An investment toward the future

Kuczero takes over Edward Jones' Elburn office

by Eric W. Walter
Daniel Kuczero is investing himself in the Elburn area in order to help local residents with their financial needs.
Kuczero, an investment representative with St. Louis-based Edward Jones, came to the financial-services company's Elburn office this fall to continue offering the services and personal contact local investors have come to know. He is eager to get to know the community and participate in local events.
“I have an open-door policy. Anyone can stop in and I'd be glad to meet with them,” he said.
An Aurora resident and New Lenox native, Kuczero has shown his interest in becoming a part of the community already, having joined the Elburn Chamber of Commerce, and he welcomed veterans for doughnuts and coffee following Veterans Day ceremonies in downtown Elburn last November. He hopes the office's business will grow along with the community.
“Elburn is a rapidly growing town (and) I plan on being here for a long time,” he said.
Edward Jones has had an office in Elburn for about the past seven years, said Kuczero.
The financial-services representative can help customers with a variety of financial services, from stocks, bonds and mutual funds to college planning and retirement investing to long-term care planning and health and life insurance, he said.
The Edward Jones office can help people plan financially as their lives change over the course of time.
“Life happens and sometimes things change,” said Kuczero.
Life changes, such as starting a new job, the addition of a child or retirement, require looking at or transferring investments or setting up plans for college savings or selecting insurance.
“When people change jobs, it's important to look at investments. It's important for people to take control of their money,” said Kuczero.
When it comes to the generations currently working in or just entering the workplace, Kuczero advises workers to invest in programs like 401(k) retirement funds.
“If it's offered, you should take advantage of it,” he said.
Among the most popular services Edward Jones offers are retirement investing and college planning, said Kuczero. As the country's population continues to age, more people in the Baby Boomer generation are reaching retirement age.
“We help a lot of business owners with retirement planning,” he said.
For families with children planning to go to college, Kuczero said Edward Jones offers a variety of ways to save for post-secondary education. Parents can consider custodial plans for minors or Section 529 tuition-investment plans, which grow over time, to pay for tuition.
“We can pull from a database of colleges and look up how much tuition might cost in 10 years,” he said. “Then, it's like when you go on vacation. You start with a given amount and where do you plan to be (when it's over)? We need to know where are you starting from and where are you trying to go?”
Kuczero offers free reviews of investment portfolios for first-time customers, as a way of giving investors “a second professional opinion” on their current financial situation.
Edward Jones has 8,916 offices operating in the United States and 9,614 throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, said Edward Jones spokeswoman Regina Deluca-Imral.
The financial-services company is highly selective of its employee candidates and trains them hard at the job they will be doing, representing the company to the communities it serves, according to a statement by Edward Jones managing partner James D. Weddle.
“We carefully select the best of the best,” he wrote. “After being hired, our investment representatives go through one of the most rigorous training programs in the industry, involving three months of 10-hour days, six days a week.”
Training is a continuous process for Edward Jones representatives because of the constant change in the industry.
Kuczero previously had planned to open a new office in West Chicago—the second in the DuPage County town—when the chance to work in Elburn came up, he said. The move fell in line with the financial-services company's “very aggressive” growth plan, according to Deluca-Imral.
For more information about Edward Jones, visit the company's website or call Daniel Kuczero at 365-6569.

01/12/2007