Pros
If you are a financial planner who hates prospecting, you'll love waiting for the phone to ring and having others set appointments for you.
Cons
The firm is a financial planning firm and unless you are hired as a financial planner, it is extremely unlikely you will be able to work your way up the ranks and if you do it will take years. If you are not a financial planner you are among the second class citizens there to support them. This company is all about Ric Edelman and has no room for employees to bring their personality or be resourceful. Do what you are told, don't question the process or the procedures and do not expect your individual contribution to have any value. While the culture and values place the client's interests first, the fee schedule is excessive the financial planners are 9 to 5 employees and part of a manufacturing process with a firm that values robotic adherence to the firm's script. There is only room for one entrepreneur in this organization. All financial planners have a picture on their wall with them shaking Ric's hand. Every financial planner has an award for excellent service on their bookcase. Since shares of Edelman Financial have been recently purchased by Hellman and Friedman, Ric Edelman has become a newly minted billionaire who no longer runs the company - just his radio show. Rumor has it that his contract calls for him to stick around a few more years which begs the question- what's next? While Ric and his wife Jean have given generously to charities of their choice including a recent donation of $25 million to Rowan University for a fossil park, the 401k plan for employees pales in comparison to how many of the clients they serve have benefited from retirement plans offered by their employers.
