John - Same as Andy : I think if you truly read what people are saying you will see that these cold callers are IN FACT rude. If they were NOT rude they WOULD LEAVE their info to follow up on -however these RUDE callers just hang up on you mid - sentence! As soon as you say "No they aren't - may I take a message" by the time you get to "aren't" you have been RUDELY hung up on. They wouldn't even let you get part way throught your >> "thank you for calling me but ***RUDELY HUNG UP ON BY NOW** I am happy with my current adviser" and if your not then ask them for some information - who knows maybe they can help you.<< I AM SURE NOW this IS what you BOth do for a living. if you ARE JUST DOING YOUR JOB AND TRYING TO GAIN ACCOUNTS - don't RUDELY HANG UP on people. YOU try smiling and at least sat THANK YOU before hanging up on people.
~Not angry at all! :o) just tired of people wasting my time (and theirs) by RUDELY hanging up.
Please I was called by them also - I used to be in the personal finance business. Some of the things you are writing isn't quite fair because when asked to be put on their do not call list the broker said not a problem and I was never contacted again. Calling people rude just because they called you to see if you had interest in advice!!! Come on people lighten up. I know of this company and they have been around for a long time that's not to say you couldn't have gotten a call from a broker who happened to be rude or just an [***] but guess what there are [***] as Merrill lynch too. This firm is legit as far as I can see, I looked them up on finra. Don't bash people just because their job requires them to cold canvas telephonically. Simply say thank you for calling me but I am happy with my current adviser and if your not then ask them for some information - who knows maybe they can help you. Some people are just sooo angry I feel sorry for you!!!
Andy - I think if you truly read what people are saying you will see that these cold callers are IN FACT rude. If they were NOT rude they WOULD LEAVE their info to follow up on -however these RUDE callers just hang up on you mid - sentence! As soon as you say "No they aren't - may I take a message" by the time you get to "aren't" you have been RUDELY hung up on. They wouldn't even let you get part way throught your >> "thank you for calling me but ***RUDELY HUNG UP ON BY NOW** I am happy with my current adviser" and if your not then ask them for some information - who knows maybe they can help you.<< I assume this IS what you do for a living.
~Not angry at all! :o) just tired of people wasting my time (and theirs) by RUDELY hanging up.
I have had an account with these guys for 8 months and have done very well. Quite surprised at the comments on this board. And I was contacted on a cold call but told the broker I wanted to meet him and we met a few weeks later and was very professional. So far I have no complaints and am thinking about moving another account over to them. I guess some of the people complaining here are just gatekeepers like my secretary who are asked to stop all incoming soliciting phone calls. Not to nice to say negative things about the firm just because that is your job and these brokers happened to call and try to do their job. Maybe you should be polite and just tell them your boss's brother is his broker and I am sure they will never call again. In the mean time try smiling a bit. You must be pretty angry to go out of your way to write these things on the web when your not even a client of the firms. The post above is spot on - do your research before you invest with any firm but even the big firms have people that may be just a little too aggressive on the phone trying to get you to become a client. I can say that was not my experience with them at all.
if your giving money to these guys your crazy. some of the brokers don't even do their own research and regardless of what you tell them they will offer you the one stock pick they offer everyone. Me and a few friends were on their list for months and got numerous stock picks from them. they would call once a week with the hot idea and though I was conservative and My buddy was aggressive we would both get the same stock. Interesting and seems like that is in violation of something. don't think they realized the connection because we are in different offices, makes for a fun story around the office.
before you get your next great stock pick ask them what college they graduated from, when they don't have an answer they stop calling. who knows maybe the answer will impress you.
remember all you need is a GED and a 7 to qualify to work at these places! I trust my money to companies i've heard of!
If you want a pushy, shove it down your throat broker, this firm is the way to go. I made the mistake of trying one of their "hot" tips and after 60 days I'm showing a 39% loss. Some say they won't be right all the time--and I agree. However, once they suck you in they call (persistently) weekly with a new "hot" tip. I kept track of each "hot" tip and as of today out of 8 tips (if I had invested) none would be showing a gain. You hear about the broker that is strictly in it for the commision--so true.