Partnerships are business entities owned by the employees themselves. This is different from publicly traded companies that are owned by stockholders, some of which may have a controlling interest. See: Walmart and the Walton family. (RIP Sam, friend of Ted)
Each partnership must have a Partnership Agreement. The Edward Jones agreement has been amended multiple times (by their own omission, see Summary Plan Description of the Involuntary Separation Program).
The calculation of, and distribution of profits are each ridiculously skewed to favor the General Partners. While Limited Partners are kept satiated with a 18%-24% return on capital, General Partners are earning 45%-65% per annum returns, repaying their partnership loans and generating generational wealth at a rate that most of us cannot imagine.
I’m a big, big fan of capitalism, don’t get me wrong, but something about this seems shady and the antithesis of ethical business.