Koos says the exams he passed are not nearly enough to make Edward Jones brokers qualified to manage portfolios, and the focus on door-to-door introductions over gaining advanced financial acumen is counterintuitive. It’s doubtful, however, that a model based on selling expensive load mutual funds to retail investors is delivering as much value to customers. How Brokerage Companies Work A brokerage company’s main responsibility is to be an intermediary that puts buyers and sellers together in order to facilitate a transaction. Bazerman and Tenbrunsel’s theory would argue that this model is driven by extrinsic motivation selling more funds benefits the advisor and the firm , while discouraging «an intrinsic motivation to do what’s right» for the client.