To gain a better understanding of how risk ties into investing, we sat down with James Herndon III of Edward Jones Decatur.
To kick us off, tell me how you landed in financial planning.
I spent the first four years of my career as a high school educator. When I left the classroom, I transitioned to Emory University to lead the debate team. I grew tired of the travel associated with debate, which led me to financial planning.
Is investing for everyone?
Yes, however, every individual has a different comfort level with risk - from treasury bills and CDs to aggressive ETFs and SMAs. I work hard to accommodate that by educating clients on how risk plays into financial decisions.
How do you use education to evaluate risk?
There is no such thing as a risk-free higher rate of return. Most people have no idea how to balance their fear of losing with their fear of missing out. If someone tells me what financial goal they want to accomplish, we evaluate where they are now to build a comfortable path on how to get there.
If you’d like to book an appointment with James, email him at: james.herndon@edwardjones.com