[quote=xbanker]If you haven’t left in a years time, you’re the equivilant of Hal Holbrook in Wall St. [/quote]

If you want to leave, go ahead and leave.  But don’t try and say one year with a firm is a long time.  That’s just silly.

Maybe in your one full year of experience one year seems like a long time, but that ain’t saying much.

I was recently in the MS training program and my district was definitly looking for reasons to let the trainees go.  I had AUM of 550k with a 250K account on it’s way (ACATS were signed) and they let me (and every other trainee in the district) go because I didn’t hit the 600k minimum AUM for your first quarter, first quarter revenue minimum was $4500.00 (which I had over $5400.00 not counting my incoming account).  Point is, if you think you can hit the numbers it’s a great place, but right now, they aren’t doing any probabtion periods or cutting you any slack.

brain.ra, Where are you now? The one positive aspect of being in such a difficult program with that reputation is that everyone knows it and considers getting cut no big deal. I’ve heard a manager say he liked that someone “had the balls to try Morgan.”  Getting cut from Joe’s regional firm for lack of production would probably raise an eyebrow but I don’t think anyone will see your situation as a negative in the same way.

I agree with you xbanker, I actually hide a recruiter from ML calling me before MS let me go and now I’m trying to decide between taking the position with merrill or going with a more corporate type job with fidelity.  I posted a topic under the rookie section asking for advice between the two jobs and i’m getting some good feedback.

No prob at all. I was hired by ML a little over a year ago but unfortunately it took them so long that I was already in my current role at a firm similar to Fidelity. Go with ML. Discount land is a dead end, and there would be NO reason at all to bring clients of your own to that environment. The few people who would start your career at a wire would just be one drop in the bucket before starting over again in the next quarter at Fido, Chuck, TD, Scottrade, etc.

Your story is pretty much the case…I was in a large branch and saw about 300 trainees get blown out over 6 years.  Maybe 3-4 have survived.  I would say those odds are bad, I would go in a different direction.  This business is dead, especially for new people.  I think once this generation of people 50 years and up now, pass on, this business will be almost extinct.  Pretty sure in 50 years people will look back and say “there were actually people who sold you investment products/ideas and you paid for that”? 

As long as people have fear and greed we will have a job. As each day goes by and things are more global the need for a pro gets larger and larger.

Your story is pretty much the case…I was in a large branch and saw about 300 trainees get blown out over 6 years. Maybe 3-4 have survived. I would say those odds are bad, I would go in a different direction. This business is dead, especially for new people. I think once this generation of people 50 years and up now, pass on, this business will be almost extinct. Pretty sure in 50 years people will look back and say “there were actually people who sold you investment products/ideas and you paid for that”?