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What Do Personal Financial Advisor Do?

Personal Financial Advisor Definition Advise clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate. Duties include assessing clients’ assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives.

Life As a Personal Financial Advisor

  • Monitor financial market trends to ensure that client plans are responsive.
  • Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.
  • Implement financial planning recommendations or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation.
  • Guide clients in the gathering of information, such as bank account records, income tax returns, life and disability insurance records, pension plans, or wills.
  • Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance.
  • Recruit and maintain client bases.

Personal Financial Advisor Required Skills

Below is a list of the skills most Personal Financial Advisors say are important on the job.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Other Personal Financial Advisor Job Titles

  • Estate Planning Counselor
  • Individual Pension Consultant
  • Relationship Manager
  • Financial Counselor
  • Personal Financial Advisor

Is There Job Demand for Personal Financial Advisors?

In the United States, there were 271,900 jobs for Personal Financial Advisor in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 14.9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 40,400 new jobs for Personal Financial Advisor by 2026. There will be an estimated 25,500 positions for Personal Financial Advisor per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Personal Financial Advisor are Colorado, Delaware, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, New Jersey, or Massachusetts. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Personal Financial Advisor Salary

The salary for Personal Financial Advisors ranges between about $41,590 and $208,000 a year.

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Personal Financial Advisors who work in New York, District of Columbia, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.

How much do Personal Financial Advisors make in different U.S. states?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $117,350
Alaska $93,530
Arizona $107,160
Arkansas $96,600
California $128,730
Colorado $103,540
Connecticut $131,280
Delaware $126,880
District of Columbia $158,460
Florida $122,840
Georgia $121,420
Hawaii $81,700
Idaho $104,640
Illinois $126,640
Indiana $111,330
Iowa $105,540
Kansas $93,720
Kentucky $85,470
Louisiana $92,300
Maine $135,170
Maryland $110,080
Massachusetts $128,140
Michigan $102,010
Minnesota $99,490
Mississippi $102,820
Missouri $85,830
Montana $102,730
Nebraska $85,890
Nevada $108,540
New Hampshire $105,010
New Jersey $127,150
New Mexico $133,500
New York $164,260
North Carolina $134,860
North Dakota $100,360
Ohio $102,300
Oklahoma $74,340
Oregon $117,730
Pennsylvania $109,250
Rhode Island $112,430
South Carolina $89,830
South Dakota $77,490
Tennessee $89,960
Texas $110,820
Utah $88,440
Vermont $85,150
Virginia $121,250
Washington $109,870
West Virginia $95,210
Wisconsin $115,820
Wyoming $135,340

What Tools do Personal Financial Advisors Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Personal Financial Advisors:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Web browser software
  • Microsoft Access
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • FileMaker Pro
  • Salesforce software
  • Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
  • Oracle Hyperion
  • Sage 50 Accounting
  • IBM Domino
  • Oracle PeopleSoft Financials
  • Fund accounting software
  • IBM Lotus 1-2-3
  • Swift
  • Practice management software PMS
  • Intuit Quicken

Becoming a Personal Financial Advisor

What education or degrees do I need to become a Personal Financial Advisor?

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Personal Financial Advisor?

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Where Personal Financial Advisors Work

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Personal Financial Advisors work in the following industries:

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You May Also Be Interested In…

Those interested in being a Personal Financial Advisor may also be interested in:

Career changers with experience as a Personal Financial Advisor sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Dave Dugdale via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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