There you go, now Alan has the right attitude. AF helps to break into the industry; no question about it.
AnalystAlan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Then yes Now you’re ready Alan. Go forth and ball (haha, ball).
to analystalan: Hey man, I am a BROKER at MSSB also. I worked at UBS before MSSB. I did not go to an ivy league school. I live in the northeast, but not NY. My family is not wealthy, I was the second person to actually go to college. I have been an FA for 10 years and I am good at what I do. Do not give even the slightest attention to these negative comments. I am pursuing the CFA to become a more well rounded individual. I am pursuing it because I am still young enough to do it, and you never know what opportunities will present themselves in life. I do not sell, sell, sell. I incorporate our research, my experience and knowledge to construct investment solutions and strategies for institutions, endowments, and private investors. I have institutional clients that I work with everyday. I construct portfolios similar to what any Vanguard mutual fund manager does. I would not trade my experience and firm name for any designation or degree. What a lot of these people will never understand, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. You work for a great firm, and through the course of your career you will meet countless people who you can network with and gain insight from. Do not listen to the people who are painting brokers with a broad brush saying it’s a strike. That’s like me saying that they all think the best way to get a job that you want is staring at books, using a calculator, taking tests, so you can put a whole bunch of degrees and designations on a resume and googling how to do well in an interview. Working as an advisor at MSSB will teach you invaluable experience with both the financial markets, and PEOPLE skills. Sales, networking, presenting to large groups of people, hosting seminars, securing investors, etc. You will learn how to do this, and about how different investments perform through your experience in ways that books can’t teach you. Get used to some people painting you with a brush though, you can see how some people do percieve brokers. My advice to you is this: Being a financial advisor is one of the most challenging, and rewarding things that you can do. DO NOT sleep on how hard it is to make it. My class started out with 132 people, I am one of 11 still standing. Making it as an advisor for a world recognized investment bank looks GREAT on your resume. It is not a strike, it is a plus. For every jer*off that says being a broker is nothing more than pushing stocks, there is someone who works in the field that recognizes the degree of difficulity it takes, the fact that you can comfortably work with institutions and high net worth people, and the stress that it brings. Focus on growing a book and talking to everyone that you can. It is going to be very difficult to study while you are doing this. Go to amazon and get every practice exam you can get, and start taking the exams early (even if you don’t fully grasp the material). Taking the practice exams is the best way to learn. Do not look at the CFA as a way to change careers. It sounds like you are already resigned to leaving the business before you even get started. It is going to take you three years anyway (at minimum) to get the designation, so focus on the opportunity in front of you now and play it year by year. You will see as you move through your career that it is the people who make the connections, and network, that get to the places that they want to go. Its not the person with a 6 page resume of degrees and designations. Yes you are in a different part of the business, but you will meet and talk to people in all parts of the business working for MSSB. Just keep your head down bro.