Personal Financial Advisor Career
Personal financial advisors give advice about insurance, investments, college savings, estate planning, retirement and other such areas to help people manage their finances and plan for their futures. If you choose to be a personal financial advisor, you will meet with clients, listen to their financial goals and then match particular financial products to help meet those goals.
As a personal financial advisor, you would need to learn about different types of investments and the risks and rewards of each so you could advise and recommend the best ones to each of your clients. You may also need to help people plan for major life events like college for their children or retirement.
Personal Financial Advisor Career Snapshot
Most personal finance advisors work in offices or investment organizations. Some work with securities and brokerage services as well as credit-related organizations. About 20 percent of advisors are self-employed, which can provide a great deal of career flexibility. Most work full-time and may travel for conferences or professional meetings. Advisors may experience less stress in this occupation than other financial careers.
Further details on a career as a personal financial advisor are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the average pay for personal financial advisors per year.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a Bachelor’s degree while 21% have a post-baccalaureate certificate.
Personal Financial Advisor Education
The majority of personal finance advisors have a bachelor’s degree with some earning a post-baccalaureate certificate or a professional degree as well.
Personal Financial Advisor Job Duties
Although most personal financial planners offer a variety of services, some specialize in particular areas like retirement. If you are an advisor, and particularly if you are self-employed, you may have to spend a lot of time marketing your services in order to find clients. Networking, or meeting different people, is important in this field. You may also need to teach seminars or make presentations to demonstrate your knowledge.
Personal Financial Advisor Salaries
The median pay in May 2015 for personal financial advisors was $89,160 according to BLS.gov. New graduates can expect to earn around $39,300 while those at the peak of strong careers can be making upwards of $187,200.
Personal Financial Advisor Job Outlook
As a personal financial advisor, your job outlook is positive, projected to grow 30 percent between 2014 and 2024. This is mainly due to an aging population who will seek retirement planning advice.
Personal Financial Advisor Skills & Traits
| Personal Financial Advisor Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Personal Financial Advisors: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Active listening • Critical thinking • Decision making • Reading comprehension • Speaking | • Deductive reasoning • Inductive reasoning • Oral comprehension • Oral expression | • Desktop computers • Notebook computers • Customer relationship management software • Financial analysis software | • Getting information • Interacting with computers • Decision making • Problem solving • Building relationships |
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