Pros
Control over your time and how you work - no boss No office politics No email checking 24/7 like many jobs No travel Grow old gracefully - no ageism like in many industries Nice culture Create your own business and stay for as long as you want -make more money as time goes on Have your own office/personal space - no cubicle culture No shifting/downsizing of companies that affect you and your life
Cons
If you are coming from a traditional sales job or other job, expect to make about 1/4 to 1/3 of what you are making if you are in the 80-200k range. I have not met one person who achieved what they thought they would who came from this level of success before. This is much harder than you think. The base salary does not protect you nor do the bonuses. Most people are not able to keep their salary. Pursuit activities like doorknocking can be challenging - but this would be hard in any sales job and doorknocking is effective for finding good clients. It is very hard if you have small children. If you are a working mom, you will be in a minority and it is unbelievably hard on you and your kids. The trainings in St. Louis are very grueling and a little old school cruel and at times degrading. The health insurance deductible is 3300 per person per year and 6600 per family. You basically don't want to use your health insurance. If you have health issues and need good insurance, you should think this through. You are a number to Jones. It is a big firm that wants to grow. If your income drops from where you came from, remember, you are at risk if you ever have to go on disability. If you had an injury or illness (and people do) it would be based on 60 percent of what you are making. This puts you and your family at risk if you are the breadwinner. You have to front a huge amount of expenses--you pay for paper, paper towels, water, coffee--everything. This is fine but is not clear upfront. You will put huge wear on your car and will need a lot of nice clothes for presenting yourself. Your contract binds you for 3 years. Edward Jones can sue you if you go elsewhere in the industry before that time. You will spend thousands of dollars trying to support yourself while launching. It is a great opportunity but do not let the numbers Edward Jones presents to you of "average" advisors influence you - these numbers just do not seem real. I don't think they are factoring in the people who don't make it. People who receive assets (which is a regional political decision) have a better chance of success. At the very least, they will be making money every month that someone without trails is not making.