Mark Freeman has spent seven years as a financial advisor with Edward Jones helping individual and business clients develop and execute plans and strategies to reach their financial goals. He is shown here with his new branch office administrator, Mary Kate Morin.

Adding more staff, new services and additional clients, financial adviser Mark Freeman has one of the fastest-growing MetroWest Edward Jones branches.

“We have strong growth here,” Freeman said, referring to his Hopkinton office at 77 West Main Street, “both with people and new clients.”

Mary Kate Morin recently became the branch office administrator.

“She’s been a huge addition. She’s absolutely fabulous with clients and keeps me on track,” Freeman said.

The addition of Morin has helped Freeman continue expanding his client base, which includes both individuals and business owners.

“I recently became a certified exit planning advisor,“ said Freeman. “So I can better help owners, who like all my clients have retirement goals, get the most after tax dollars when they sell or pass on their business.”

Freeman said most owners have 80% of their equity tied up in their businesses and “need to know how to protect their retirement by getting their assets out.” While he noted all business owners should have an asset protection plan since “disability, disease, divorce or death” can strike at any time, the need for exit planning is growing.

“Many people in their 60s or 70s are still running a small business” and know their time at the helm is limited, he said.

Freeman added he works with the owner to develop an exit strategy by acting as a “quarterback, doing the things I know how to do, and then finding other people to do the things I don’t know how to do.”

His ability to know his own strengths and when to ask for help has been a constant during Freeman’s working life. Born in Michigan, he moved with his family to Massachusetts during elementary school. Graduating from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a degree in mechanical engineering, he got his first job as an electrical engineer.

“I was an intern with the company that hired me,” he recalled. “I admitted I had no clue about how chips were made. But I knew how to analyze data and would go out and get answers to my questions instead of assuming I knew everything.”

He spent 18 years as an engineer and 10 selling engineering software. Seven years ago, he became a financial advisor with Edward Jones, turning a hobby into a profession.

Always interested in finance, he started creating fantasy portfolios in the early 1990s.

“I learned how to invest, read charts and analyze data on spreadsheets before I risked my own money,” said Freeman.

Deciding in 2017 that he wanted to be home in Holliston with his wife and twin daughters instead of traveling as a salesman, Freeman joined Edward Jones, opening his Hopkinton office.

He selected the company because its philosophy of putting clients first reflects his own.

Said Freeman: “I enjoy getting to know my clients, so we can develop a plan to help them reach their goals and adjusting it as their goals evolve.”

Anyone interested in more information can contact Freeman at 508-293-4017 or Mark.Freeman@EdwardJones.com.

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