Prudential 2001 Annual Report Download - page 12

10 Gro wing and Pro tecting Yo ur Wealth
Volatile markets underscore the value of full-service brokerage
From irrational exuberance to illogical fear, stock markets of the past
decade have given investors a wild ride—and given rise to a new
American pastime. Today’s investors have an enormous appetite for
business news and stock market analysis.
What investors are seeking most is guidance, which serves to
emphasize the value of, and the need for, what a full-service brokerage
can provide. At Prudential Financial, we’ve built a business that’s
uniquely suited to the needs of our more than 3.6 million affluent
customers (based on income or investable assets).
Prudential Financial helps clients sift through the “noise” in the
marketplace, with personalized advice from more than 5,000 financial
advisors. That advice is backed by the work of an objective research
team that includes award-winning analysts and covers more than 40
industries, a total of more than 500 stocks and closed-end funds, and
includes some of the most well-respected and oft-quoted analysts on
Wall Street.
Prudential Financial, a recognized innovator, offers powerful financial
solutions and technology that give clients the freedom to work with us
the way they want to—from fee-based accounts to online trading and
full-time portfolio management.
We believe our commitment to service, choice and performance
sets our securities brokerage apart from competitors on Wall Street.
Wealth management: No longer just for the super-rich
The bull market of the 1990s gave rise to a classic dilemma: The more
money you earn, the harder it is to manage. Prudential Financial offers
a sensible solution for our affluent clients—managed money accounts.
With managed money accounts, clients team up with a full-time
portfolio manager who matches their investment style and meets
Prudential’s rigorous criteria. Portfolio managers handle day-to-day
investment decisions based on client input.
Prudential Financial offers a range of managed money accounts
that can be customized to suit an investor’s individual needs.
Each program offers clear benefits: access to leading investment
professionals, disciplined investing, detailed performance monitoring
and proprietary research.
Making a statement
Prudential’s s traight-
talking stock analys ts
garnere d attentio n from
top publicatio ns and
earned e ight ‘ Bes t on
the Stre et’ ho nors from
The Wall Stre e t Journal.
A simple idea
with a powerful
impact for investors
Two tho us and and one
was the ye ar Prudential
Se curities turne d the
traditio nal Wall Stre e t
mode l o n its end, s hifting
to an o rganizatio n that’s
fo cus e d les s o n iss uers
and mo re on serving the
growth and pro tection
ne eds of inves tors.
Step one : Significantly
scale down our inve s t-
ment banking unit to
avoid conflicts of intere s t
betwe e n s tock iss uers
and inves tors.
Step two: Diffe rentiate
the firm on the bas is
of unbias ed, inves tor-
friendly re s e arch.
To that end, Prudential
Se curities encouraged
analys ts to make guts y
calls and be came the
firs t major Wall Stre e t
firm to adopt a s imple,
three-point rating sys tem
— buy, s e ll and hold.
Our inves tor-focused
strategy was he ralde d
as “ re fres hing” and
“ forthright” by vene rable
publicatio ns s uch as The
Wall Stre e t Journal and
Fortune magazine.