By David Fleet
Editor
Ortonville — Mike Ratliff, Financial Advisor for Edwards Jones is on the move to downtown Ortonville.
The new spacious South Street office will open in early 2024.
“We’re staying right here in Ortonville, but just at a different location and continuing to serve the community.”
Ratliff began with Edward Jones Investments in May 2007 and originally worked in the downtown Clarkston office for 18 months. With the support of the community, he opened the Ortonville Road location in 2008.
“I started this business locally by going door-to-door driving up the dirt roads,” he said. “I was like the postman and handing out fliers. Over the years I came to know many residents who are now clients and friends. I work with you so you understand what you currently own and establish a game plan based on your needs.”
Ratliff will also be joined by established Edward Jones Financial Advisor Jim Vrabel, a Brandon Township resident, into the Ortonville office.
“There will now be two advisors serving the community,” said Ratliff. “We both now have a foundation of trust in the community and we’re here to stay.”
A native of Clawson, Mich., Ratliff is a 1996 graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in finance/economics. He worked in the investment operations of a large Detroit firm for seven years after college and prior to coming to Edward Jones Investments.
“The first time we get together, we get to know each other,” said Ratliff. “The community has a down-home feel and we are keeping that going, just in a new location.
Founded in 1922, Edward Jones is headquartered in St. Louis and is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of financial products for individual investors.
“This encourages more face-to-face relationships and better customer service,” he said. “Our emphasis is on working with the individual investor.”
Ratliff said Edward Jones tries to conveniently locate their offices in a town where a financial advisor will focus on the needs of the people within that community or surrounding area.
“It’s a lot of trust with people and we realize that. I’ve sat down across their kitchen table with my clients over the years. I will still do that or they can stop by our new downtown Ortonville office.”
To get to know people and what their worries are is a big part of the job, he added
“We simply do not follow the fads of Wall Street,” he said. ‘There’s never been a better time to come in and we can work together and establish a game plan.”