Our History

Edward Jones was founded in 1922 by Edward D. Jones Sr. in St. Louis, Mo. Back then, Edward Jones Sr. and his small team of employees didn't talk much about mission statements or guiding principles. They simply lived them every day. If someone had, however, decided to write down a formal mission statement, it would have simply read, “Treat clients fairly by selling appropriate, quality investments, and treat employees as partners in the business.”

Visionary Strategy
Until the mid-1950s, the basic structure and day-to-day operations of Edward Jones more or less resembled that of every other investment brokerage firm. In 1955, however, Edward D. “Ted” Jones Jr., son of the firm’s founder, put forth a visionary new strategy of how investments should be delivered. His experiences with clients had convinced him of one thing – that when important financial decisions are involved, most people prefer to work face to face with a trusted professional. So Ted Jones set out on a mission to build a network of small community offices, each run by a single Financial Advisor and a full-time support person. He also made sure that the philosophy for each of those offices was and would always remain the same – provide quality, long-term investments and personal service to individual investors in the local community.

The 1970s proved to be an important decade in the history of Edward Jones. During this time a single decision – ironically to do nothing at all – would prove highly significant to the firm’s culture and business moving forward. It was during this period that Edward Jones decided not to abandon its partnership structure to go public, as did nearly every other investment firm of the day.

International Expansion
In 1980, John Bachmann succeeded Ted Jones as the firm’s managing partner. Under John’s leadership and continued focus on a strategic approach to investing, exponential growth of the branch-office network continued. In 1994, the firm extended its reach and developed affiliates in Canada, and in 1998, the first branch office opened in the United Kingdom.

In 2006, Jim Weddle, who had joined Edward Jones as an intern in 1976, became the firm’s fifth managing partner. Also in 2006, the number of Financial Advisors exceeded the 10,000 mark, and for the eighth year, Edward Jones was named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine in its annual listing. In December of the same year, it was announced that Edward Jones ranked No. 1 for the 14th consecutive year in Registered Representative magazine’s annual brokerage ranking.

To get a more detailed look at our history, view our history timeline.

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