Pros
Great training on how to sell.
Cons
It's all about selling, and commissions/production. They want you to have 100s if not 1000s of households to serve(3 to 4 new households a month for the first 4-5 years----- the quotas don't stop there) and the main focus is sell sell sell. I feel this is not in the best interest of the clients. With a book that big many don't get the attention they deserve (which is why Edward Jones clients have become accustomed to being handed off to other newer advisors once their advisor has "too many clients"----they are then put on a newer advisor with little experience who is "starving" to have clients. Edward Jones commercials tout. "a Financial advisor who doesn't put their short term agenda first," HARDLY. With the high commission expectations, and low payouts, that's about all that is on the newer FAs minds! For the commissions their advisors do earn, they underpay their advisors(they keep about 2/3 of what you earn!) . They have a way of making average or only "meeting expectations" producers feel like they are never good enough. On top of that they do not fully support the FA as they promise when it comes to HR issues with obnoxious and unethical BOAs. The people who make the real decisions are in St. Louis and they do not know about local markets, and do not know you. They do not provide adequate training on management skills (how to manage your admin person). The focus is much more on sales, time management to maximize sales, how to ask questions to make sales, how to streamline your business to make sales, quotas quotas quotas.....Very hard to do what's right for your clients in an environment like this. Actually, very hard to be happy in an environment like this. Not sure how they get their fortune 500 rating claiming top place to work.....Must be surveying the home office desk people.....They are not as loyal to their FAs as their FAs are loyal to them... its a shame.