Financial Advisor Training That Lays the Foundation for a Successful Career

Financial advising is a growing field with unlimited opportunities. To embark on this exciting career, you’ll need the right tools and a guide to show you how to use them. Edward Jones’ financial advisor study program gives ambitious new hires the training and resources to hit the ground running.

Our award-winning financial advisor training has been recognized by Training magazine 23 years in a row.* It’s a high-impact blend of self-study, classroom work and field training designed to prepare you to run your branch office with confidence.

Getting you ready to pass your regulatory exams is just the beginning. By the time your training is complete, you’ll understand the financial services industry, you’ll know how to find and build relationships with clients and you’ll know how to run a successful branch office.

Your education with Edward Jones doesn’t end when you pass your regulatory exams. Even after you’ve finished the training program, you’ll have a team of industry experts supporting and coaching you. Investing in professional growth and development is important throughout your career, and we help you every step of the way.

Qualities of a Successful Financial Advisor

Edward Jones financial advisors have autonomy, unlimited earning potential and the opportunity to make a difference. While every financial advisor is unique, the most successful have a special blend of qualities that help them thrive.

People Focused

Relationships are at the heart of Edward Jones. Putting the customer first in everything we do is how we’ve grown and thrived for more than 100 years. If there’s one thing every Edward Jones financial advisor has in common, it’s a demonstrated ability to build meaningful relationships that make a difference in the lives of our clients, our community and each other.

Driven

Our financial advisors are inspired to put in the work it takes to make a difference. We look for people who have advanced through the ranks at previous jobs, showing a drive to succeed as both an individual and as part of a team.

Possessing Sound Judgment

To build your business and help your clients achieve their financial goals, you must be a critical thinker who makes good decisions. When hiring financial advisors, we look for applicants with a track record of smart choices that led to success.

Motivated

The autonomy you’ll enjoy as a financial advisor means you must be self-motivated. Only you are ultimately responsible for your success. If you have the inner drive to push yourself when the going gets tough, there’s no limit to what you can achieve at Edward Jones.

Confident

Where some people see obstacles, our associates see challenges to overcome. As an Edward Jones financial advisor, you’ll have the confidence to work with and guide your clients because your knowledge is backed by the firm’s solid foundation of training and support.

The Edward Jones Financial Advisor Development Program

Training to be a financial advisor is a full-time job in itself. Don’t worry – once you’ve been hired by Edward Jones, you’ll draw a salary during your training and onboarding period, and you’ll be eligible for supplemental pay for up to four years as you get your business off the ground.

Preparing for regulatory exams

The first leg of your financial advisor training is preparing for your industry exams. Before you start serving clients, state and federal laws require you to pass the Series 7, Series 66 and state insurance exams.

These exams are intense, but your team at Edward Jones has your back. We’ll provide you with a comprehensive suite of study materials, tools and resources. We offer practice tests you can take to identify areas you need to focus on.

You’ll also have a study team – financial service and learning professionals who are there to monitor your progress, support you and answer your questions. By exam time, you’ll have a solid understanding of the test material.

Learning to run your office

To run a branch office, you’ll need to know more than what’s on the exam. The next level of our financial advisor development program will train you in your day-to-day responsibilities. You’ll learn how to build your business, how to work with clients and how to represent Edward Jones’ unique value.

You’ll be assigned a field trainer to show you firsthand what it takes to be a financial advisor. You’ll learn about time management, prioritization and office administration. Your field trainer has been where you are and can answer your questions about running your own office.

Know Your Client

Know Your Client is an eight-week distance learning journey, part of our award-winning financial advisor development program. It’s taught by professional learning experience designers and by veteran financial advisors.

Through a combination of online classroom instruction and interactive exercises, you’ll learn the fundamentals of building a successful financial services practice.

By the end of the eight-week program you’ll know how to:

• Utilize and leverage the process to launch a successful practice
• Layer sourcing strategies to engage with your ideal clients and have meaningful conversations
• Develop and apply relationship progression in the client creation process
• Recognize and demonstrate the Edward Jones value proposition as a financial advisor
• Learn tools for emotional self-management
• Create and model presentations on products and solutions
• Execute the 5-step process in the creation of clients

Launch Your Practice

The next leg of your journey is Launch Your Practice, an in-person experience at the Edward Jones home office.

During this three-day session, you’ll meet face-to-face with veteran financial advisors and with fellow trainees from across the country. You’ll have opportunities to build your skills, to get feedback on your progress and to immerse yourself in our culture.

Establish Your Practice

The home stretch of your financial advisor training program is Establish Your Practice, a customized six-month learning plan. You’ll complete a tailored combination of self-study, classroom learning and field training on this part of the journey.

Your training culminates in Purpose-Driven Practice, a virtual program that helps you identify your unique purpose. Armed with your personal mission, you’ll develop an ongoing training plan to achieve your full potential.

What Happens After You Complete Your Financial Advisor Training

Time to celebrate! You’ve completed your training program and you’re ready to start building your practice.

From providing supplemental salary to assistance setting up your office in your community, Edward Jones offers support to help you get started, grow, and thrive.

Support for New Advisors

We won’t sugarcoat it – the first three years of a new financial advisor’s career can be challenging. At Edward Jones, we do everything we can to make them easier.

You’ll be eligible for a supplemental salary for up to four years to support you while you build your business and grow your commissions. Even after you’ve finished your training program, you’ll have access to professional support to help you apply what you’ve learned to real-world scenarios.

The support you received as a trainee never goes away. Throughout your career, you’ll have access to experts and coaches in the home office and in the field. Your peers are your colleagues, not your competitors.

We’re here to help you succeed. If you put in the work, you will reap the rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to start as a financial advisor?

The first three years will require hard work. Being a financial advisor is like running your own business, and there’s a lot to learn.

Edward Jones is committed to making those first years easier by providing a comprehensive support system to new financial advisors. We offer:

• Test preparation
• Training in building a business, finding and working with clients and office support
• Eventual support in setting up and running an office
• A supplemental salary to provide income stability for up to four years while new advisors are building their commissions
• Career-long support network of experts and peers

How long does it take to become a successful financial advisor?

“Successful” is a relative term. It means something a little different to everybody.

The more driven you are to succeed, the faster you will get there. Edward Jones Financial Advisors enjoy performance-based compensation, so there is no limit to your earning potential. You can see sample compensation schedules here.

Interested in the Edward Jones Financial Advisor Opportunity?

Learn more about starting a career as a financial advisor or start searching for opportunities now. If you’re already licensed as a financial advisor, learn how we’re built to take your practice to the next level.