Our history

1922
Edward Jones opens office in St. Louis

Edward D. Jones Sr. establishes Edward D. Jones & Co. in 1922, determined his company will treat associates as partners and treat clients fairly by offering appropriate, quality investments. The firm’s office in downtown St. Louis is a single room furnished with a desk, three chairs and a hat rack.

1948-1968
Son joins the firm, originates branch office concept

Ted Jones, Edward Jones Sr.’s son, returns to St. Louis after working in New York at a correspondent firm of Edward Jones. He becomes the firm’s 18th broker, first based in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton, and then Montgomery City, Mo. There he sets up shop over a hardware store and begins his career driving 150 miles a day visiting communities that dot the area, selling securities from the trunk of his car.

One such town, Mexico, Mo., becomes home to the firm’s first branch office in 1957. The branch was the office of Warren “Zeke” McIntyre, the 21st broker at Edward Jones.

In 1968, Ted Jones becomes the firm’s second managing partner. He not only believed in service, but that Edward Jones should also be owned by its associates to give them a personal stake in the firm’s success and allow them to pay attention to service, rather than to stakeholders.

1980-1986
Continued focus on neighborhood offices

In 1980, Ted realizes his dream of opening 300 offices and names John Bachmann as the firm’s next managing partner.

John persuades management authority Peter Drucker to consult on the firm’s expansion plans. Under Drucker’s encouragement, Edward Jones targets metropolitan areas to expand its branch-office network.

This focus pays off as Edward Jones triples in size within five years, opening its 1,000^th office in Stoughton, WI.

1990 – 2008
Oh, Canada! 10,000 offices and counting

Edward Jones begins plans to expand into Canada in 1990; Doug Hill becomes the firm’s fourth managing partner in 2004, followed by Jim Weddle, who becomes the firm’s fifth managing partner in 2006. Two years later, the firm opens its 10,000^th office, despite the period’s economic challenges.

2017-Today
Workplaces and leaders for modern times

CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion launches in 2017 and Edward Jones, under Jim Weddle’s leadership, becomes one of the first companies to sign its pledge. Today more than 1,000 CEOs of the world’s largest companies and business organizations, are leveraging their individual and collective voices to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In 2018, David Gunn, a native Canadian, is named the fourth country leader for Edward Jones Canada. An advocate of associate and branch development, David is responsible for more than 2,300 advisors, branch office administrators and home-office associates in Canada.

Penny Pennington, becomes the firm’s sixth managing partner in 2019. Recently named to Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Business List*, Penny is the only woman running a major U.S. brokerage. As managing partner, Penny is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction, working together with the approximately 54,000 associates across the U.S. and Canada to make a meaningful difference in the lives of more than 8 million clients. With a total of  $2.2 trillion in client assets under care, our financial advisors help clients achieve their most important financial goals.