Background
- Name, Sport: Sam Wright '27, Men’s Basketball
- Major, Minor: Economics major, Religion minor
- Company Name: Edward Jones
- Job/Intern Title: Junior Financial Advisor
- Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Experience
How did you find out about this internship, and what made you apply?
- I had a family friend who was willing to work with me and flexible enough to allow for my basketball training needs. This internship involves financial planning and analysis, which are fields I am interested in for a future career.
What does your company do, and what are your main responsibilities?
- Edward Jones and my supervisor provides personal investment strategies, wealth management, retirement planning, and one-on-one relationships with financial advisors. My responsibilities are shadowing, discussing financial plans, portfolio overview for the branches performances as a whole, and looking at the “book." I observe and listen to the financial advisor’s interactions with clients. My supervisor discusses the financial portfolios with each client and then we discuss and walk through how a diversified portfolio made for each person’s needs is obtained.
Walk us through a typical day on the job. What does a “win” look like for you in this role?
- A “win” is learning the social skills, financial language, and management skills needed to interact with each unique client. This differs from person to person and I am learning how to adjust to each person's needs. I am learning how interactions are specific for each client and how this leads to the best overall outcome for their financial needs.
Student-Athlete Connection
What skills from your sport have been most useful in the workplace?
- Effective communication, not overwhelming a client with too much information, understanding how people react differently than others during financial discussions, and being organized to complete meetings within set appointment time for each client. Time spent on one client is time lost on another, so it's important to learn how to optimize the time based on what you bring to each client and what they bring to you.
How are you managing your summer training/workout schedule while working your internship hours?
- This internship is much more flexible than many others. If I have important training needs I can come and go as I need within reason. However, the days I go in I lift in the morning before reporting to the office and train in the evening.
How has your coursework here prepared you for the challenges of this internship?
- I have geared most of my classes toward finance. My accounting and money and banking classes have given me knowledge of the necessary vocabulary and acronyms needed for this internship. These classes have also taught me how the markets work. Additionally, I have read several books, like 1929 by Andrew Sorkin, on my own which have aided in my knowledge in the area of finance as well as After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead by Alan Blinder.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
What has been the most exciting project or favorite memory of your internship so far?
- Listening in on new client meetings and planning their financial portfolio. I enjoy this more than meetings with old clients who already have their money invested and are just making portfolio changes.
How has this experience shaped your career goals?
- This internship has given me strong insight into financial planning industry at the individual level and how I can apply this knowledge to larger scale investment with another firm hopefully in the future.
What advice would you give to your teammates who are starting to look for internships?
- This internship has given me strong insight into financial planning industry at the individual level and how I can apply this knowledge to larger scale investment with another firm hopefully in the future.
