Jim Goodknight, ’63, looks back on storied career with Edward Jones
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f there’s a common theme in the telling of Jim Goodknight’s story, it’s one about the power of investment … not just as a career, but in other people. Goodknight, who graduated from Joplin Junior College in 1963, has had a storied career with Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company that provides financial services to more than 7 million clients. His affiliation with the company has added up to 52 of its 100 years in business, and originates with his time in the classroom.
“I think when I look back at Joplin Junior College, what I remember most is the good professors I had back then,” he says. “The one that got me firmly on the path to where I am was Harry Gockel. “He was a great instructor and taught us a lot. The economics class I took from him is what got me interested in the stock market.” He joined Edward Jones in 1970 at a time when the company had approximately 100 financial advisers companywide. Today, there are nearly 19,000. “It was pretty slow going at first … it turned out to be a low point in the market,” he says. “But we’ve seen the
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CROSSROADS MAGAZINE
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SPRING 2022
