Ken Wren Celebrates 50 Years as a Financial Advisor

Not too many people spend 30 years doing the same job. Very few make it 40 years. In February 2023, a group of financial advisors gathered for an impromptu reunion in Virginia Beach. Among the group of advisors in the room that day were a couple who have spent 50 or more years providing investment advice to clients. Just one of them is still working full time today.  

Ken Wren, Sr joined TowneBank in 2004 along with his son, Ken, Drew Bolling, Patti Gilbert and two others to form Towne Wealth Management. At that point he had nearly 31 years of experience as an advisor having joined Norfolk based Investment Corporation of Virginia in 1973. Bill Calliott was at that reunion and was one of the decision makers who took a chance on a life insurance salesman over 50 years ago. He hired someone who spent his daily lunch hour in the lobby of his own stockbroker eating his lunch and watching the stock market ticker tape along with a group of regulars.  Ken quickly developed a skill for picking stocks, the regulars asked for his advice and the stock market became his hobby. Bill vividly remembers hiring Ken. “When we interviewed Ken, we loved the way that he could tell a story, could talk about anything and you could never put him down as undecided.  We were in the middle of the 1973-74 bear market so it wasn’t an ideal time to enter the industry or for a small firm to hire, but we all thought he would be successful.”  Bill added, “The Dow Jones Industrial Average had surpassed the 1,000 point level in late 1972 before a two year bear market started. It didn’t reach 1,000 again for over eight years.  It was an incredibly tough time to start a career.”

Kenny, as he’s known to most of his clients and friends, passed his licensing exam in 1973 and steadily developed a loyal following of clients who asked him to manage their accounts. It was not unusual for him to show his clients his own portfolio to assure them that he was making the same investments with their money that he made with his own. Today, he still manages accounts for clients that he established relationships with 40 or more years ago. Longtime client, Lucky Pappas shared, “Kenny is a contrarian. He isn’t afraid to invest against the popular opinion and we are usually rewarded over time.” He manages accounts for the children of former clients. He also occasionally managed accounts for a few advisors that he worked with after they retired. His peers trusted and respected his ability to pick stocks and manage portfolios.

He quickly became one of the top advisors at Investment Corporation of Virginia and later when they were acquired by Scott & Stringfellow in 1989, he was regularly recognized as one of Scott & Stringfellow’s top advisors and was the first advisor inducted into their “Wall of Fame.”

So much has changed during his 50 years.  In 1973, if you wanted to know where a stock was trading there wasn’t technology. You either watched the ticker tape or picked up the phone and called the home office for a stock quote. Later, the addition of the “Quotron machine” brought quotes and information into the office. Today, stock quotes are available on every smartphone and clients can get full access to account information online.

In 2004, the group left Scott & Stringfellow to join TowneBank which partnered with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. to provide investment resources.  Kenny was 31 years into his career so it could have been a natural transition into retirement. But following the stock market is not just his job, it is his passion. He learned new systems and has continued to adapt to industry changes. And now, 19 years after founding Towne Wealth Management, his passion for his job hasn’t changed.  

TowneBank is fortunate that Kenny made the decision to join and help establish Towne Wealth Management and be a founding pillar that has seen the division grow from six employees to nearly 50 with over $4.5 billion in client assets under management. 

The Raymond James financial advisors at Towne Wealth Management are proud to serve alongside Kenny. Congratulations Ken Wren, Sr. on 50 years of providing client advice!