Law back as SBOY finalist for third straight year

Published 8:48 am Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Buckhead native Crystal Law has been a financial advisor with Edward Jones for a little more than seven years now.

For about six of those years, she has had her own office on Old Montgomeryville Road near Kroger where she guides clients to financial decisions that suit their specific needs.

To be eligible for the Milledgeville-Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award, a business must be in operation for at least three years. Law’s office has made the final four cut every year since reaching the eligibility threshold. 2024 marks her third time in a row being named a finalist.

“It’s an honor,” Law said. “I’m very aware that there’s a lot of great businesses in Milledgeville. To be looked at again is kind of surreal. I hope to bring home the win this year so that way I can let someone else get in the spotlight as a finalist. There are other people that do wonderful things in the community and are deserving.”

The Stribling Law Firm won in Law’s first year as a finalist in 2022, and Citizens Bank of South’s Milledgeville location won the prize a year ago. Now the financial advisor is going up against a new batch of finalists that will be highlighted in upcoming editions of the newspaper.

Law hasn’t always been in financial advising. The Georgia College & State University alumna had been in the banking industry for a decade when an Edward Jones advisor encouraged her to alter her career path. She took the leap and found success in the field quickly, earning the right to run her own office within a year.

For Law, financial advice isn’t just about numbers. She wants to get to know her clients first so she can better serve them in reaching their goals.

“I try not to make the relationship transactional-based,” Law said. “I want to make it a planning process with them. I really want to understand their wants, needs, risk tolerance, and what they’re expecting of me. My goal is to work with generations of families developing strategies from their investments to their tax strategies and estate planning. I really try to be an umbrella for their whole life.”

Law enjoys the flexibility of working under the well-known Edward Jones name. The company allows her to run the business the way she wants, which means she can tailor it to her clients and the community. She exercises that flexibility by offering multiple educational opportunities for her clients, including regular “coffee clubs” where they can hear from area professionals in different financial fields.

“I don’t believe I have all the answers, so I partner with local professionals to make sure clients are getting the best advice,” Law said. “I want to make sure I’m providing information on every financial aspect of somebody’s life.”

The financial advisor doesn’t just believe in further educating her clients, but also herself as she looks to stay on top of her own professional learning opportunities.

Community involvement is important to Law as well. Her office is a Partner in Education with the Baldwin County School District as a collection point for Halloween candy for the schoolchildren. Food donations are also gathered each November for Georgia Cancer Support, and pet food donations are taken in each year for the Animal Rescue Foundation.