Pros
As a BOA, you are in control of your day, (If) your FA is not in the office, you will have the ability to prioritize your work, and except for phone calls, there are limited interruptions. If you do enjoy people, it's a "catch 22". Where you are able to develop and nurture relationships with clients, for the most part, your are very isolated. The company's Jones Link system is very user friendly, and makes the job fairly simple, once you learn to navigate it.
Cons
This can be, and is for some BOA's, a great job, but for many BOA's, it is the job from Hell. EVERYTHING depends on the Financial Advisor you work for. If you work for a lower level (4 and below) FA, you will have to survive on pay that won't cover your rent and food. The pay is ridiculous for the amount of responsibility and work you are expected to do. The base pay is NOT a living wage, so the only way you can survive,(and this is questionable) is if your FA shares his/her bonus' with you, which they can elect not to do, no matter how hard you work and what you accomplish. If you work for a LAZY/UNDERACHIEVING FA, it is unlikely that they will share the small bonus' that they receive. They are more apt to throw you and everyone else under the bus when there are problems, due to mistakes and errors that they make, and you will find yourself ALONE and isolated, for days, sometimes weeks at a time, as they find a plethora of reasons, not to come into the office . The LAZY/UNDERACHIEVER FA, tends to cut corners, and ignore firm policy as well as government regulations, which is a terrible combination for the BOA. If they do not document their instructions to you, (which is common), it is your word against theirs when something goes wrong. It's a two man office, so you will be at the FA's mercy.(No witnesses) As a BOA, you are put through a 1- year online training process, and held accountable for knowing the policies and what you are and are not allowed to do. The more educated you become, the more stressful and dangerous this scenario becomes, because you must now refuse to comply with an unethical FA's demands, for your own protection. This will put your job in EXTREME jeopardy! At some point, it is likely that you will backed up against the wall, and as mandated, will be force to report something specific to the Field Supervisor/ HR. You can count on the FA to protect her/himself, and from then forward, the sole agenda of the FA, will be to create and instigate an incident to ensure that you will be fired. HR will ALWAYS take the FA's side, even if you have made attempts to advise them for months, of what is taking place. The FA pays your salary, through their P&L. They aren't going anywhere! The firm policy, is that after you have completed your "one year" of training, you are then eligible for a transfer. HR will tell you that "exceptions" can be made, however, I personally found this to be false, even after I completed my 1- year training, (in 10 months). Even though you continue to do your very best, in order to maintain your reputation with the firm, so as to be eligible after that first year, for a transfer, (while praying that your FA does not know what your goal is), if there is a dispute between you and the FA, that effort will not be credited to you. I found the firm to be completely bias towards the FA, and deceptive in the communication with the BOA. Do your homework before applying! The bad FA's typically have a poor track record with BOA's and a high turn- over. A good FA generally has the same BOA for years, sometimes over 20!!! Something to CONSIDER: To add salt to the wound, the firm blatantly lied to EDD, to avoid allowing me to receive unemployment compensation.(This was 4 weeks before the holidays) This was appealed, and an Administrative Law Judge (Oxnard, CA) found me to be creditable and reversed the decision and ruled in my favor. Unfortunately, this process took over 2 months, and I was left to survive with absolute no income!