You need to  listen to the retention package, but you also need to get a feel for what is available to you. I would also talk to other co-workers, that you trust as friends, and get a feel for their thoughts. YOu will be much more marketable  if there are a group of you willing to go to the same place. I would laso talk to any wachovia brokers that you know and ask them what they think. If you IM me i will explain more detail. I talked to everyone before I left my previous company in sept of 2005.

imo wachovia will change the culture at a.g.  i wouldn't be surprissed if a lot of the a.g. reps go indy.

Listen to their pitch---try sticking around long enough to sample those homemade cookies and visit Richmond.

In the interim, see what the market will bear as far as other offers.

How much does an aquiring firm generally offer FC’s it wants to keep. 

Read along… article from past PRU acquisition. Very relevant

information, in my opinion:



As details of retention packages emerged in the wake of the Feb. 17

announcement that Wachovia and Prudential Financial would combine

brokerage operations, Pru advisors interviewed by Registered Rep.

expressed dismay and, occasionally, outrage at the size of the deal. Reps

are being offered from 10 percent to 30 percent of trailing 12-month

production, to be paid out over a period of several years.



However, industry insiders say there’s not much likelihood that the

package will be sweetened, because of the lousy market environment.

That has left some bitter feelings among brokers. “You bring us in, and

use our numbers to look good to go public and sell the firm, and get us

to bring our assets over here, and now we’re not getting anything,” says

one broker on the West Coast who had been at Pru for two years.



What could result is a significant number of the 4,000 Prudential

producers leaving to go to other firms before the Wachovia-Prudential

deal is completed and market conditions improve. Already, UBS

PaineWebber has picked off several branch managers in both the

Northeast and Midwest, and it’s expected that brokers could follow, to

UBS or other firms. The broker exodus could begin soon — Prudential’s

deferred compensation plan, called MasterShare, vests April 10, and some

high-end producers say they’re waiting for that before jumping ship.



“The regional vice-president was answering questions for an hour, and

the roof was caving in on him from all directions,” says one Pru advisor.

“The consensus I’m getting is the same — everybody is extremely

disappointed and very upset, and PaineWebber is canvassing our office

heavily.”



Retention bonuses at the lower end, for an advisor with production of

$300,000 in trailing 12-month commissions, would receive a 10 percent

bonus, spread out over five years (which translates to $6,000 a year).

Those with less than $300,000 don’t get anything.



Clearly, Wachovia wants to keep the top producers. Producers with a $1.2

million trailing production will get a 30 percent payout, and Pru brokers

say there are rumors that the deals for these top producers may be

sweetened.



Recruiters point out that despite the retention bonus, which vests at a

rate of 20 percent annually over five years, many Pru reps don’t have

great options in this market, and getting a bonus for doing nothing isn’t

so painful. “A number of people keep saying, ‘It’s just the first offer,’ and

they’re waiting for it to be made better,” says New York-based recruiter

Mark Elzweig. “I don’t see why it would be, though.”



Other recruiters and compensation experts advise Pru brokers to be

happy with what they get, because they are unlikely to increase their

income this year anywhere. “Why would you want to take an already

extremely bad situation and make it worse?” wonders one industry

consultant. “The likelihood of one doing better this year than last year is

not good, and last year was terrible.”



Still, the Pru brokers are hoping for something better, perhaps getting the

money over fewer years. Meanwhile, the structure of the new company is

becoming clearer. The new regional management team, as laid out by the

two firms in an internal memo, is comprised largely of Prudential

managers, many of whom report to eastern division director Scott

Umstead, of Pru. The western division reports to Terry Chase, who was

from Wachovia. Of the 13 regional directors, nine come from Prudential.

Three Pru managing directors were let go, however.

I would imagine there will be 2 groups of AGE FA's. The group that will want to go Indie, and teh group that doesnt want to deal with the issues that come with Indie.

Seems like the second group, would have to be nuts not to look at other Wirehouses. If they are going to end up at a wirehouse, why go to Wachovia, where they will get, I dunno, 30-60% deals, and what I hear is so so wealth mgmt platforms, when they could choose ML, or SB, where the platforms are stronger, and they will get 150-200%?

JMHO

[quote=Captain]Read along... article from past PRU acquisition. Very relevant
information, in my opinion:

As details of retention packages emerged in the wake of the Feb. 17
announcement that Wachovia and Prudential Financial would combine
brokerage operations, Pru advisors interviewed by Registered Rep.
expressed dismay and, occasionally, outrage at the size of the deal. Reps
are being offered from 10 percent to 30 percent of trailing 12-month
production, to be paid out over a period of several years.

However, industry insiders say there's not much likelihood that the
package will be sweetened, because of the lousy market environment.
That has left some bitter feelings among brokers. “You bring us in, and
use our numbers to look good to go public and sell the firm, and get us
to bring our assets over here, and now we're not getting anything,” says
one broker on the West Coast who had been at Pru for two years.

What could result is a significant number of the 4,000 Prudential
producers leaving to go to other firms before the Wachovia-Prudential
deal is completed and market conditions improve. Already, UBS
PaineWebber has picked off several branch managers in both the
Northeast and Midwest, and it's expected that brokers could follow, to
UBS or other firms. The broker exodus could begin soon — Prudential's
deferred compensation plan, called MasterShare, vests April 10, and some
high-end producers say they're waiting for that before jumping ship.

“The regional vice-president was answering questions for an hour, and
the roof was caving in on him from all directions,” says one Pru advisor.
“The consensus I'm getting is the same — everybody is extremely
disappointed and very upset, and PaineWebber is canvassing our office
heavily.”

Retention bonuses at the lower end, for an advisor with production of
$300,000 in trailing 12-month commissions, would receive a 10 percent
bonus, spread out over five years (which translates to $6,000 a year).
Those with less than $300,000 don't get anything.

Clearly, Wachovia wants to keep the top producers. Producers with a $1.2
million trailing production will get a 30 percent payout, and Pru brokers
say there are rumors that the deals for these top producers may be
sweetened.

Recruiters point out that despite the retention bonus, which vests at a
rate of 20 percent annually over five years, many Pru reps don't have
great options in this market, and getting a bonus for doing nothing isn't
so painful. “A number of people keep saying, ‘It's just the first offer,’ and
they're waiting for it to be made better,” says New York-based recruiter
Mark Elzweig. “I don't see why it would be, though.”

Other recruiters and compensation experts advise Pru brokers to be
happy with what they get, because they are unlikely to increase their
income this year anywhere. “Why would you want to take an already
extremely bad situation and make it worse?” wonders one industry
consultant. “The likelihood of one doing better this year than last year is
not good, and last year was terrible.”

Still, the Pru brokers are hoping for something better, perhaps getting the
money over fewer years. Meanwhile, the structure of the new company is
becoming clearer. The new regional management team, as laid out by the
two firms in an internal memo, is comprised largely of Prudential
managers, many of whom report to eastern division director Scott
Umstead, of Pru. The western division reports to Terry Chase, who was
from Wachovia. Of the 13 regional directors, nine come from Prudential.
Three Pru managing directors were let go, however.[/quote]

That article is only slightly relevant.  Try multiplying those deals by 5.

From onwallstreet.com

The good news for some A.G. Edwards reps is that they'll split a pot worth more than $1 billion. In return, those brokers will have to sign six-year forgivable loans. That broker-retention pool will be more than five times the amount that Wachovia parsed out to keep brokers from the former Prudential Securities when it acquired that firm in 2003. Officials will let reps know details about the retention packages during the month of June.