Edward Jones Reviews in Tempe, AZ

I worked at Edward Jones

Pros – Benefits were good and compensation was great for what I did. They really do understand when you have something personal going on and they work with you when you need time off or switch schedules, etc.

Cons – It seemed like you HAVE to be involved in ALL the activities outside of your normal job duties in order to advance. And communication between departments was frustrating as most of the time there was none.

Advice to Senior Management – Communication is key! With so many meeting between leaders, I would hope departments had better communication.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Edward Jones full-time for more than a year

Pros – The job was easy. There was plenty of opportunities to learn about the financial industry.

Cons – The work was repetitive and simple.

Advice to Senior Management – Ask more of your employees

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Edward Jones full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – There are some areas of Jones that are decent places to work if you can ignore the horrid pay and even worse benefits.

Cons – The following represents my personal opinion and events that took place are as I remember them.

To say working at Edward Jones was one of the worst life experiences I've ever had is a severe understatement. I suffered emotionally and physically for years working for this thankless slave driving partnership. I more than anyone wishes the following didn't take place, but sadly it did and I was forced to bare it through the worst recession since the great depression.

Edward Jones is great at one thing.......propaganda. They are CONSTANTLY requesting their employees fill out positive reviews in order to attract talent that would otherwise scoff at their insanely low pay and absolutely horrid benefits. I fell for this and it was why I ended up here. I actually believed all the stories and accolades, but let me tell you......its a huge show. The pay is absolutely ridiculously low....even for low standards. The benefits cost me LITERALLY thousands more than at other companies. A financial firm that only matches $500 TOTAL to your 401K? No, I didn't miss adding a zero to that number.

Given the pay/benefits, Edward Jones seems to lure in very few well educated people from what I saw. Many leaders didn't even have college degrees or completely unrelated degrees before coming to Jones. The training, or should I say lack there-of, consisted of very basic computer commands. There were NO manuals and FEW well trained associates. The training "awards" come from the sales side of Edward Jones. Definitely not in operations.

They constantly tout the partnership structure as a benefit when in my opinion nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of 1,000s of greedy shareholders, you have hundreds of greedy general partners trying to squeeze blood out of pennies. Even worse, where greedy shareholders can't directly influence the business.......the partners can. The result is lack of investment in needed areas. Who makes up for that? You guessed it, the employees. I worked nights, weekends, holidays all UNPAID overtime dealing with volumes exceeding 10x the norm. This is a SALES focused company.....every other place that costs money seems to be a nuisance. The result of this is overworked/under appreciated staff. I personally missed out on weeks of vacation every year. I would plan two days off and literally get pulled aside and accused of not being a team player. When two days off were approved, they were subsequently denied due to volumes.

The results of this slave labor mentality literally ruined my life. I suffered from consistent physical health issues and depression. it was horrible experience I feel embarrassed writing about, but I feel people have the right to know.

When the economy hit the skids, Edward Jones stopped ALL financial incentives to be there (not that there were many to start with). While remaining profitable, Jones stopped bonuses and ALL pay increases.

Edward Jones is so cheap, I was constantly bullied into covering work related expenses. Paying for breakfast out of my own pocket for the team on a Saturday I was not being paid to work on, buying hundreds of dollars in gift cards as a thank you from Edward Jones, the expenses I incurred never ended. It literally COST ME to come into work for Edward Jones on many occasions.

The management responsible for these work place atrocities have since been promoted. You tell me what Jones stands for.

Advice to Senior Management – Quit Jones and become Tibetan monks. Spend the rest of your lives reviewing the atrocities you've put your employees through.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Edward Jones

Pros – Very strong culture and ethics. The firm protects its associates and I have never been worried about my position being eliminated even through the financial crisis. Being privately held allows the firm to have a clear long term vision.

Cons – Compensation is very low compared to similar positions in the industry. Moving up in the ranks within the firm further decreases your earning power especially if you move up quickly.

Advice to Senior Management – Allow more freedom for direct leadership to compensate individuals fairly who perform at a high level. Too many strong associates are leaving to go to other firms that are willing to pay.

I have been working at Edward Jones

Pros – They have a decent cafeteria.

Cons – Stay away from Insurance Services. If you are not part of the clique you will either be invisible or constantly harassed. I have yet to receive an accurate review.

Advice to Senior Management – There was some really good talent "let go" this year. Agendas are getting in the way of improvement. An investigation into the department leadership is warranted. The right people are NOT in the right seats driving this bus.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Edward Jones

Pros – You will sit behind a computer all day long and have the opportunity to listen to your iPod if you desire. Also, management is pretty flexible when it comes down to start/stop time of your day.

Cons – Edward Jones claims to be a non-micromanaged workspace...that is a lie. If you like listening to our iPod very loud, this could be the place to work for you, because management is very loud and obnoxious when it comes down to socializing. If you are into management, then Tempe will be a good fit for you, if you want to get into Finance or Accounting, then you will have to move to St. Louis.

Advice to Senior Management – If you want your associates to minimize their time socializing, then maybe you should lead with example. Honor promises that are made during one-on-ones...failure to meet goals is a total turn off to your employees.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Edward Jones

Pros – Fiscally responsible culture therefore in down market times, its a good stable organization to work for. Benefits are fair and there are opportunities to move into the sales force if you wish to do so. Great place to start off and learn the business

Cons – If you are not identified as a potential future leader in the first 6 months you are working for the firm, it is a slow and arduous process to advance within the firm. Many people take 3-5 years to move into the most entry level management position. High biased for promotions into middle and senior management to those who were former Investment representatives.

Advice to Senior Management – Practice what you preach - there needs to be an incentive for existing associates to want to stay with the firm and develop rather than watching you hire for leadership positions from outside of the firm. People work for more than money (which is clearly shown by your pay scale) therefore when you are in a market such as this, give extra credit and incentive to those associates who did not get raises for a year or could not move from department to department because of hiring freezes and let them have a competitive advantage in open positions of leadership

I have been working at Edward Jones

Pros – You are not micro-managed and you create your own future, the best employees advanced and get the best bonus.

Cons – There is not provided a set guideline on how to advance.

Advice to Senior Management – Provide guidelines on how to advance to a better position.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Edward Jones

Pros – bankers hours are nice, nights, weekends and holidays off
very good training
limited partnership oppurtunities in the long term
ethical firm

Cons – pay is not enough
boring cubicle job is not very exciting
you spend alot of time training others
you must spend along time with the firm because it is hard to work your way up the ladder

Advice to Senior Management – keep your employees more motivated and don't treat them like worker drones.
Edward Jones is a great copmpany to be a financial advisor for, otherwise you will be overworked and underpaid

I have been working at Edward Jones

Pros – Great stability of you're good at what you do. The emphasis on career development is placed on the individual, but with the knowledge that help is encouraged and expected at the leader level.

Cons – Compensation strategy is murky, not enough transparency to all associates. We're told job grades are average to the market yet we never see the market studies.

Also, the firm is very conservative so if you come in hoping to make broad stroke changes quickly you'll be frustrated... quickly.

Advice to Senior Management – Don't be afraid to try new things and abandon those that have worked in the past but no longer do. Conserve the culture with an eye towards future.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend