Edward Jones ranked No. 1 full-service brokerage

The financial services firm Edward Jones has been ranked No. 1 among

full service brokers by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine,

according to Pete Peterson, the firm’s Costa Mesa investment

representative. The story appeared in the magazine’s annual special

edition “Stocks ‘03” last October.

Edward Jones ranked ahead of nine of the nation’s largest

brokerages overall based on results in six categories. The firm

received top honors in the categories for best stock picking and best

for low fees.

“Jones charges the lowest commissions among the nine largest full

service brokerages, yet its analysts’ stock picks produced the

highest returns over the last five years,” according to Personal

Finance.

By doing business the way it does, Edward Jones’ focus is on

investors.

“By recommending quality stocks, diversifying and holding for a

long time, we have been able to avoid the disasters and excesses of

the market over time,” said David Otto, the firm’s research director.

Edward Jones, the only major financial services firm advising

individual investors exclusively, traces its root to 1871 and

currently serves nearly six million clients. The firm offers its

clients a variety of investments, including certificates of deposit,

taxable and non-taxable bonds, stocks and mutual funds. The largest

firm in the nation in terms of branch offices, Edward Jones currently

has more than 8,500 offices in the United States and through its

affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom. Plans call for

expansion to 10,000 offices by 2003.

To reach Pete Peterson, call (714) 557-8725. To access the Edward

Jones interactive Web site, log on to www.edward.jones.com.

The information for this article was submitted by Edward Jones.