Edward Jones Investments

Background

Edward Jones serves investment clients in the U.S. and Canada, through its branch network of more than 15,000 locations and 19,000 financial advisors. The company currently has relationships with nearly 9 million clients and $2.2 trillion in assets under management worldwide. The firm focuses solely on individual investors and business owners.

The company is a subsidiary of The Jones Financial Companies, L.L.L.P., a limited liability limited partnership owned only by its employees and retired employees and is not publicly traded. Edward Jones appointed Penny Pennington as managing partner, effective January 2019, making her the firm's sixth managing partner and the only woman to lead a major U.S. brokerage firm.

History

Founding and early years (1922–1960s)

Edward Jones was founded by Edward D. Jones in St. Louis, Missouri in 1922. (A different Edward D. Jones was a co-founder of Dow Jones.) Edward Jones' son Edward D. "Ted" Jones was responsible for the creation of the individual branch network, which has spread across rural communities, suburbs and metro cities throughout the US and Canada. The first single broker office was opened by Ted, and staffed by Zeke McIntyre, in Mexico, Missouri. Ted opened another branch office in Pueblo, Colorado, with his brother-in-law Bill Lloyd as manager of the multi-broker office. When Edward D. Jones Sr., found the teletypewriter line bill, he insisted Ted either shut the office down, or find some way to pay for it. Ted Jones paid for it by opening one-broker offices on either side of the teletypewriter line, stretching from St. Louis, Missouri, to Pueblo, Colorado. That is why some of the earliest Edward Jones offices were Dodge City, Hays, Great Bend, Manhattan in Kansas, and Jefferson City in Missouri. Small town branch operations took "Wall Street to Main Street" and created a high volume of sales for the company and its brokers. About 10% of its business in the 1960s was in commodity trading due to many clients being cattle farmers.

Expansion and branding (1970s–2000s)

Edward Jones Investments had the naming rights for the Edward Jones Dome in Saint Louis, Missouri. After the St. Louis Rams decided to move to Los Angeles, Edward Jones Investments exercised its right to terminate its sponsorship, and the facility is now known as The Dome at America's Center.

Regulatory actions (2000s–2010s)

On December 22, 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission, NASD and the New York Stock Exchange settled enforcement proceedings against Edward Jones, related to allegations that Edward Jones failed to adequately disclose revenue sharing payments that it received from a select group of mutual fund families that Edward Jones recommended to its customers. The company paid a $75 million fine and disclosed the revenue sharing payments on its website.

On August 13, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission required Edward Jones to pay a $20 million fine for overcharging retail customers.

Political contributions and organizational developments (2018–2022)

The Edward Jones PAC made two contributions to Senator Josh Hawley since he was elected in November 2018 – a $2,500 contribution to a luncheon in April 2019 and a $1,000 contribution to a virtual event in 2020. In January 2021 Edward Jones paused all contributions to elected officials and political organizations.

The company had 18,796 advisors on staff at the end of 2022.

2023–present

In late 2023, It piloted a program in which certain clients could receive financial plans prepared by home-office wealth strategists, and the firm introduced the MoneyGuide financial-planning platform across its branch network. During the same period the company expanded its separately managed account (SMA) offerings, adding new home-office-managed SMA options and additional third-party managed allocations; the firm said it planned to increase the total number of SMA options to more than 300 by 2025.

In April 2025, The Jones Financial Companies submitted applications to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions for an industrial-bank (Edward Jones Bank), an application described by the firm as part of its effort to expand banking services to clients; the application was pending regulatory review. In parallel, Edward Jones announced an expanded partnership with U.S. Bank to provide co-branded checking accounts and credit-card services to U.S. people, with availability announced for late 2025.

Also in early 2025, the firm announced Edward Jones Ventures, an internal venture investing capability intended to invest in financial-technology and related businesses; early portfolio companies reported in the press included Porch Software and Waterlily.

In the second quarter of 2025, the firm also introduced a private-client service, Edward Jones Generations, targeted at investors with substantial investable assets, and it began piloting arrangements that allowed financial advisors to share client relationships rather than operate under the firm’s historical single-advisor office model. Where statements describe company plans or pilots, they are presented as company announcements or reported plans.

Business model

Edward Jones financial advisors offer commission-based and fee-based financial products. Offices are usually staffed by a financial advisor (licensed broker) and one branch office administrator. The branch office administrator acts as an assistant to the financial advisor, filling the roles of a secretary, manager, and co-worker.

The one-broker-per-office model allows clients to choose their broker directly, and deal with that person exclusively. Edward Jones has 18,892 brokers on staff and more than 15,000 branch offices across the United States. In 2022, the company launched a teaming program that allowed multiple branches to service clients. Prior to its introduction, clients were directed to a single branch office.

In 2025, the company announced Edward Jones Generations, a private-client service for investors with $10 million or more in assets, which includes expanded planning, investment management, and access to select alternative investments.

Corporate affairs

The company has its corporate headquarters in Des Peres, Missouri, part of the greater St. Louis County, Missouri. Its South Campus is located at located at Ballas Road and Manchester Road. The Edward Jones North Campus is located on a zoned plot southeast of the intersection of Interstate 270 and Dorsett Road in the City of Maryland Heights in St. Louis County.

Edward Jones has locations in the United States and Canada. The company had offices in the United Kingdom for 10 years, before selling the division to British brokerage firm Towry Law in 2009.

Controversy

Edward Jones was the subject of a successful anti-discrimination suit from its minority stock brokers. There was an allegation that Edward Jones did not allow minority brokers equal access to support programs and lucrative territories. The company paid out 34 million dollars.

Awards and rankings

Fortune magazine ranked Edward Jones at number seven on their Fortune List of the Top 100 Companies to Work For in 2020 based on an employee survey of satisfaction. In 2021, Fortune ranked it number 20. In 2025, it was placed 260th on the Fortune 500 list. In the same year, it was ranked fourth in the Securities and Asset Management category on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies list. It was also named among America’s Most Innovative Companies by Fortune magazine.

References

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