Despite a tumultuous year on Wall Street, the financial-services firm Edward Jones continued to grow, adding nearly 1,000 new financial advisers in communities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The firm began 2008 with 11,202 financial advisers and ended the year with 12,155. In addition, Edward Jones made significant progress toward recruiting women interested in a career with the global financial services firm.

About 25 percent of the new financial advisers hired at Edward Jones are women. The Women's Initiative for New Growth Strategies (WINGS) is a comprehensive program launched in 2008 to recruit, hire and retain new female financial advisors. WINGS recently won an achievement in diversity award from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Edward Jones' commitment to hiring more financial advisers and opening more branches is evident in its $260 million expansion at the firm's headquarters in St. Louis, a news release said. In November 2008, the firm opened the first of several new buildings under construction to accommodate its growth.

The 200,000-square-foot, six-story building will house 800 associates from a variety of disciplines, including training and information technology.

The firm, founded in 1922, also received accolades for its workplace practices and its service-oriented business model.

In 2008, Edward Jones was ranked No. 4 on Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. In its ninth appearance on the annual list, Edward Jones also ranked No. 2 for large-sized companies.

For the 16th consecutive year, Edward Jones ranked No. 1 on Registered Rep. trade magazine's annual survey of the nation's eight largest financial services firms. The magazine randomly selects financial advisers nationwide and asks them to rank their firms in various categories.

Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom. 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 financial advisers work directly with more than 7 million clients to understand their personal goals -- from college savings to retirement -- and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy.

Edward Jones has four offices in Moore County: Greg Grimshaw, Pinehurst, 235-9098; Craig Stokes, Southern Pines, 692-8628; Miranda Meares, Carthage, 947-5214; and Eric Megert, 692-3411, Southern Pines.