized there’s such a disconnect. And to really help a lot of the business owners at that time and work with the business owners, as well as individual clients and families, but really recognize that most people didn’t have a plan.

They’d wake up one day and go, ‘I want to be done. I want to retire. I want to leave the business.’ And it was a very harsh reality when they realized that they may not be able to financially maintain the lifestyle that they were accustomed to. And that’s when I feel like many people start to sometimes psychologically lose that confidence, to say, ‘Well, maybe I can’t retire. Maybe I will have to work for forever.’

And so once I recognized the disconnect, for me, it was a very simple transition because we’re able to really take a personalized approach. In the transition for those who are looking to make a transition to becoming a financial advisor, some of the key aspects that I think that have made — will make — most successful advisors is being self-motivated and continuing that ongoing learning and training.

If you have those two key factors, as well as empathy, that is where we find … I think people will thrive the most in this role because if you could understand where people are coming from and why they do the things they do, why they value what they value, we’re able to connect with them in a much deeper fashion.

SAM DEL ROWE: Jasmine, thanks for taking the time to chat with us.

JASMINE BUTLER: Thank you, Sam.

Considering a Financial Advisor career with Edward Jones? Hear from some of our current Financial Advisors about the position and the career path they took to build a successful practice.

Jasmine Butler wasn’t looking for a new career path when Edward Jones came up in conversation at a networking event. As an outside sales district manager working in the human resources management sector, Jasmine felt confident in her career path.

Jasmine butler headshot “I was happy, and I wasn’t ready to move on,” Jasmine said. Nine months later, that feeling changed.

The feeling of autonomy she had previously felt in her outside sales role had diminished. The progression into a management role didn’t quite appeal to her, and she was firm in her desire to stay in a client-facing role.

“My boss used to tell me I spent too much time with my clients,” Jasmine said. “But I didn’t want to give them a 1-800 number. I wanted a role where I could control the experience for my clients.”

It took meeting someone already in the financial advisor role for Jasmine to be able to see herself at Edward Jones. “That was vital to me understanding what the role takes,” Jasmine said. “All my assumptions about what I thought a financial advisor does were broken.”

It’s been eight years since Jasmine joined the firm. Since then, she says education has been the key to growing her business.

“I came into the role with a background in sales, but the role is so much more than that. So, education was key to my success.”

“The Edward Jones culture is all about lifting each other up. I’m intentional about volunteering my time the same way my mentors did for me.”

-Jasmine Butler, Financial Advisor

Even with a great foundation, Jasmine found tough moments along the way. She describes hitting a moment of uncertainty around her third year and how the support within Edward Jones allowed her to move forward.

“My mentors saved me. They weren’t too far ahead of me in their own careers, so they could relate to the struggles in my early years,” Jasmine said. “They could see the light I couldn’t see. My mentors offered me support and provided a life raft when I needed it the most.”

Today, Jasmine attributes her success to the connections she made in her community. “I spent a lot of years networking in my community, making sure people saw me as a trusted resource.”

And, she still stands by the example passed down to her by her mentors. “The Edward Jones culture is all about lifting each other up. I’m intentional about volunteering my time the same way my mentors did for me,” Jasmine said. “That one call I make to a new financial advisor could change someone’s mind on how they approach their seed of doubt. If I’m in [my] season of thriving, it’s only right to share that energy with someone.”