Edward Jones Hires 336 Military Veterans as Financial Advisors

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial services firm Edward Jones announced that, so far in 2013, it has hired 336 military veterans as financial advisors, adding to the roughly 1,500 veterans already employed in this role.  In 2012, Edward Jones nationally launched FORCES, a program that provides tailored training and a compensation package designed to make the transition to a career in financial services more attractive to veterans.

The initiative not only provides professional careers to military veterans transitioning into civilian life, but has also proven effective in recruiting highly skilled financial advisors who can provide world-class service to clients.  In fact, past Edward Jones research has found that individual investors are drawn to financial advisors with military experience based on transferable characteristics such as discipline (77 percent), goal-orientation (73 percent), and integrity (72 percent).¹  Currently, 11 percent of Edward Jones financial advisors have military experience.

"Edward Jones has a long legacy of hiring military veterans and honoring their service to the country – it's not just viewed as a corporate initiative, but as a business imperative," said Jim Weddle, managing partner of Edward Jones. "The competencies and skill sets embraced in the military not only align with, but greatly complement, those needed to be a successful financial advisor.  As a firm, we recognize this asset and take pride in offering rewarding careers worthy of veterans' talents and skills."

As a further sign of the firm's deep commitment to transitioning veterans into the civilian workforce, the firm on October 31 announced its sponsorship of the National World War I Museum at Liberty Park in Kansas City, Missouri, which includes naming rights for the Museum's Research Center and access to the WWI Museum's other assets, including usage of the J.C. Nichols Auditorium and rights to future WWI Museum authorized traveling exhibits and a large commemorative brick.

Edward Jones is nationally recognized as a leader in offering employment and top-quality training programs, like FORCES to military veterans. The firm was named a winner for the 2013 Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military® by CivilianJobs.com, as well as received recognition from G.I. Jobs, earning a spot on the 2013 "Military Friendly Employer" list and Military Times EDGE, ranking No. 43 on the 2013 Best for Vets ranking.

Military veterans can learn more about FORCES and becoming a financial advisor with Edward Jones by visiting: http://www.ejcareer.com/forces/.

About Edward Jones

Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm's 12,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals - from college savings to retirement - and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy. Edward Jones embraces the importance of building long-term, face-to-face relationships with clients, helping them to understand and make sense of the investment solutions available today.

Edward Jones, which ranked No. 8 on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For 2013," is headquartered in St. Louis. The Edward Jones Web site is located at www.edwardjones.com, and its recruiting Web site is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Follow on Twitter @EdwardJones. Member SIPC.

Footnote:

¹These results are based on a national probability sample of 1,006 telephone interviews conducted among adults 18 years of age or older (502 males and 504 females) living in private households in the continental United States, conducted from March 8-11, 2012.  The margin of error for data based on total sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points.  The survey was conducted by CARAVAN®, an omnibus service of ORC International for Edward Jones.

SOURCE Edward Jones