Best Financial Advisor company to intern with?

Flask nailed it. I have two friends that are FAs. One is a great bullshitter/salesman, studied business at LSU but is pretty dumb in general. He started off as an insurance salesman and transferred over...now makes well over 400k.

The other one is very smart, studied Finance at Tulane, and is a bit introverted. He struggles to pay his bills.

I am in sales now, in a completely different field. I'd like to get the best of both worlds. I am intrigued by finance, but assume that being able to go out and get your own clients is the best way to build wealth. My undergrad is not relevant to finance or business though. Which is why I'm going back for my MBA.

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assume I need some credentials first to land a good internship in NY

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Definitely. But you need more than that. You can have the credentials but so will everyone else. You need connections to if finance is what you are serious about (I'm talking real financial analysis- if you want to be an analyst). a top notch MBA school will help develop good connections (that's if you wanna go to NYC)

If you want to be a portfolio manager, sales experience will do you well. Interning for any firm even IB's you will likely have to help raise assets. Basically with a smile on your face you need to be able call up some high net worth folks and hear them say "fck you don't ever fckin call me again" and then call them again 2 months later with a better story and figure out how to relate

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If you want to do financial analysis, don't be an FA. They are salesman and client service personnel. There is no serious financial analysis involved (waits for some random FA to claim they do)

If you want to be a FA, you don't need an MBA. Don't waste your time.

They are all going to make you call everyone you know and ask for money. That's what they do.

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That's being pretty general. While this is true for a lot of FAs and probably most, i know plenty of advisors who are very in tune with the market's do all of their own analysis and manage all of their clients money themselves.

for every edward jones or bank advisor pushing product there's another advisor who actually manages money, it's all about getting on with the right group.

with that in mind i'd apply to any of the local wirehouses or a local independent and try to get on with a group who does this and doesn't farm it out to 3rd parties or simply sells packaged products.

steer clear of the insuarance companies like 1st investor's, Prudential, Metlife, Norhwestern Mutaul etc.

Investments are all about Risks/Rewards bro.

That applies to school too. With 8.2% unemployment and a further confirmation of an anemic labor market today, most all industries aren't hiring left and right till they get future certainty from politics etc. The street has undergone many cuts- some even top down. Less of the public has confidence in the markets and as such good advisors analysts are doing well, the others are getting axed.

Without significant connections, if your trying to get into IB, institutional PM, or become a research analyst, you'll need a top MBA and eventually CFA to have the best shot. Yes this will cost a lot but that the chance you have to take.

The most compelling risk/reward or risk adjusted return option I see is petroluem engineering. LSU has a top rated program, industry is in our own back yard, increasing demand for energy

My honest opinion on Edward Jones and the like managers (in general) is that most are entrepreneurial salesman who get put into a 6 month training program and are then expected to raise their own money and compete on the street with big boys. They lack the critical thinking and analysis skills analyst have and are reliant upon some one to form an opinion for them on what to buy. Then on top of that, their main goal is finding more money to manage, and not managing yours as they should be. (maybe a bit harsh and generalized) now that said I know multiple people at similar positions. Some I would trust, the others no way.

. If I was trusting somebody to manage my money I would want to see they have true analyst experience with a reputable firm or at least solid credentials. They will charge more and have higher minimums. But I'm fairly biased from my time on the street.

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If you want to do financial analysis, don't be an FA. They are salesman and client service personnel. There is no serious financial analysis involved

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Completely correct.

There's a place for both, but if you are doing real analysis you are generally dealing with people who think 1% is a low standard of living, if you're dealing with individuals at all.

If you want to work with more average folks there's a place for that too, it's called "financial planning" and focuses on helping clients with their IRA's, 401(k)'s, life planning generally. It can be a fine thing too, most people can barely balance a checkbook and can use the help. But although some of them try they are not serious investment analysts. That's the Edward Jones model in a nutshell.

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I'll figure it out one day

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Good luck, and that's pretty much what everyone does.

After they graduate, not before. Just keep your eyes open and it'll work out.