Pros
It's a good place for someone new to the finance industry to attain securities licenses. It's a good place for someone seeking a "job" over the short to intermediate term; not a long term career. Would recommend to a friend only in these cases.
Cons
Very few opportunities for career advancement outside of the Baltimore MD home office. Extremely politicized work environment, with entrenched mid and senior management. Company is constantly lagging behind industry with regards to client-facing technology and internal work systems. Company has built a reputation of underpaying employees by just enough so that: 1. Employees question the companies sense of value placed on retaining talented people. 2. Employees constantly struggle with the prospect of looking to other employers for career advancement and equitable pay. Company has taken an adolescent approach to metrics for employee performance. This approach has completely changed the value proposition for our clients. Representative and client interactions are now focused completely around an arbitrary metric, and no longer around the client need. The company as a whole lacks vision and a mission (and mission statement), from the top down.