Let's all give Edward Jones a big "Oorah!"
The St. Louis-based financial services firm Edward Jones announced on Wednesday that so far in 2013, it has hired 390 military veterans as financial advisors, adding to the roughly 1,500 veterans it already employs 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 provides professional careers to military veterans transitioning into civilian life, and has "also proven effective in recruiting highly skilled financial advisors who can provide world-class service to clients," the company says. Past Edward Jones research found that individual investors were drawn to financial advisors with military experience based on transferable characteristics such as discipline (77%), goal orientation (73%) and integrity (72%). Currently, 11% 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," Jim Weddle, managing partner of Edward Jones, said in a statement. "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."
