Just the good ol' boys, never meaning no harm

The culture is "conservative and a bit of a 'good old boys' network," but it's also "an enormous company, so one's experience varies widely depending on the group and management in one's current group." While Fidelity's culture can be "corporate," most people are "intelligent," "motivated" and "team players." Compensation is pretty good, too, insiders report - if you're willing to wait it out. "It takes time to build up your reputation," and "many of the benefits here do not go into effect until after one year at the company," contacts say. However, "the longer you stay, the more contacts you make, and if you are a good performer, you will be rewarded with higher raises and bonuses than standard - sometimes much higher." And "in time and with great performance, the payouts can be enormous, even though the base salaries can at first seem a little low." The other perks Fidelity offers are "shares that are given out on an annual basis - sometimes biannually - only to employees that they wish to reward." Although "these shares are not stock, they are virtual shares at Fidelity that are valued based upon Fidelity's performance," "each share per year can be worth $100 to $400." And "higher-level shares pay out more frequently - the higher your level or performance, the higher the number of shares you can receive."