Keeley finds herself at the shore

Like many who want to have the best of both worlds by not having to wait until retirement to live at the beach, Alana Keeley, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, recently moved her office from the city to the shore — from Bowie, Md., to Bethany Beach. She now works exactly one mile south of the “totem pole,” off of Route 1 near Bethany Primary Care and Jack Hickman Real Estate.

em>Coastal Point • Monica Scott
Alana Keeley, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, recently moved her office from Bowie, Md., to Bethany Beach.

“When I moved to Maryland eight years ago, I wanted to be closer to the beaches,” explained Keeley. “I thought they were beautiful. I grew up outside Pittsburgh, and to have all these bodies of water here, the bay and the ocean, it is really attractive.”

She said that, in addition to the area, she enjoys the “pace” of Sussex County. And in early April, she fulfilled her dream of living at the beach by moving her office to coastal Delaware.

Keeley joined Edward Jones as a financial advisor in 2008, opening the firm’s fourth branch office in Bowie. She served as recruiting leader and was charged with bringing more women advisors into the firm. She was awarded the Edward Jones Partners and Regional Leaders awards in recognition for “support, loyalty and commitment.”

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and a master’s from the University of Pittsburgh.

She said as an employee of Edward Jones, she has “the best of both worlds.”

“I am an employee of Edward Jones but get to run my own business with the support and backing of a big company like Edward Jones,” she explained. “I have better information to take care of my clients at my fingertips, but it’s up to me to grow the business the way I want to grow it.”

To help educate her clients, Keeley offers a Coffee Club, which is held at 9 a.m. on the second Wednesday of every month. It is a casual way to bring in clients, and Keeley offers a brief presentation on current events in the market and economy, which is followed by discussion (and coffee and breakfast).

In addition, Keeley offers several “more deliberate” events and will host talks on more specific issues, ranging from planning to long-term care. She also hosts women-focused events to discuss some of the financial issues that particularly pertain to women and their investments.

“Relationships are key, and in our view, meeting face to face builds strong relationships,” said Keeley. “As your Edwards Jones branch team, we believe it’s important to invest our time to understand what you are working toward before you invest your money.”

Edward Jones is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., and serves nearly 7 million clients out of 11,000 offices in 50 states. They have grown from a regional firm in 1980 with 304 offices to the more than 11,000 they have today. In June 2012, Edward Jones was named the No. 1 full-service brokerage firm in the June 2012 edition of SmartMoney magazine.

For more information or to contact Keeley, call (302) 537-0600. Her office is located at 33188 Coastal Highway, Unit 5, in Bethany Beach.