POULSBO — One of the focal points of Pat McFadden’s Edward Jones office is a tiny tree, on which she’s hung rolled up dollar bills.
That’s right, a money tree.
“I was thinking of saying, ‘Invest with Pat McFadden and make your money grow,’” she said with a chuckle of the conversation piece.
And while she may not actually be able to grow money trees, McFadden, who opened her own Edward Jones office in Poulsbo Village in June, is hoping to help locals plant seeds for the future. The fruit, she said, should be whatever her clients want to harvest — whether it be a retirement, college tuition or just a portfolio they can be proud of.
“We’re really focused on individuals and providing individual service,” she said. “There’s the big Edward Jones support system behind you but I’m your broker. It’s very personal.”
McFadden, a Kingston resident, moved to North Kitsap three years ago to work as the general manager for the Point No Point Casino in Hansville. She had 23 years experience in the casino business working in Nevada, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana but said she felt at home when she moved to Washington.
For all of her three years in the community, McFadden has been active in community groups like the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce and the Poulsbo/North Kitsap Rotary. And it was actually this involvement that helped her when she decided it was time for a career change.
As a board member for the chamber, McFadden was encouraged by then chamber president Todd Tidball to join the Edward Jones team when he heard she was looking for a new field. McFadden ended up taking part in the Good Night mentoring program with Tidball, where a new Edward Jones representative learns the ropes from an existing employee whose business has grown to a point where expansion is needed. Poulsbo Edward Jones representative Glenn Anderson took part in a similar training with Tidball years earlier.
“So it really is a story about networking,” McFadden commented.
McFadden spent nine months with Tidball in the Olympic Peaks Building before striking out on her own. She said the new location has worked out well so far, especially being located right next to Mitzel’s.
“It’s been really convenient for people. Easy place to find. Easy parking,” she commented. “We’ve actually had a lot of clients stop in because they’re going to Mitzel’s and they remember they wanted to ask me something.”
And being the new kid on the block, so to speak, hasn’t been as hard as McFadden originally thought. Though she shares North Kitsap with Tidball, Anderson and Bim Prince in Kingston, she explained they don’t feel a lot of competition with one another.
“We’re kind of a support system to one another but we’re all individuals and we all run our businesses different and we appeal to different people,” McFadden explained. “I always tell people, ‘You have to find someone you’re comfortable with. This is your money. It’s your life.’ There’s room for all of us.”
Besides building a business through referrals, McFadden said she hopes to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable. One# misconception she hopes to dispel is that people have to have a large income to see a financial consultant. She said her biggest goal is to help individual clients with their own particular financial resources and goals.
“One of the things I really try to do is educate people and not make it intimidating,” she explained. “I can start you with $25 a month if that’s what you have.”
