Fool,



I did not write this:



"That, however, does not make…Edward Jones being more moral, ethical, higher paying and/or better than anyone else true."



These are your words, not mine.



There are many good firms out there. Going Independent or Indy or soemwhere in-between like Jones is a personal preference. There are pros and cons on all.



However I think it is silly to get on this board and bash other firms or styles. It’s not one size fits all.



BPD

You simpleton, you consistently do just that.

You really aren't worth the time to respond to.

BPD,

Looks like you've been busted again, child!

Now, wait a minute, lets please get back to the topic on hand, which is Jones vs. AG Edwards.

[quote=tedstriker]I'm considering moving from Jones to AGEdwards (suburban area). I'm four years out with 25mm and 170-180k gross.

[/quote]

Sorry for lame ? what does the 25mm represent and the 170-180k mean?

Thank you.

[quote=BigPayDay]Sooth,

You must really hate the Walton family (Robson, Jim, John, Alice and Helen), George Bush (43), Ted Jones, Michael Douglas, Franklin Graham, JFK Jr., Abigail Johnson, Keith Murdoch, Jesus, Donald Newhouse, Peyton Manning, etc., etc., etc. Just think how much you are going to hate Bill Gate's, Michael Dell's and Larry Ellison's children.

Sounds like you let jealousy control your life. You may want to seek professional help for this before it's too late.

What has the S&P averaged since 1990? Not 22%. If I'm not mistaken the S&P has averaged a -3.5% over the past five years. THAT'S MY POINT! With the exception of a handful of individual stocks there are very few investments that have done this well. And you're levereaged at very low interest rates. Remember you only have to put 25% down.

The offices that have been Goodknighted to family members more than not increase in business, not decrease, actually helping LP returns, not hurting them.

BPD

P.S. I'm glad you'll make your own way.

[/quote]

Almost 20% in the 90s.  I didn't take the last 5 year into account.  Let me ask you something.  You claim to have been selling ICA since the load was 8.5%  When you started, was the firm mostly made of new/new brokers?  Everybody basically chopping the same wood in their own town, right?  The second generation broker is a relatively new phenomenon for Jones.  My point is, when you were getting started, you didn't ever have to put up with it.  So, you have absolutely no idea how it feels to be constantly put in the chow line behind these guys and gals who have not done the work of building a business.  Every region is different.  Every set of circumstance is different.  My situation was such that I was always going to be smothered by this set of circumstance.  Another question for you?  What would happen if the general's son got to join the Army, but started out as a Lieutenant Colonel from day one.  Would the troops down the line respect him?  I was one of the troops who couldn't respect these jokers. 

By the way, your logic is empty as hell on all the people I’m supposed to hate.  The Walton’s, Ted Jones, Keith Murdoch, The Gates’, the Ellison’s etc. are all direct decendents of the founders.  Big, big difference.  Nobody was forced to hire Michael Douglas in Hollywood because of who his dad was.  George Bush (43) won an election, make that two.  And JFK, Jr. found out that just because your daddy is presidential material doesn’t mean that you are.  Jesus paid the ultimate price, and made the ultimate sacrifice.  And, Peyton Manning didn’t have NFL defenses playing soft for him because they felt sorry for poor Archie.  Besides, everyone knows he’s way better than his Dad every even thought of being.  All the people who give their books to their kids are employees.  They receive W-2s annually.  That’s where your logic fails.  Jack Welch was a W-2ed employee of GE.  What would have happend there if his son would have succeeded him as CEO?  Sound ridiculous, I know.

Sooth: "Almost 20% in the 90s. I didn’t take the last 5 year into account."



BPD: You may not be able to calculate it on your fancy smancy computer, but the S&P has only averaged 10.9% the last 15 years. 03/90 - 03/05. Jones LP 22.7%.



Sooth: "Let me ask you something. You claim to have been selling ICA since the load was 8.5% When you started, was the firm mostly made of new/new brokers?



BPD: Yes.



Sooth: Everybody basically chopping the same wood in their own town, right?



BPD: Right.



Sooth: The second generation broker is a relatively new phenomenon for Jones. My point is, when you were getting started, you didn’t ever have to put up with it. So, you have absolutely no idea how it feels to be constantly put in the chow line behind these guys and gals who have not done the work of building a business. Every region is different. Every set of circumstance is different. My situation was such that I was always going to be smothered by this set of circumstance.



BPD: There’s always someoen that will be making more money and less, somebody in better shape and less, somebody with a better looking wife and less, etc. Get MY point. Dude you gotta move on.



Sooth: Another question for you? What would happen if the general’s son got to join the Army, but started out as a Lieutenant Colonel from day one. Would the troops down the line respect him? I was one of the troops who couldn’t respect these jokers.



BPD: I work for a financial services firm. I’m not in the service. Totally different, not a good analogy.



“So, you have absolutely no idea how it feels to be constantly put in the chow line behind these guys and gals who have not done the work of building a business.”

