Hello Everyone

Welcome to the freest and most lively advisor forum.

Consider joining an established practice as an employee first, to learn the business and the subtle tricks of the trade.

Unless you already know them.

It's pretty hard to buy a book. Starting a book is grueling, especially if you have been around for a while.

What’s been your experience in the business thus far?

I passed my series 7, 63, and 55 but they expired after i left the finance industry to run my family’s real estate company after my father passed away.  i also passed the level I CFA and the Level I, II, and III CMT exams.  Worked as a trading assitant, research sales, and then in real estate for the last four years.  now i desperately want to get back to my career and passion in the markets.  does this answer your question sufficiently?

Makrs - you’ve got the technical expertise to be on the asset mgmt side. I wonder if you’d be happier there.

If I were right out of school, I would consider the buy side route, but for my skill set, age, and experience, I think this is a better fit for me.  There’s plenty of room to put my technical and analytical expertise to work as an FA.  If anything, I hope it puts me in a stronger position to leverage that knowledge and hit the ground running.

You are probably right. In regards to the firms you’re looking at - it sounds like you want a firm with a robust fee-based program where you can develop your own models & platforms and tweak them over time. The insurance based companies will have you selling VA’s, VUL’s, and other things with guarantees to them. Wirehouses and indy’s may be a better fit.

Yeah, that's what I think.   By "fee based" are you referring to % of assets or transaction fees?  Is there a standard breakdown is the business as to how much of your income is typically % based and how much transaction based?  Hasn't a lot of the business turned toward the former?

[quote=Ashland]You are probably right. In regards to the firms you're looking at - it sounds like you want a firm with a robust fee-based program where you can develop your own models & platforms and tweak them over time. The insurance based companies will have you selling VA's, VUL's, and other things with guarantees to them. Wirehouses and indy's may be a better fit.[/quote]

God forbid someone get a guarantee on anything.

God forbid someone get a guarantee on anything.

Wow, what a surprising turn of conversation, from:

Hey guys,

Though not new to the financial business, I am looking to break into a FA role.  

An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who intentionally posts controversial or contrary messages in an online community such as an online discussion forum or USENET, with the intention of baiting users into an argumentative response.[1]

Can't stay away from here, can you?

Stupid: does not see the hypocracy and conflict of interest of being a troll on a web site that he encouraged others to leave because of trolling behaviour.

If you weren't stupid you would've noticed that my comment pertains to the post that I quoted. 

Are you getting a lot of positive feedback from from your friends about making an a** of yourself?

Why on God's Earth do you feel a need to hang around here to have your needs met by this forum?

Successful in his mind: he just managed to hijack yet another thread, the subject matter being:

Hey guys,

Though not new to the financial business, I am looking to break into a FA role.  

break it up, break it up! you guys want to duke it out, take it outside, i'll have no blood on the floor of my post.  you won't be able to sell sh!t with a broken face either so take these boxing gloves too 

So, if you want to be an FA, can you sell?

I think I can, and know the committment it requires based upon my industry experience.  Earlier in my career I would have questioned it, but after running my own company, which required a good amount of selling and prospect/customer interaction I think I’m in a very good position to excel in this line of work.  Ultimately, the only way to be absolutely certain is by taking the plunge and doing everything you can do, and then some, to succeed, but between my experience, product and market knowledge, as well as my network, I feel I’m in an excellent position to thrive.  I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel here.  I want to take what works, make it my own, multiply it, and put it to practice in every way I can.

after running my own company, which required a good amount of selling and prospect/customer interaction I think I'm in a very good position to excel in this line of work. 

Yep, you got it.

I just had an interview with axa advisors.  The VP I interviewed with was great.  Quite focused on wealth management and focusing on customers needs, rather than just shoveling insurance.  I'd be coming specializing in securities.  Second round next week.  Any thoughts?

yes.  Interview with a real firm.

yes.  Interview with a real firm.

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I'm out of here too and you can thank Flamingo for killing rrmag.   http://www.regreps.com

This would appear to be an example of a conversation stopping troll remark. Unfortunate, Reggin.

Mkrs, so you would be working for an Sr. advisor pitching stocks and collecting commissions, or what?

i will say the only AXA i have seen in 2.5 years is very expensive insurance products that seemed to be sold to the unsophistacted/vulnerable. bad taste in my mouth. go somewhere WITHOUT the proprietary products

You call it expensive…I call it 6.5% guaranteed minimum to age 85 without touching principal.

I’m currently on board with Axa in the testing process.  It seems that there is lots of animosity towards this firm?  Can you guys clue me in on as to why there is so much hate for Axa?  I just graduated college and am new to the industry.  Any feedback would be great!

A big reason for the animosity is that AXA is viewed as more of an insurance shop as an investment shop.  They’re also looked at as a proprietary product pusher, but frankly, the AXA Accumulator is a pretty good VA in my mind.  You could certainly push worse products.  All in all, I don’t think it’s a terrible first option out of college if you like the people you’re interviewing with and you’re satisfied with the comp package they offer.  Having said that, I’ve never worked there, but I certainly have flogged their annuities.

you’re saying the Accumualtor principal value cannot go down? not according to the prospectus. please elaborate

Thanks for the response Indy.  I figure I should get take whatever I could get out of college and perhaps get some experience and move onto a bigger and better firm.  Are most people still with the same firm they first started at?  Just wondering what moves people have made from start to present.  Thanks.