Pros
--Fair work/life balance --Beautiful office
Cons
--Company Outlook: The mere fact that DFA continues to exist, in and of itself, is mystifying. The basic investment strategy has been replicated countless times over and offered to investors at far lower prices by many competitors. Nonetheless, unwitting investors continue to hand over their assets to financial advisors who, in turn, transfer these assets to DFA at an exorbitant fee -- for the false promise of higher returns beyond the benchmark. These higher returns are utterly illusory. The financial advisors know this of course -- but are themselves compensated by DFA -- so the machine continues forth. This, in some ways, is a form of white collar grift. The victim here is, typically, a high net worth individual or the crime is spread thinly over many thousands of investors -- so no one really cares. The point is, if DFA existed in a more transparent and competitive context -- it simply would not exist by tomorrow morning. --Career Development: You will develop little to no transferable skills over the duration of your employment here. This cannot be stressed enough. Every year you stay, the fetters grow ever tighter and the walls ever higher. Your relevancy to other companies dwindles while your sink even more entrenched into mire of DFA. They know this and will always use it against you. --HR: Truly, some of the worst human beings I have ever encountered over the course of my life. --Pay: Well below industry average. Do not be fooled -- Austin is a very expensive city. --Culture: Because the entire organization is process-driven and has no interest in change, career advancement consequently revolves around political in-fighting and scarcely anything else. This also cannot be emphasized enough. If you haven't kissed the hand of every possible relevant human being within your organization, then your opportunities will be severely curtailed. Correspondingly, I also witnessed appalling employees swiftly ascend the corporate ladder simply by virtue of the fact that they had flattered and flirted the requisite egos. The latter was not the exception -- it was the norm. --Work Life Balance: Previously, I would have said that DFA might actually be a decent place to work if you led a life deeply enriched by things beyond your career. It used to be fairly easy to come, complete your work, and go as you please. Now, however, your movement is meticulously tracked and this data is presumably provided to your manager and any other individual in the organization who might use it against you. --Overall: The sun has set on the glory days of DFA. The company will continue to pedantically adhere to their processes until the company gently fades into oblivion. As resources are constrained and funds are tightened, I imagine the political quarrels will only grow more aggressive and more treacherous. Another procedure to follow, another colleague to betray -- until the last portfolio's last assets under management finally sinks to zero. Nothing will be lost. Also, an unknown assailant repeatedly defecated in the breakroom.