Will Cottle

It was my grandfather who taught me the basics of investing. Always the enterprising child, I was 13 years old when I purchased my first mutual fund with six months' worth of lawn mowing money. That dedicated focus took me through my college study of finance and management, my "cream of wheat summer" of an unpaid financial internship and, finally, paid work with a financial services firm. My desire to help people and to pursue a lifelong career in the investment world was solidified through those experiences, and I've never looked back.

I joined Edward Jones in 2010 with the simple...