[quote=NASD Newbie]

[quote=Ready2Jump]

NASD Newbie = DOUG HILL

He's the only pro-Jones gentleman who has enough time on his hands to be out on this blog all day/every day, and write 300 word blogs. 

Welcome Doug!  (I know you hate those)

p.s.  What's up with that picture of you that I "won" as a prize a couple of quarters ago?  Could't they at least have touched it up a little? 

[/quote]

Boy you can't get one by on this brain trust.

I said I took my first NASD exam in 1971--Doug Hill has been around longer than that.

I've got Doug's business card on my Rolodex, along with John Bachman's and Steve Novik's.

If you're going to play this game listen to the clues.  Started in Texas, spent time on Western and Southern Regional staff, opened branches all over the country, spent a year as the interim branch manager in a North Carolina branch, spent last years of career in New York.  Very active in industry committee work, arbitration panels.

[/quote]

What a j@ckoff.  This crap doesn't even make sense.

[quote=eddjones654]

Mr. Newbie,

Did I read correctly that hold the Series 3 AND 4?

[/quote]

Yep, two things that would not be needed at Edward Jones, right? 

[quote=footsoldier]

NASD-

Seems like you should. Did you actually work as a rep? Or did you just get licensed in 71? If you did actually start working in 71, tell us if you wouldn't mind what was it like to work in that decade where the market was flat? What did you do to get clients, retain clients during those turbulent years?

Last question. Tell us why you continue to work 35 years later?

[/quote]

Getting clients was actually easier than it is now because everybody was looking for a different voice, different advice.

I am very comfortable at a podium so I prospected with seminars.  I've always felt that if people actually care enough about what you have to say to get up and leave their TV shows they're damn near eager to buy.

In 1973 the CBOE opened up and options became very interesting to investors.  They would show up at seminars.  I did one in the relatively small town of Dennison, Texas where more than 100 people came.

I have already said on this forum that option writing is an excellent way to generate a return when the markets are moving sideways.  The time value of options will eventually come out of the premium so you can't help but make a gain in a up, sideways or slightly down market.

Because I was doing about twenty seminars a year I was a logical choice when the firm decided to have options "specialists" assigned to regional manager's staffs.

Regarding your question about retaining clients.  I do not have first hand experience with that because as has been sneered about I left production because I had a burning desire to be a leader rather than one of those who is led.

Finally, the reason I worked until last March was because I could and because I enjoyed what I was doing.

I’m familar with Dennison. It’s the birthplace of Dwight Eisenhower. In
Grayson County right next door to beautiful Sherman, TX home of the
Fighting Kangaroos of Austin College. It’s a real  dump of a 
town along with Sherman. I can’t believe the local yokels there were
buying options back then.  I just can’t see the people there
understanding  what  you were talking about.  I’m
picturing a bunch of extra’s from Deliverance watching with rapt
attention as you talk about options…I guess business is where you
find it.<!–
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[quote=no idea]I'm familar with Dennison. It's the birthplace of Dwight Eisenhower. In Grayson County right next door to beautiful Sherman, TX home of the Fighting Kangaroos of Austin College. It's a real  dump of a  town along with Sherman. I can't believe the local yokels there were buying options back then.  I just can't see the people there understanding  what  you were talking about.  I'm picturing a bunch of extra's from Deliverance watching with rapt attention as you talk about options....I guess business is where you find it.<!-- var SymRealOnLoad; var SymReal;

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//–> [/quote]

Does it occur to you that there might be 100 people--about fifty couples--in the Dennison/Sherman area who are gainfully employed?

Doctors, lawyers, small business owners?

Don't tell us...you burned through them in six years, and that's why you failed as a broker.  In two firms.

Amazing.

What I’m having trouble with is why you drove over an hour from
Highland Park to Dennison. Just  a shot in the dark here but I
would think Highland Park & University Park would have all the
business someone of your  “standing” could ever want.

Jeez, I haven’t been to this forum in 2-3 months, but the same ex-EDJ sour grapes are still wasting their energy on some silly vindication for their lack of success at Jones. I really feel sorry for some of you. Please seek therapy, and try and get on with your lives. Good luck.

[quote=no idea]What I'm having trouble with is why you drove over an hour from Highland Park to Dennison. Just  a shot in the dark here but I would think Highland Park & University Park would have all the business someone of your  "standing" could ever want.
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//–>[/quote]

That's the problem with people like you--you're too lazy to bother to drive an hour or two in order to find a new market.

Your philosophy of "When the going gets tough, I quit" is why you are doomed to failure.

One of the best accounts I ever had was a guy who owned a propane distributorship in East Texas.

