Edward Jones Earns Top Marks in 2017 Corporate Equality Index

Financial-services Firm Earns 100 Percent on Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Fourteenth Annual Scorecard on LGBT Workplace Equality

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Edward Jones

Dec 05, 2016, 08:00 ET

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial-services firm Edward Jones received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

Edward Jones joins the ranks of 517 major U.S. businesses which also earned top marks this year.

"We take great pride in this rating because it indicates our success both as an inclusive place to work and to do business," said Emily Pitts, the Edward Jones principal responsible for Inclusion and Diversity." "We define our clients only by their mindset. Our firm's mission is inclusive: to help serious, long-term individual investors achieve their financial goals."

The 2017 CEI rated 1,043 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community.

Edward Jones' efforts in satisfying all of the CEI's criteria results in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.

"As a growing firm, we are committed to hiring and developing the best available talent because diversity of thought, background and experience helps drive the innovation that supports our success," Pitts said.

For more information on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

Edward Jones, a FORTUNE 500 firm, provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm's 13,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients. Edward Jones, which ranked No. 10 on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For 2016," is headquartered in St. Louis. The Edward Jones website is located at www.edwardjones.com, and its recruiting website is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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