Pros
Great training, great office space
Cons
There are two positions at SFG: producer or manager. If you don't want to be in management, prepare to spend 30 years chasing people around for their money in production. Even though the training is great, there is very little accountability by management to practice the skills, probably because most of the management has risen up the ranks by being handed most of their clients anyway and was never held accountable themselves. Favoritism runs rampant inside the firm, and the bigger producer you are the more management seems to turn a blind eye to any problems the large producer may cause. At the beginning, they force you to run your cases with senior advisors and give up 30% of your commission to the SA. If you are one of the unfortunate ones that doesn't find a senior advisor that can pass clients off to you (because they don't have time for their lower net worth clients, they will pass the people they can't make much money from off to new associates), it will be a bumpy ride for any recent college graduates. Oh, and the only way to find a senior advisor to help is to have something to offer (multiple high net worth clients, connections in large companies, etc.) the him that will motivate him to help you. The bigger producers command all the support from the staff and newbies are quickly forgotten or completely ignored. SFG requires monthly travel to training without reimbursement. Extremely high fees to operate your business in, especially for someone new to the business. They seem to nickel and dime you every where you turn including charging for long distance phone calls and color copies. They will rope you in during the recruiting process with the allure of being a financial advisor and turn you into a glorified life insurance salesperson. The initial "salary" of near $40,000 in the first year ends up being closer to $20,000 (not including taxes) and then all the office fees, travel and training fees quickly turn the $20k into $10k. The huge discrepancy is a result of the deceptive way management paints the compensation package during the interview process. Basically, if Skylight pays you something they will find any way possible to claw it back. Management will also try to lure you with the hopes of upward mobility and the chance for bigger office space, however they are merely trying to fill offices so the place doesn't look empty and charge you increased rent.