It requires extra effort, you have to get up earlier and stay later--but success can be achieved.

[quote=hawg]Jeez, I haven't been to this forum in 2-3 months, but the same ex-EDJ sour grapes are still wasting their energy on some silly vindication for their lack of success at Jones. I really feel sorry for some of you. Please seek therapy, and try and get on with your lives. Good luck.[/quote]

They're becoming even more manic in their frenzy to find something to blame for their individual failures.  It's actually very sad.

No Newbie it’s not laziness it’s apathy. I quit giving a sh*te about
what you have to say  a long time ago. It just out of curiousity
that I asked why you were in Dennison instead of Highland 
Park. 

I do find the “that’s why you’re all doomed to failure” mantra amusing.
You should use that as your tag line for all your rebuttals.

Cheers!

[quote=no idea]No Newbie it's not laziness it's apathy. I quit giving a sh*te about what you have to say  a long time ago. It just out of curiousity that I asked why you were in Dennison instead of Highland  Park. 
I do find the "that's why you're all doomed to failure" mantra amusing. You should use that as your tag line for all your rebuttals.
Cheers!
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//–>[/quote]

Yet you not only read it, you responded to what I had to say.....twice.

Newbie, I feel like I’m on a roll. Let’s make it three times!

Just curious, was the guy in East Texas a member of the Little Sandy Hunting Club?

[quote=no idea]Newbie, I feel like I'm on a roll. Let's make it three times!
Just curious, was the guy in East Texas a member of the Little Sandy Hunting Club?
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//–>[/quote]

I have no idea, it was thirty years ago.

[quote=hawg]Jeez, I haven't been to this forum in 2-3 months, but the same ex-EDJ sour grapes are still wasting their energy on some silly vindication for their lack of success at Jones. I really feel sorry for some of you. Please seek therapy, and try and get on with your lives. Good luck.[/quote]

I just cant get over the jealousy I feel toward people that can still type on a computer even though they have their head burried up their ass.  I just wish I had that kind of talent...dumbass.

[quote=NASD Newbie]

[quote=no idea]What I'm having trouble with is why you drove over an hour from Highland Park to Dennison. Just  a shot in the dark here but I would think Highland Park & University Park would have all the business someone of your  "standing" could ever want.
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//–>[/quote]

That's the problem with people like you--you're too lazy to bother to drive an hour or two in order to find a new market.

Your philosophy of "When the going gets tough, I quit" is why you are doomed to failure.

One of the best accounts I ever had was a guy who owned a propane distributorship in East Texas.

It requires extra effort, you have to get up earlier and stay later--but success can be achieved.

[quote=NASD Newbie]

[quote=no idea]What I'm having trouble with is why you drove over an hour from Highland Park to Dennison. Just  a shot in the dark here but I would think Highland Park & University Park would have all the business someone of your  "standing" could ever want.
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//–>[/quote]

That's the problem with people like you--you're too lazy to bother to drive an hour or two in order to find a new market.

Your philosophy of "When the going gets tough, I quit" is why you are doomed to failure.

One of the best accounts I ever had was a guy who owned a propane distributorship in East Texas.

It requires extra effort, you have to get up earlier and stay later--but success can be achieved.

[/quote]

I meant to ask if your client starred was on TV, ala Hank Hill

[quote=NASD Newbie]

For the younger people who are reading this stuff.

For reasons that I have not been able to determine--yet--this forum attracts an extraordinary number of people who want to whine about Edward Jones.

This industry is notorious for those who are not making it to whine--perhaps all industries are but I'm only familiar with this one.

If you're working in a Smith Barney office somewhere those who are struggling are going to blame somebody other than themselves--it's human nature to do that.

If you're working in a bank somewhere those who are struggling are going to blame somebody other than themselves--it's human nature to do that.

I suspect that the reason you see so much whining on these forums is because the whiners are fairly isolated in their small Jones offices.  Around Smith Barney or a bank there would be somebody to whine with--two guys who are eventually going to fail can whine to each other, reassure each other that whatever is happening (or more appropriately not happening) is not because of something that they are doing, or not doing.

So they don't need an outlet to vent their anxieties, to reaffirm that they're doing the right thing they go have a beer after work.

But if you work for Jones and are failing there is nobody to go have a beer with--so you log onto this forum where others who are failing will reassure you that Jones is to blame.

Jones is not to blame.  It's no more a "cult" than the Catholic church is a cult.  It is a highly regarded marketing organization.

Admittedly it has a bit of a multi level marketing twist to it--but you should see Primerica or WMA.

A few years ago I was an arbitrator in a case involving Jones and admit that I was concerned about what appeared to be a lack of supervision--or more clearly it seemed to me that what they presented as a supervisory structure would not be able to supervise.

