Commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity

We have been reminded that racism and discrimination persist in many forms in our communities.

We want there to be no question that as a firm we are committed to ending racism in our communities and creating more opportunities for visible minorities and Indigenous peoples. We recognize the positive impact businesses can have and the good we can do with and for our many stakeholders when we work together.

We recognize that our approach – to listen, learn, take responsibility and act in accordance with our values – requires commitment. Beyond statements and platitudes is the real work, the real action of our 49,000 associates in North America in support of real progress. Much more work needs to be done. It starts with each one of us.

In that spirit, we share our commitments with you.

1. We commit to giving everyone a voice. We will continue to engage in honest dialogue as a tool to create change, through our Courageous Conversations program that began in 2017. We believe in conversations that give everyone an opportunity to share their lived experience, be heard and understood – increasing empathy and understanding for all. In 2020, we further committed to Courageous Conversations and will continue to bring them into our communities. 
    
2. We commit to a continued focus on equitable hiring, training, promotional practices and policies. We will work for real change and progress in diverse recruitment, hiring and advancement. We commit to a meaningful increase in diversity among our financial advisors and senior leadership and commit to transparency and accountability by sharing updates with our stakeholders in a new Inclusion and Diversity annual report. 
    
3. We commit to reviewing all talent processes systemically to identify places where bias may creep in. We will provide our associates more resources, opportunities and support to break through barriers that they may face. Through tailored programs, mentorship and support that meet our diverse associates where they are, we will provide more opportunities for success.
    
4. We commit to equitable pay. We agree there should not be any disparity in pay based upon race or other characteristics, such as age, gender, sexual orientation. We believe in equal pay for equal work. We will conduct a rigorous analysis in our home offices to assess how associates are compensated and will share results and take any necessary action.
    
5. We commit to racial-equity training and anti-racism personnel policies. We are a learning organization that provides extensive training and education opportunities. We commit to expand our unconscious bias training, which we launched four years ago. It's important to us that we provide education opportunities on inclusive behaviour. In addition to training, we will introduce a new year-round program, Inclusion and Diversity 365 to focus on learning opportunities, programs and experiences to foster cultural awareness and empathy. We do not and will not tolerate racism or discrimination and will continue to take immediate corrective action for any violation of our policies

Our purpose at Edward Jones is to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our clients, their families and our communities. We are responsible for creating our place of belonging. We must take responsibility and act in accordance with our values. This includes doing real work in support of real progress - to positively impact opportunities for visible minorities and Indigenous peoples in our communities.

Much more work needs to be done. We're prepared for it, and we embrace it.