Robert Caudle, a financial advisor with the financial services firm Edward Jones in Roanoke Rapids, and Branch Office Administrators Donna Dunlow, Beth Shearin and Rose Harris recently attended an invitation-only training opportunity at the firm's St. Louis headquarters.

The two-day Custom Forum is offered to fewer than 1,900 of the firm's more than 13,000 branch teams throughout the country, those that rank among the firm's most successful in helping clients work toward their long-term financial goals. 

Robert and Donna, Beth and Rose were among the 150 branch teams who attended this session.

"At the Custom Forum, we strengthened our knowledge and skills by sharing ideas with other successful teams and attending training from home-office professionals, all of which will directly translate into helping our clients meet a growing number of financial needs," Caudle said. "Donna, Beth, Rose and I tailored some of the training to focus on areas of our business that we want to grow."

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the United States and through its affiliate in Canada. 

Every aspect of the firm's business, from the investments its financial advisors offer to the location of its branch offices, caters to individual investors. 

The firm's 18,000-plus financial advisors serve more than 7 million clients and care for $1 trillion in assets under management.