Value Line Reviews

Pros

An analyst can complete his -- and I mean HIS, there are virtually NO female analysts -- work in an hour or two each day. That leaves time for many other pleasurable activities. Eventually VL analysts find they have lots of free time to look for better jobs. They find those better jobs and leave, creating the turnover that opens the door to more entry-level analysts.

Cons

The business is shrinking. The Internet is killing it. Fewer and fewer people subscribe to the main publication because the same information is available for free elsewhere. VL does not create new products that are successful. New products rarely pull in enough revenue to cover costs. Some are dismal failures. There has been no growth in the mutual fund business, a sign of the managerial incompetence of ONE person -- the CEO.

Advice to Senior Management

Managers should hang on until retirement and remember that the only change to expect is a shrinking business. Soon, the only subscribers will be libraries. A generation of people who never heard of VL are now the majority of investors and Wall Street has little use for the VL product. The company is into its obsolescence phase and heading for extinction.

Pros

-Decent pay and commission structure. Everyone lines up at the door at 5 and it clocked out by 5:01pm. Minimal supervision by senior management (could be a con?).
-Suitable work environment - large office with a good location.

Cons

-Majority of employees have minimal work ethic.
-Senior Management is unapproachable and under-qualified.
-Out-dated products (they still publish the print investment survey), web-site, and philosophies.
-Employees are not treated with respect and seems as though everyone stays there for one reason (a paycheck).

Advice to Senior Management

Senior Management needs to hire young, talented professionals who can save this company from extinction. The Company needs a complete overhaul from bottom to top.

Pros

A sense of camaraderie given that most employees are the same age and stage in life. Some intelligent and knowledgable people, unfortunately, the good ones tend to leave. Best to use this firm as a stepping stone to a better job and a better firm.

Cons

Grossly below average pay. When I worked three, the salaries were paid once a month with minimal annual salary increases. Employees were clocked via building passes going AND leaving so there will be a line at 5pm of staff clocking out. In addition, there were absurd policies such as requirement to wear name tags, no eating at your desks, personal picture frames must be company approved (at least, the firm provided them free for you), etc.

Advice to Senior Management

Find a way to oust Jean Buttner, she is driving the company down the tubes. Unfortunately, she surrounds herself with a bunch of spineless "yes" men, whose compensation from what I understand are capped.