My assistant made 57K last year including benefits.  She's unlicensed.Good assistants are so important if you do a high volume of business. 

As far as Jones goes--they pretend to be something they are not and they are more than a bit cultish.  Is it a decent opportunity for someone with no industry experience who wants to get a start?  Yes--it is.  But, it's not the company it was ten years ago.  And, in the long run, they take far more from you than you ever get in return from them.

Is anyone surprised when St Louis tries to keep assets? Would anyone NOT try and keep assets? You all sound so petulant and childish

BF:

No one is surprised when a firm tries to keep the assets that the IR brought in when the IR leaves.  Neither should the firm be surprised that when the IR leaves he will want to take not only those assets that he brought to the office from previous relationships but also those he cultivated alone while there with new relationships.  What I object to is deceptive practices like outright lying about the outgoing IR, using defamatory and slanderous statements.  Lying to the clients about the costs of transferring accounts and telling them they will have to sell everything out if they transfer to scare them from leaving.

I especially object to the overt churning in accounts by the transitional and new IRs.  By sowing doubt in the capability and integrity of the outgoing IR in the minds of the client's who remain at the office the new guys sell out perfectly good investments and negating the long term strategies that were set in place over years of "knowing your customer".   Know your customer.....what a joke.

I can take care of myself and have.  However, I also object to the smug and self congratulatory attitude that you and others take when perpetrating these practices on the unsophisticated and trusting clients.  I also object to the smug and paternalistic attitude of denigrating as lowly and fluff headed anyone who doesn't fall at your feet and worship at the altar of Edward Jones (who I believe is probably turning in his grave at the current trend of his company)

 I want to work at Zacko's office!

I agree with Babbling Looney!  I had to have my attorney send a cease and desist letter to Jones because of all the rumors and lies that they were telling my former clients.  I had four clients tell me that the new Jones IR was flat out lying to try and keep accounts.  I also couldn’t understand why some of my clients thought they were going to be charged fees to transfer, but then I probed the clients and they started telling me that the new IR was saying they had to sell out of certain investments.  It’s ridiculous.  I am going to try and sue them for the things they were saying about me.  I’m going to wait a year but I’m building a case.

Find a good class action lawyer and see how many want to join the class. From what I hear, your experience is pretty typical. (From “the most ethical firm on wall street”). 

Nicole,

Are you hawt?

The question we’ve all been wanting to ask…