But that is a compliance issue and has little to do with what the whining is about.

What amuses this aging veteran is how somebody whines about not getting support, but they're going to "go indy" where there is, by design, almost no support.

Somebody is whining about not having e-mail.  How basic is that?  A sixth grader can get his own e-mail address without any adult intervention.

The cold, harsh, unvarnished reality is that those who are whining about what a horrible place Jones is would be whining about what a horrible place Merrill Lynch is if they were there.

They're on their way out the door--not because their broker/dealer is failing, but because they are failing.

Everytime you read words like "Cult" and "Kool Aid" figure that it's somebody who is better suited for another career simply spewing bile because they're nervous about the future.

Wish them well in their next career.

[/quote]

Mr. Newbie,

You seem to be having it come at you from all angles, so I'm not sure if this will even be seen. But from the above post you don't know alot about Jones do you?

While it's true, Jones offices are isolated, Jones IR's are inundated, almost smothered with "togetherness".

There are constant communications from home office, nearby offices etc. When you arrive in the morning, half a dead tree is laying in your printer for sorting. 

We had regular friendly "drop-ins" from neighboring IR's. Which can get to be old when you are having a busy day, and not every "friendly" visit is REALLY a "friendly" what's been working for you? visit. And vendors would try to pigeon hole the local IRs into a lunch or dinner meeting for an hour or two to talk about his/her product.

There are regional meetings to attend four times per year (not required, but strongly encouraged), amongst various other group  functions to attend. (Such as NewIR meetings held monthly usually a good distance's drive away on a Saturday morning)

Not to mention, the time spent mentoring & training New IR's. If you are an IR who does these things, there are meetings, conference calls etc held regarding THESE things.

So there's LOTS of togetherness. Plenty. Just wanted to draw attention to that factor. Too much. Choking - can't breathe.

The references to the "cult" - Guess you would have to had been there and left to understand. There's a lot of "conditioning" and training and responses that goes on. The firm history, culture, values are ingrained into even the lowest ranking employee, they even published a firm history book to keep on hand in branch offices! I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but there has to be a balance.

[quote=Devoted SA]

While it's true, Jones offices are isolated, Jones IR's are inundated, almost smothered with "togetherness".

[/quote]

You are right I have never been an employee or client of Jones so all I have to go on is thirty some odd years of being aware of them, what I have read in countless magazines and newspapers articles for three decades, spending many hours with some of their most senior officers, and interviewing several dozen of their reps over the years.

The son of a good friend of mine was a Jones broker--I heard about the door knocking and all the hoops he was forced to jump through when he got started.  They, the hoops, actually made a lot of sense to me.

There are far too many successful Jones brokers, associates, partners, whatever they call themselves for a mature professional to possibly conclude that the organization is wrong sided with the industry, its trends, its technology or its policies.

The business organization described by those of you who have found this forum to whine could not have the success that the Jones organization has enjoyed.

I have been trying to figure out why so many of you whiners have found your way to this particular forum and have decided that it is because there is nobody to whine with in your immediate office.

I don't care if you see the guy from the office across town once or twice a week, there is no better whining buddy than the guy who is in the next cubicle in a wirehouse.  You can whine on your coffee break, you can whine at lunch, you can whine over adult beverages after the market closes--there is no need to find an internet based forum for whining.

All I am doing is reminding the young people who are reading this stuff that there are several forum IDs that are whining about Jones--for all we know it might only be one person--but there are thousand and thousands of others who are out there across the fruited plain who are earning a hell of a good living representing a well respected broker/dealer.

I am convinced that those of you who are whining are failing--and you're doing the human nature thing of blaming anybody but the face in the mirror.

That's fine--blame Jones.  But understand that if you were with LPL you'd be failing too, or if you were with Smith Barney you'd be failing too.  When you fail in this business--and most do--it's not the fault of the broker/dealer; it's not the fault of the local management team; it's not the fault of the national management team; it's not because you don't have the most open of open architecture hardware; it's not because you don't have The Smegma Fund; it's not because you don't have a cell phone; it's not because you don't have the software necessary to prepare the snazziest financial plan that's out there; it's not because you don't have email; I grow weary.

The reason you're failing at Jones is the same reason you'd be failing anywhere else--you can't form relationships fast enough or often enough to make it in this business.

Newbie-

I hate to admit but I think Unsung had you pegged. You don't have a clue about Jones and you are dead wrong when you assume because we discuss issues about Jones that we have failed.

Quite the contrary. And in my case I am successful in their eyes. I don't feel I will be successful until I control my own destiny.