LAURINBURG — Education is the biggest thing Joseph Bowen hopes to do for his clients as he opens the doors to his new office in the Oak Professional Building.
Bowen has worked in finance for more than 20 years, but has also worked as a teacher and that’s what he’s looking forward to most about working at Edward Jones — helping educate clients.
“I’m a teacher by trade; I taught school for years (and) when I was teaching my favorite lesson we did was called personal fiance,” Bowen said. “What I realized is that the personal finance section that I taught to kids, I taught them to balance a checkbook, the cost of credit, what insurance rates were and why they pay so much, a part on investing with a stock market game. It was probably the activity I got the best response from my kids.”
He added a lot of what he taught his students is what he tries to teach his clients and investors currently.
“Edward Jones really takes that approach of what our motto says, making sense of investing,” Bowen said. “To me, that’s just teaching and education and helping folks understand money as a tool and helping them understand where their money is and what their money is doing for them.”
Bowen said many people come to him for retirement, saving for college and understanding retirement plans. But his main goal is just being there as a resource for clients.
“I try to give folks information and be a resource,” Bowen said. “Then I tell them the options Edward Jones has for their need and if they choose to our business that’s fine but if they choose to go somewhere else then I’ll make the phone call but I want them to make an educated choice.”
With the uncertainty of the economy during this time, Bowen said he’s been reaching out to his clients to see how they’re doing and answering any questions they might have for him, unlike large companies that don’t have local offices.
One thing Bowen wants people to know is that while he did leave the area for a time he’s back in Scotland County and doesn’t have plans to go anywhere.
“I came back because it was home,” Bowen said. “It was time to come home, which is another reason I’m not going anywhere. I know there’s been some transition in this office but this is home.”
To reach Bowen, call 910-506-2339 during regular business hours.
Katelin Gandee can be reached at [email protected].
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
Leave a Reply