Pros
Free coffee and the mistaken belief among college grads that this is some prestigious organization.
Cons
The current management has systematically destroyed any semblance of morale at the firm. There is little transparency or job security. In Purchase, the HQ for Wealth Management, senior management has their own private underground parking lot, private elevator, private cafeteria, and private floor. There are no town halls, and the most I have seen in the form of communication from Wealth Management leadership in the last six months was a pre-recorded 9 minute video. In an era where we aspire to work for companies with inspiring leaders who communicate openly and often, leaders we can trust and look up to, Morgan Stanley has decided to head in the completely opposite direction. I have seen dozens of VPs, EDs, and MDs leave the firm in the past year, many through annual cullings, and the remaining just got fed up and left. Just in the past year, I have seen three of my former managers leave the firm, all of whom had been with MS for 10-20 years. Things are bleak. Current leadership has no idea how to generate a profit, so instead they have been laying off people and asking 1 to do the work of 3. If you are thinking of joining this firm, don't. I was promoted to VP, was asked to manage multiple teams, and travel all around the country to speak at conferences, but despite all this I am worse off financially today than when I joined. Also don't trust all the planted glowing reviews on this site. The mood in the offices is the complete opposite of what is written here. And for all you summer interns out there, you have been warned. I have seen even some of the most shining summer analysts that accepted a full time position get discouraged after a few years and leave for greener pastures.