Pros
It is positively delightful to be at work at eMoney Advisor. Just when I thought I had retired, after thirty-five years as an English teacher, Edmond Walters, founder and CEO of eMoney, invited me to join his firm as a copy editor---a clear reflection of Mr. Walters’ creativity and innovation, as I was once his English teacher when he was a boy of fifteen! It takes little effort these days to be quickly discouraged by the media’s casual and careless disregard for the niceties of verbal expression, but eMoney has an unfailing allegiance to the highest standards of performance as it strives to meet the needs of its clients and offer them an inspiring, innovative vision of financial growth and security.
There exists at eMoney a remarkable atmosphere of aspiration, camaraderie, and pride in achievement, a sense of shared values and expectations. The result is a community which is both vital and cohesive. Much of the credit for this productive magic belongs to the CEO. Edmond Walters is a stimulating and provocative presence here, always in motion and endlessly good humored as he cajoles, encourages, and inspires. Once a week or so he brings the whole company together and provides a “State of the Firm” review. His presentation is serious without self-importance, humorous without histrionics or preening. People at eMoney are devoted to him because they know he cares deeply not only about the health and prosperity of the company, but about the welfare of everyone here. A case in point: a few days ago I attended a meeting of about forty people from various departments, a gathering in which Mr. Walters introduced some of the new instruments eMoney will soon provide to clients. As he revealed the imaginative richness of some new technology, he did so in a way which not only dramatized the exciting new features of eMoney’s financial armamentarium, but also connected directly to the challenges his employees face in their own financial lives, a performance which was as deft, articulate, and brilliant as it was personal in tone and generous in spirit.
Indeed, it is the spirit of the place which makes eMoney so rare, so special. Little things like daily deliveries of fresh fruit and tempting snacks in the kitchen bespeak the desire to create an atmosphere of comfort, and there are company outings and holiday celebrations, fetes and festivals which celebrate the friendships which are so much a part of the place. There are also little seminars for employees about saving for college and planning for retirement. There was even a dinner for those who wished to come together and reflect on Emerson’s famous essay “Self-Reliance,” an occasion created by Mr. Walters, who had recently reread that famous work and wanted to share its inspiring message with some of the younger members of the firm.
I could go on and on. I shall end now simply by recalling Thomas Carlyle’s wise saying, “Blessed is he who has found his work.” Carlyle would smile indeed could he but spend a day at eMoney Advisor where, for so many, work is such a source of fulfillment and joy.
Cons
The distance I must travel to get to eMoney.
