investment consultant

client services associate

director of finance

financial analyst

engineer

Edelman Financial Engines

Conservative non diverse financial firm where the role of CSA is pretty much as high as you can go if your plan isn't to be a financial planner.  Felt very "cult like" as it seems the owner/ founder brainwashes employees into what seems like worship and only believe in his vision. He forces his publications,  broadcasts etc on employees I guess to buy into the "hype". Try to coerce administrative staff by providing weird free snacks that very few people actually enjoy and a free birthday lunch of your choice. I suppose that's the thanks you get. 

The work of a CSA is tedious and it seems the way they create more work is by having 10 steps to complete a task that in other firms would probably be done in 2 steps.  Systems are out of date compared to industry standards.

HR and management is a joke. They can't even explain benefit offerings if you contact them, nor do they have clear understanding of their own company policies and procedures. 

Health insurance is awful!! You pay for everything out of pocket no matter which plan you choose, so if you have medical needs this is something to really think about.  Don't count on them to explain it to you either. Call the insurance providing company itself for accurate information. 

Locations are all outside accessible areas for commuters, which speaks volumes about their culture as a whole. 

Your overall success at this company depends on whether a planner likes you or not basically, of which most of them being conservatives aren't open to new energy.

Look elsewhere if your plan is to progress in financial services.  

The branding was brilliant and the company was driven by its mission, which was to educate clients about retirement planning through a radio show, seminars, and very accessible books. The environment at Edelman was very structured and centered around removing every obstacle to a planner's success. The planners had a great situation: No marketing. Leads were fed to them from the seminar registrant lists. They placed their clients into one of many "models" based on their risk tolerance, so they weren't choosing the specific investments. The seminars were coordinated from the marketing department and the company trained professional presenters, so the planners did not run the seminars. For people in my support position, the work day was long (8:30 - 5:30) and there was very little opportunity for advancement. The pay was higher for my position than it is at many places. The best benefit was that the company gave employees who were there 5 years a 4-week paid sabbatical. The company has merged with a much larger company, so it is unclear whether that perk will remain. As a result of the merger, they are no longer a broker dealer and, therefore, employees' FINRA license will expire in two years.

EFS has a strong reputation, and for that reason the lead flow is good.  The company mission is strong and everyone is passionate about the investment philosophy.  The company does the right thing for clients, which I consider to be the most important aspect of any financial services firm. The portfolios are great and the financial planning process is extremely high quality. For clients, this is a great firm.  As en employee, however, I find that the culture is very political and fear-based. Many seem concerned yet unaware of what their reputation is with upper management. There are periodic performance evaluations, but it is not clear what performance means in terms of goals or what your status is with upper management.  All managers are very knowledgeable and easy to approach when needed. Planners are very busy throughout the day, but there is still good communication. Nearly every planner is friendly and easy to get along with. Overall, I find EFS is a great company.  I regret to say, however, that the culture is old-fashioned and fear-based and it is not a comfortable place to work for me. For someone who matches the culture of this firm, it is a great place to work and a great opportunity.

Working in my position over the past  12 years always brings daily challengles and rewards, which I enjoy. I continue to build client relationships,with intent to  strenghten each relationship and retain assets while growing our  business bringing on more client each week.   Day to day there are daily tasks to manage our clienthouesholds which entials, trades, all other  transactions, onboarding clients, making and taking calls, meeting with clients, along with resolving any issues along the way. My main goal each day is to improve processes to become more efficient to meet my daily, monthly and quarterly goals.  

Mangement is absent out here in the field in our Advisor centeres and there is not much room for growth within my position.  The Culture is lackluster.  We dont' feel apart of a corprate structure  and don't seem to reap the benefits of our companies culture as a whole.  

The most enjoyable party of my day is meeting with clients, speaking with them and helping them do what's neccessary to assure them they are prepared for a successful retirement.  It bring me toy getting  to know them intimately and help their families success in good times and in bad.

A company that was at the head of the pack (the first robo-advisor), has now fallen way behind. The ONLY thing that has gotten them this far is the fact that their clients are a captive audience ( 401k participants) that cannot, or do not know how, to move their money elsewhere. The entire managed money industry has lowered fees and increased product features, whereas FE's money management and fees have stayed virtually the same since 2004. The merger with the Mutual Fund Store seems to be because they know they need to do something, but are not sure what that something is. 

Management is overly political and will crush anyone that does not kiss rear, or has the guts to say that everything is NOT great, or is a threat to the status quo. They have zero interest in helping you grow your skill set and will make the same promises that good changes are coming year after year, and the only changes that come are bad for the employees. A place to get started and get some experience in the financial services industry...and then move on.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best parts of this job were working with a handful of hiring managers, a select number of co-workers, and the competitive pay.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of this job is that if someone in power decides they don’t like you, things can quickly go downhill. There are no real checks and balances in place to keep overbearing managers accountable, which creates an environment where many feel they must walk on eggshells to avoid being singled out. It doesn't matter if you have success in your performance. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment is high strung and toxic. Especially to women from women in power.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day is spent trying to navigate which manager will be focused on you, because their shifting priorities — regardless of previously assigned tasks — suddenly become the unspoken priority.

Used to be a great company! I hope it becomes a great company to work for again. The founders created the best financial planning company in the nation. Since the most recent merger, the dog eat dog stereo typical corporate environment has completely taken over. Nobody feel secure in their jobs. Outside companies have been brought in to review and decide where to make layoffs, and people are being laid off by managers who haven’t worked with them more than a handful of months. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to who gets kept and who gets laid off. The foundation of the company was truly one of high integrity and employees were trained to give sound financial planning advice and to truly care about their clients and one another. The financial engines corporate atmosphere is all about the dollar and the profit and pretty much nothing about the idea of the people who make the company work.

The culture at FE derives from it being Silicon Valley based. The drivers and methods used are completely suitable to a technology firm but don't work well on the customer and service side.They are driven by the process and checking boxes. It is more important to do something right than it is to do the right thing.
For a 300+ person company the turnover reflects the less than competitive compensation offered at all levels. For HCE who jioned before the company went public they can tolerate low comp because of the value of the FNGN stock options they hold. 
The middle managers are poorly trained and totally focused on hitting   incentive goals. There is a process for everything and a "check-the-box" mentality common among managers.

My colleagues are exceptional and always willing to collaborate on initiatives or provide support when I need it.  

My favorite parts of working here are the flexibility to work from home and go into the office whenever there are opportunities to meet others for special events and community service as well as I've loved how you can rally support to take an idea from concept to implementation.  The leaders love new ideas and want employees who can figure out how to make them a reality. This entrepreneurial spirit and the scrappiness transcends across the company.

The Company provided free drinks and snacks which was really nice especially considering all the OT hours we worked. When I first started there was mandatory OT everyday. Once they made some management changes they realized that was NO way to motivate and or thank their employees for their hard work. Micromanagement of business professionals  was escalating causing turnover. The increase in demand for opening new IRA accounts was also questionable considering the Wells Fargo debacle. In my opinion compliance was behind the ball in making sure all client recommendations were being made within Fiduciary regulations.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Investment consultant 4 salaries reported	$64,000 per year
Client services associate 6 salaries reported	$59,592 per year
Director of finance 7 salaries reported	$237,500 per year
Financial analyst 1 salary reported	$70,650 per year
Engineer 4 salaries reported	$220,000 per year

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