Motley Fool Reviews

Pros

A mission-driven small company with founders leading the way in an inspiring, true way. I love that we are trying to help people and doing it in a different way. The culture is second to none.

Cons

At an inflection point of becoming a large company with new opportunities and a small company comfortable in our own skin. The challenges and open atmosphere, open book policies aren't for everyone. I love it but others may not.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the communications, inspiration and visions. Set a course, rally folks and keep pressing on it. And trust your instincts.

Pros

Fun, challenging, morally impeccable, 100% transparent management, free food, game room, unlimited vacation, encourages learning/development, fun people, oh, and FUN!

Cons

Given how talented you will become at what you do, you could make more money somewhere else.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't overhire. Let your employees produce spectacularly and work for more money because they want to, and will amaze you.

Pros

I left a large company with better pay to come here because this is one of the few companies that doesn't count on annual layoffs to balance its books. What I noticed right away is how open senior management are with the staff. Once a month we huddle with the CEO and the CFO and get a complete status on the health of our company. Their honesty is astounding. The year I joined, times were a little lean, but rather than lay people off, they instituted a temporary salary freeze and postponed their very generous 401K contributions for a year. At the end of the year. they paid BACK the 401k contributions and gave everyone a 7% bonus!

My co-workers are also very honest and not at all competitive. I always believed that what makes a company great is the willingness of employees to not just do their own job well, but to help others do their jobs well too. No one grills you over your mistakes, and no one ever feels threatened.

Stuff flows from the top-down in any organization, so the respect that the guys at the top show us trickles down to all levels, and between departments. Support staff can't do enough to help. Our tech teams are top-notch, not hacks.

The Fools tries really hard to be inclusive, always dreaming up clubs for employees to join. There's a strong gaming culture here (ping pong and video), but if that's not your thing, there's also a book club and a knitting circle! These things take place during business hours too, just like the fitness classes.

It's not a shtick. This place is the real deal.

Cons

If you don't live in the immediate area, commuting can be a bear. That said, no one cares if you flex your hours around the morning and evening rush-hours. Salaries could also be a lot more commensurate with experience. Healthcare and 401k benefits make up for most of it though, and they try hard to help with metro and parking expenses.

Pros

The best parts of working for The Motley Fool are the great people you work with and the amazing culture and benefits, and what rocks is those "Pros" all applies to every employee in every position.

Cons

There are admirable efforts to be focused and organized, but when a bit of chaos is part of your corporate identity things are just going to be at times somewhat chaotic.

Advice to Senior Management

We're growing again, getting bigger. Please don't lose touch with the what and how we actually do all that we do.

Pros

The office provides the best environment. I have worked for another company who adopted a fun environment but the motley fool's much better.

Cons

The company is small and there is no clear guidelines to start or shift career from technical position into the management.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide IT personnels an opportunity to monitor projects and function as project managers. for example start a job swapping initiative .

Pros

The Fool is an amazingly fun and supportive workplace. It's a luxury to work there with benefits like healthy free food, massages, and company-sponsored events. Moreover, the atmosphere is friendly, supportive and collegial. The office politics, territoriality and siloing people complain about at other companies are rare or nonexistent at the Fool.

Some of the other reviewers have complained about the lack of a career path and they may have a point. However, the company does offer training both with its excellent internal "university" and by paying for employees to attend conferences. The managers in the different departments are very approachable and people are encouraged to be familiar with all aspects of the business.

Lastly, the flexible hours and "unlimited" vacation are icing on the cake.

Cons

The instructions say I have to write 20 words so, if I wanted to be nit-picky I'd echo the career path comments with the caveat that one of the obstacles is that people stay with the company so long that there are rarely openings in the upper echelons. Having said that, people are regularly given opportunities to contribute in ways perhaps unrelated to their "day jobs" if they want to.

Advice to Senior Management

Another employee said "Keep it small", I disagree. Be bold! You know we can expand into new areas and rock, so go for it.

Pros

Motivated, youthful organization with a mission that changes thousands of lives every day. Pride of mission is just as important as pride in a job well done. Thanks to solid leadership, the company is well-positioned and riding high in its sector, with increasing prospects while its competition withers.

Cons

HQ is inside the beltway. Sometimes people make fun of our hats. People outside the finance and investing arena make fun of our name (but those inside fear and respect us.)

Advice to Senior Management

The mission is sometimes more important than the accounting.

Pros

Hands down the most functional organization I've ever worked for. Nearly everyone is on the ball, good-humored, has an excellent sense of what's truly important, and leaves their personal axes-to-grind outside the office. The benefits and compensation are more than generous, my colleagues are a pleasure to work with, and leadership does a great job listening to and encouraging the rank and file.

Cons

As others have said, there's no clear path for advancement in many areas of the company. When a post comes open, there are a surplus of talented, qualified, experienced people to fill it. The company and its leaders admirably do what they can to help, but it can still be slightly frustrating.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep an even keener eye on the business's long-term health, and encourage employees not to cater solely to its immediate needs.

Pros

The Motley Fool cares about its employees, creates a fun and engaging workplace, invests in its employees, and attracts and encourages passionate employees.

Cons

Career path is not always clear

Advice to Senior Management

Provide clearer career paths to Fools. Expectations are set fairly high, not always sure we can deliver.

Pros

fun atmosphere, people, and work environment

Cons

Not many negatives really. It's a great place to work.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't try to grow too fast...