Pros
Great products, ability to make your own schedule and excellent benefits.
Cons
The lack of management leaves the advisors clueless and constantly wasting time trying to learn on our own. Training is non-existent and self study is difficult because you have no idea where to look or which department to ask. When you think you have the right department, they refer you back to your District Manager or to the advisor (which is you). All of this wasted time could have been better used prospecting. Plus, how are you supposed to do the right thing for the client when you don't know what the right thing is? You will be wasting your time trying to reinvent the wheel your first two years on things that should be learned in training, if it existed. The book of business that you are given does not have the potential as upper management describes it to be. A majority of your clients will see you as the "flavor of the month." Or they wonder why you are calling because they haven't met with a VALIC in several years so they usually already have a financial advisor elsewhere. You won't make it here if you're relying on enrollments to make you money unless you are exclusive in a hospital or school. There is way too much competition and they have no problem bad mouthing VALIC. It's no wonder that there is a high turnover rate of advisors. Unless you are Super Enterpreneur or have an abundance of your own money that you don't mind going through your first couple of years. After your 2nd year, you can start making money but it'd be so nice to not have to struggle up until then when you didn't have to. I'd say look elsewhere that provides a base and training.