Sooth,



This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE line of yours:



“So, you have absolutely no idea how it feels to be constantly put in the chow line behind these guys and gals who have not done the work of building a business.”



It sorta brings a tear to my eye!

Sooth,



Speechless?



Havn’t heard from Truth in a while, maybe him and Zacko were the same person. Huh?



BPD

Speechless?  Hardly.  Go back and answer the questions.  Then, I’ll respond.  For the third and final time.  The S&P 500 was up almost 20% per year in the 90s.  I did not take the last 5 years into account.  I don’t give two sh*ts of a rat’s ass what the Jones LP did!  That is not the point!  Start with the military analogy.  It is valid.  (By the way, I’m entitled to use them, and Put Trader is not.  I served–25th Infantry Division, 3/21 Infantry “Tropic Light”, Go Gimlet!)

[quote=Phlyin’ Phule]

You simpleton, you consistently do just that.

You really aren’t worth the time to respond to.

Busted again, BPD.

Starka,



How do you figure “I’m busted”?



Fool says I’m consistantly bashing other firms on this board, so I asked him to show me even one post where I’ve bashed another firm: Topic, date and time.



Has he replied yet?



No, he has not.



BPD

Everything you post is a crock, BPD, and anyone capable of reason knows it.

BPD this is for you buddy!!!!

I am a former Jones LP and I will admit the returns are NICE!!!!  But lets talk about ethics for just a second.  Jones is an extremely ethical firm when it comes to doing what is right for the client.  I WILL NEVER ARGUE THAT!!!!  Are there better investment options for clients at other firms.  ABSOLUTELY!!!!  How about a mutual fund analysis department that covers 90 fund companies instead of just seven.  How about a wide range of fee based accounts for tax sensitive investors?  What about creating a hedging strategy for clients by purchasing protective puts instead of liquidating and reallocating positions.  These are all things other firms offer that Jones does not.  Do not get me wrong Jones has a good business model and for what they offer and who their target client is they do it VERY WELL.  This is not a put down to Jones in any way it is the facts.  These are all reasons I left.

Lets get back to ethics for a second.  I was very surprised in 2002 to see Jones when the best company to work for award.  Here's why imagine you are a very successful IR growing your business, making top producer in a year when other brokers are struggling.  Then it comes bonus time and because the firm is in the 0% bonus bracket you don't get one that year.  Is that ethical?  At first thought yes if the company is not making money how can there be a bonus.  But here is the million dollar ethical question.  What was the return on GP that year.  Ask your regional leader or area leader!!!!  Is it fair that those working on the front lines making the firm what it is get their bonus cut, but the GPs still get their hefty paycheck?

Unless you are a GP it was not a "Big Pay Day" when there was a 0% Bonus Bracket.  Is that fair????

Is it ethical to keep adding offices in small towns right on top of the brokers VOLUNTEERING their time to make the firm better.  Increasing competition and reducing the number of good prospects for them.

Jones does do what is right for the customer.  My question is do they do what is right for the broker.  Those trips can really blind you and so does the family atmosphere.  If you do not believe look at the payouts at other firms, look at other firms retirement plans, and look at other firms bonus structure. 

If we are going to keep talking about LP.  Then look at other firm stock purchase plans.  Some of which allow you to buy the stock at a 15% discount.  That is better then the 7% guarantee on the Jones LP.  Then look if you held those shares for a while.  Competitve if not better then the Jones LP.

Sometimes you need to step back clear your head and look at your options.  For me it was AG Edwards.  For others it is going private and for others it is staying at Jones.  You have to make the decision what is right for you.  But do not be close minded and not look at the possibilities.  I know that is what most good businessmen and businesswomen do.

Thank you for your time!!!

Uptick, I can appreaciate some of what you said. I am not an LP YET but I looked online at the returns aganist AGE and there is really no comparison. Even buying at a 15% discount. Isn’t the LP 7.5% a sure thing, is your stock a sure thing?

Read the fine print a bit closer if and when Jones decides to sell out.  Great point about the ethics.  I was talking to a simple minded Jones client and he was wanting an explanation regarding the letter he received from Jones regarding the mutual fund scandal at Jones.  Paraphrasing he said so can I move to any fund family at no cost?  I said yes you can.  He said Calamos, Franklin or Oppenheimer?  I said yes.  He said why did my broker say that that was not the case?   I asked him to make the switch from VK and LA and he said that he was reading the letter wrong.  By the way this broker is a top 10 producer.  So a complaint letter is on the way.  How are you other Jones brokers handling this situation?

Truth, letters are not out yet for the switch. So what are you talking about?

Apparently, the client read this somewhere.

Here is a reason to move from Jones to AG:

"We are well aware that many in our industry are moving toward fee-based compensation," Douglas Hill, Edward Jones' managing partner said in an e-mail response. "However, we serve ... the serious, long-term investor who buys quality securities, holds them over time and does not trade frequently. With that in mind, we continue to believe that the fairest and most transparent form of compensation is the payment of a commission on each transaction."

So you are not a serious investor if you use fee based accounts? Good luck competing Jones Drones.