Edward Jones financial adviser began in Albert Lea in January

Military policeman. Funeral director. Financial adviser.

Those are the jobs Paul Nolette has had over the past 20 years.

Nolette, originally from Lewiston, Maine, is presently a financial adviser for Edward Jones and has been for about seven years. He’s been at his 1506 Main St. location in Albert Lea since January. He comes to Albert Lea from Mankato and commutes to and from Mankato every day he’s at the office. He plans to move to Albert Lea by the end of summer.

He said he likes to bicycle in his spare time during the warmer seasons and that he used to bowl. He recently joined the Noon Kiwanis and looks forward to exploring more of Albert Lea — especially its lakes — once the weather allows for it.

Prior to being a financial adviser, Nolette was a funeral director in Mankato. Before that, he was in the Army for 20 years, working as a military policeman and retiring at the rank of master sergeant. He said he was at Fort Bragg in North Carolina when he retired and started the process of retiring in 2000.

While retirement was approaching, Nolette said he didn’t know what he was going to do. Based partly upon a friend’s recommendation, Nolette pursued his bachelor’s degree in mortuary science. He started at the University of Minnesota in 2001 after hearing about its program and to be closer to his daughters.

As far as getting into financial advising, Nolette was approached by an Edward Jones employee for a job opportunity. He received a call during his time as a funeral director offering him a job after several clients had recommended him. A few days later, Nolette went to dinner with his prospective employers where he learned what the job entailed. He was in.

“I figured if I didn’t take a risk, I wouldn’t see my full potential,” he said.

Nolette said what he does is a career, not a job, and that it doesn’t follow the typical 9 to 5 work schedule. He said he has to be flexible and patient while building his own business.

One of his favorite parts of the job is helping people reach their financial goals and achieve their dreams, he said. To him, one of the more challenging parts of his job is helping people keep their head when dealing with certain elements that are out of their control, such as market fluctuation.

“It’s all about helping people,” he said about the job. “I never miss an opportunity.”

 

Paul Nolette

Age: 52

Address: Mankato

Livelihood: financial adviser at Edward Jones, 1506 Main St. in Albert Lea

Family: two daughters in the Twin Cities area and a dog, Gnarls Barkley

Interesting fact: Nolette likes to travel and just recently returned from a trip to Hawaii