Edward Jones Launches Edward Jones Ventures

New capability will invest in and accelerate the development of high-potential products, services and technology to benefit clients and branch teams

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Edward Jones has created Edward Jones Ventures, a new capability designed to support innovation through venture investing. Edward Jones Ventures identifies new ideas, opportunities and emerging technologies – prioritizing the viability of ideas that can meet client needs and serve new client segments.

"Edward Jones is continually innovating to meet the increasingly diverse needs of our clients and branch teams," said Hasan Malik, Chief Strategy Officer at Edward Jones. "With Edward Jones Ventures, we now have dedicated resources driving new ideas and technologies for our clients and branch teams, as well as the industry. We're inviting the brightest minds to co-create with us, leveraging the insights we've learned from more than a century in business, to accelerate the development of solutions that will enable us to serve more clients more completely."

Edward Jones Ventures is focused on identifying external opportunities and solutions, while keeping the firm's core teams focused on business priorities. The team is equipped to conduct research, create prototypes and advance ideas by making investments, incubating new businesses and executing pilots.

"There are many talented people developing potentially industry-changing products and technologies right now," said Malik. "With Edward Jones Ventures, we are convening and becoming part of a larger innovation ecosystem, partnering with and learning from innovators whose ambitions and values align to our own, working together to solve some of the industry's biggest challenges. Together, we can bring ideas to execution faster, driving us toward achieving our strategic ambition and positively impacting the industry and society."

A sample of Edward Jones Ventures' portfolio includes*:

• Porch Software, working with Edward Jones to expand access to important insurance products to improve client security by leveraging an industry-leading digital life platform from Porch Software, and to co-create an annuities platform that reduces manual processes, connects data, provides visibility and expands product availability for financial advisors. In the future, there is an opportunity to work together to enhance the platform to include ongoing management of annuities. 
  
  
• Waterlily, a new company making long-term care planning easier by using AI to project future care needs and help people build personalized plans to protect their futures.
  
  
• A previously announced investment in Vanilla, an Estate Advisory Platform built by financial advisors and estate professionals to help wealth management firms deliver a holistic, modern estate planning experience to their clients.
  
  
• A previously announced investment in Goalsetter®, a spending, saving, wealth building and financial education platform designed to provide financial education for the whole family.

"Edward Jones Ventures is one of many ways our firm is evolving to grow our impact for our clients, colleagues and the communities we serve," said Malik. "We're investing in companies, and alongside partners, who together, with us, are seeking real innovation in areas that matter to our industry, including personalized experiences, technological solutions that will help us deliver more comprehensive planning and advice."

*Edward Jones Ventures invested in the companies listed above through JFCA LLC, an affiliate of Edward Jones. Select investments were executed prior to the establishment of Edward Jones Ventures.

About Edward Jones 

Edward Jones is a leading North American financial services firm with 20,000 financial advisors as of November 4, 2024. The firm serves more than 8 million clients with a total of $2.2 trillion in client assets under care as of September 27, 2024. Edward Jones' purpose is to partner for positive impact to improve the lives of its clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society. Through the dedication of the firm's approximately 54,000 associates and our branch presence in 68% of U.S. counties and most Canadian provinces and territories, the firm is committed to helping more people achieve financially what is most important to them. The Edward Jones website is at www.edwardjones.com, and its recruiting website is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. You can identify forward-looking statements by words that predict or indicate future events, such as "will," "evolve," "develop", "grow", "project", "in the future" or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include the factors discussed in The Jones Financial Companies, L.L.L.P.'s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as supplemented by its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 29, 2024, June 28, 2024, and September 27, 2024. These forward-looking statements were based on information, plans, and estimates at the date of this press release, and the firm does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or new information.

SOURCE Edward Jones