Fisher Investments Employee Review

I have been working at Fisher Investments full-time for more than a year

Pros – I guess some of these reviewers would call me one of the "robots", but what I've seen in just over two years at this company is about as positive as any reasonable employee could expect. And there's the rub-- the fact that the company has a lot of opportunities for entry level (read just out of college) workers means that some don't have the frame of reference needed to allow for a more fair comparison. Having worked in several full-time post-college positions other than at Fisher, I can attest that some of the "pros" are substantial. For example:

- You pay no medical care premiums (only copays); the company pays for your health insurance and has a generous 50% match, instantly vested, into your Healthcare Savings Account

- The fact that it is a metric-based environment is great for anyone who has ever been maltreated by an arbitrary boss. The fact that the company has a laserlike focus on performance means that if you are consistent, methodical, accurate, and otherwise smart about how you do your job, you will never be bothered by management. In fact, you'll be praised often, given opportunities to work on other projects, and usually, promoted within 1-3 years. In many jobs there are also performance bonuses which many of the individuals railing on the company here apparently failed to receive

- Rotating jobs ("building breadth and depth") is a certain cure for occupational boredom. If you don't enjoy challenges or aren't a driven type of individual, admittedly, this is probably a nightmare. For workers who loathe having to learn new things or changes in the work environment, though, there are other financial industry jobs (bank teller, for example).

- The company is selective to an almost absurd extent (which is why you'll see this remark again in the Cons section). This means your office neighbor at an entry-level job is probably intelligent, accomplished, and have an engaging personality. In part because they are intelligent, they will usually be busy, but you'll have some pretty awesome lunch and watercooler conversations.

- The company has undergone tremendous growth, even since 2008. If you've ever been laid off or worked for an organization in decline, you understand that it is important to hitch your wagon to the right star.

- 401K match is 50%, and this is up to the legal IRS maximum, not just a small percentage of salary

And for me, perhaps most importantly, the company seeks to be ethically impeccable, aligning its incentives with that of its clients. The company doesn't push bad packaged derivative and mutual fund products on unsuspecting retirees just to earn a commission. They are fee-based so their goal is portfolio growth-- but not at any cost. They've steered clear of risky investment choices to focus on long equity, bonds, and in bear markets, good old cash. And as someone with an advanced degree in the financial field, I always heard that nobody beats the market. Well, most of the time Fisher actually has over its history, even after fees, usually by a modest margin that is the whole point of hiring them instead of going with an alternative.

Cons – - The company is selective to an almost absurd extent (if you get a callback, your resume portrays absolute rockstarness)
- The office locations are mostly off-the-beaten path, meaning a sometimes lengthy commute for most entry-level people in the City, depending on your location and traffic conditions.
- No frills (no climbing wall, arcade games, Swiss ball chairs, keg Fridays, on-site gym or other Silicon Valley accoutrements)
- Sometimes head-spinning amounts of priorities to juggle in some roles, mostly those related to projects and innovation initiatives
- I don't think it's a "con" but many seem to so I'll include "high expectations"

Advice to Senior Management – - Throw in a few more creature comforts and design elements to make the work environment more engaging
- Offer more schedule alternatives (flex time). Depending on the role, some options are not available to some employees (i.e., 8 versus 10 hour days)
- Even though as a current employee I sometimes find it on the challenging side, keep up the current climate of pushing for positive changes in processes and methods

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company