(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Edward Jones Financial Advisor Allen Prather.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Pascagoula May 14, 1971.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I graduated from Pascagoula High School in 1989 and graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in history in 1994.
Q: What was your childhood like?
A: It was good. I grew up on the Gulf Coast and fished a lot. It was typical Gulf Coast life growing up. I grew up with a brother, stepbrother and stepsister.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I have been a financial advisor at Edward Jones here in Columbia since June. Ken Knopp and I both are financial advisors, and that all starts with someone looking for financial advice with investing and things like that. It all starts with what’s important to them. What do they want to do? What kind of goals do they have? Then we use our established process that the firm has, which is a five-step process. We work with the clients to achieve those goals and partner with them throughout the rest of their lives to keep them on track. I was working as a branch auditor for Edward Jones for about 10 years, and I would travel to our branches around the country to conduct the audit. It was a lot of travel. It was fun for a while, but the last two years burnt me out.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: I’ve been with the company for about 18 years and in the business for about 19. My step-father was an Allstate agent, and I used to work for him and became interested in the financial business. I applied for a job with Edward Jones because I was much more interested in the investment side than I was selling car insurance. I’ll be at this branch for about another year-and-a-half until we open another branch in Columbia.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: Meeting all the different kinds of people you get to meet. That’s the most interesting and exciting part of it because you meet people from all walks of life with different backgrounds and stories. Being able to help them achieve their financial goals is another neat aspect of it.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A: Sometimes you deal with emotions because the market goes up and down. It doesn’t go straight up. That sometimes causes conflict in relationships because not only do clients become emotional, but we do as well. Sometimes you have to guide people through different aspects of market cycles.
Q: What advice would you give someone considering your career path?
A: Look into it intently and find out all aspects of it because it’s not just crunching numbers. You have to build a business so that means having to go out and find clients. There’s a whole lot more to it than just meeting with a client, especially nowadays. Talk to people who are new in the business and who have been in it a long time then make a decision.
Q: What was your first job?
A: I worked as a bus boy at a tiki restaurant in Gautier.
Q: Who is the person who has been most influential in your life?
A: My mother, Martha Moss, would be way up top. She’s a retired CPA, and she worked extremely hard. My step-father, Terry Moss, as well. They definitely had a lot of influence on me.
Q: What is your spouse’s name?
A: Jennifer Prather. She actually works for CMO Insurance, which is part of Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg.
Q: Do you have children?
A: We have a daughter, Kaylyn Murray, who is on her last year at Southern Miss. She’s my step-daughter.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Biscuits and gravy with a Moon Pie and a RC Cola.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I’ve spent the last 10 years traveling, so I’m a little burnt out on traveling. But I’d like to go to Italy.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: When I do get spare time, I like to shoot guns, work and tinker on guns and doing things with St. Fabian Catholic Church.
Q: What do you enjoy about Columbia and Marion County?
A: Pretty much the reason I chose Columbia when Ken and I first started talking about it, I was pretty excited about it because I liked the small-town atmosphere and people. It’s amazing how Columbia is really not that far from Hattiesburg, but people are much nicer over here. They’re easier to get along with and more down to earth.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: It’s hard to pick just one, so I’m going to go with Saint Paul and Robert E. Lee. Saint Paul because he was the one who really started spreading the gospel and risked his life for it. I think he would be an interesting character to meet because he was doing alright prior to that. I’d like to know more about his experiences. Robert E. Lee because I think he is one of the greatest Americans that’s ever lived. He’s one of the most decorated soldiers. He didn’t really support the South and didn’t want to secede, but he did it out of loyalty to his people and was a great general. It’s interesting how their faith and loyalty to their creator drove them to do the things they did.
Q: If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do all day?
A: If I could farm for a hobby, that’s what I would do but on a small scale. It’s hard, though, because I enjoy working. I’d find something to do whether it produces income or not.
Q: Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie and why?
A: Read a good book because you get more information and more to think about. Watching is more entertaining than anything you can learn from in most cases.
Q: What moment in your life has had the biggest impact on who you are today?
A: When my father, Jim, died when I was in the 11th-grade really made me stop and think that we don’t really live that long because he was only 50 when he died. It was pretty impactful on what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I’d like to buy a seersucker suit from Ben Silver in Charleston, S.C., and have it custom made.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Faith, love and honor.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: As somebody that has other people’s best interests at heart and who did things without asking for anything in return.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Edward Jones Financial Advisor Allen Prather said helping clients begins with understanding their circumstances. “What do they want to do? What kind of goals do they have?” he said. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
