Edward Jones Ranks No. 1 in National Survey of Brokers for 2007

December 07, 2007

Edward Jones Ranks No. 1 in National Survey of Brokers For the 15th Consecutive Year

For the 15th consecutive year, Edward Jones ranked No. 1 in Registered Rep. magazine's annual survey of the nation's seven largest financial-services firms. The magazine randomly selects financial advisors nationwide and asks them to rank their firms in various categories.

Edward Jones financial advisors gave the firm the highest scores among its competitors in all but two of the 22 categories in which it was rated. Some of those categories include: hiring and recruiting practices, ongoing training, client account statements, quality of the products offered, and the firm's strategic focus.

Edward Jones financial advisors rated the firm 9.5 points out of a possible 10. The overall average for all firms was 8.2.

"This particular ranking is always gratifying because it represents feedback from our own financial advisors who were surveyed in September and October about their experience at Edward Jones," said Edward Jones Managing Partner James D. Weddle. "Our business model is simple but elegant in the focus it brings to our efforts. We serve the serious, long-term individual investor from conveniently located branches, staffed by a financial advisor. Every resource of our firm is dedicated to building the relationship between our financial advisors and our clients. I appreciate the contribution every one of our branch and home-office associates makes toward that effort. I also want to thank our financial advisors for the honor they have paid us."
When Edward Jones first topped this list in 1992, the firm had only 2,000 branch offices. "Today, we have more than 10,000, but some things never change," Weddle said. "We continue to strive to make Edward Jones a place where one's contributions are valued and respected."
Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom. 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 10,000-plus financial advisors work directly with more than 7 million clients to understand their personal goals - from college savings to retirement - and create long-term strategies for their investments which 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 options available today.

Parameters used for evaluation:
Work Environment
Freedom from pressure to sell certain products
Realistic sales quotas
Hiring and recruiting practices
Payout
Benefits

Support
Sales support
Quality of sales assistants
Quantity of sales assistants
Quality of sales ideas
Ongoing training
Quote and information system
Quality of operations
Account statements
Product
Quality of research
Fixed-income pricing
Quality of the products offered
Management
Your branch manager
Strategic focus
Overall ethics
Public image

Sources

http://www.stltoday.com/pr/business/PR1207070413106

http://registeredrep.com/mag/finance_edward_jones_whistle/?cid=edward_jones