Don't come here as an advisor if you have industry experience and education - Financial Advisor Edward Jones Employee Review

Let me start out by saying "If you don't know any better" this may be the place for you or if you can't get hired by a good financial firm. I was recruited by EJ out of a wire house and immediately realized coming to Edward Jones was a mistake. The recruiters do a good job of selling the firm, I will give them that. If you have formal education in finance or a related field and/or have other designations like the CFP, Edward Jones is below the minor leagues for you then. I have been here for 20 months and I have consistently exceeded performance standards, but I would not invest any of my money here, if I were a client. I could easily stay here and mind my own business and continue to do well, but ethically I can't be associated with this firm. I just accepted a job offer from a prestigious firm, I am out of here. Edward Jones is a sleazy sales culture and the majority of their advisors do not have college degrees and bare bones minimum financial acumen. You will attend countless meetings each week about "what keeps you motivated", "what works best for you", "what are you proud of", etc. It is like attending a group therapy meeting. I have never sat in a meeting where we learn or review financial concepts, not one. Don't forget you will have to endure business planning with this arrogant woman named Alicia St. Ives, who has never been a financial advisor, but will "tell you what you need to know". There "industry leading training" is all hard sales tactics. I came to the firm with a plethora of financial education, thank goodness. The majority of their FAs are hired from blue collar sales jobs and are conditioned to churn mutual fund sales. Of course it is rated a good place to work, you can come here with no education and no nothing about finance and make a lot of money. So, it will get good marks, because the majority of their FAs fall into the category I just described. The clients Edward Jones attracts, do not know any better. There are a handful of financially educated advisors here, but not many. Edward Jones just preaches "it is all about relationships and trust". Well, if I had a lot of money, I want my advisor to have as much formal education and training in fiance and investing as possible, or it is a no go. If you don't have no "letters" by your name, you have no business managing people's money. The advisors here will argue that, but if you have no formal education in finance or any formal type of education, you can't relate. Furthermore, unlike other firms they have "levels" the advisors progress through. A person moves up a level based on assets under management and commissions earned. Churning accounts is a common practice here to "level up". I honestly don't think their advisors know that "churning" is against the law, because they are ill-educated. I feel I have given the firm a fair chance, almost two years, and I have never been ill treated; probably because I know what I am doing and I generate a lot of business. Since starting at Edward Jones I have know 6 advisors who came from big prestigious firms and have all since left and returned to prestigious firms for the same reasons, I am describing.