AseanOutlook.com – If you’re interested in finance, then chances are you probably heard about financial advisors, and you might want to become on yourself.
But, doing a such thing without knowing basic knowledge such as financial advisor job descriptions is a recipe for failure or even disaster. You’re stepping foot into untrodden water, after all.
Financial Advisor Duties and Responsibilities
There are a couple of things on the financial advisor job description that’s typical of them to do such as:
- Market research
- Execute strategies
- Assess clients’ needs and goals
- Recruit and solicit clients
- Market analysis
The basic financial advisor job description is to assist individuals, usually their employer with investment strategies by assessing their financial situation and then making recommendations based on that factor. Advisors also often execute strategies for their clients.
And since their clients needs vary between people, advisors need to have solution that addresses all of the issues for their clients’ needs.
In order for you to be a successful financial advisor, you need to have a deep understanding of investment markets and a knack for identifying the best stocks, bonds, or funds.
Recruiting potential new clients is also one of the financial advisor job descriptions that exist. Especially when you’re just starting out.
They can accomplish this through traditional advertising, mailings, or even the sometimes-unsavory cold callings. They might also hold seminars on financial planning to speak at seminars held by others.
And this is because financial advisors need to build a client base, and it works better for them to build their business through word of mouth, assuming that their current client is happy with the services and advice they’re receiving from you.
Salary
If you’re thinking of being a financial advisor, just knowing the financial advisor job description wouldn’t be quite enough to get started. It’s important to understand how much, and how you’ll get paid for the services that you offer, too.
Usually, independent financial advisors earn money by charging a fee based on the value of clients’ assets. But financial advisors who work for firms often are paid salary plus bonuses.
Median Annual Salary: $90,640
Bottom 10% Annual Salary: $40,800
Top 10% Annual Salary: $208,000
Data source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Financial Advisor Education, Training, and Certification
Now that we’ve known about the financial advisor job description as well as its salary and how they got paid, it’s the obvious next step to understand what it takes to be a financial advisor, and can you even qualify for the job.
Well, there’s no specific field of study that’s necessary for financial advisors to get started in business, but professional growth and advancement often depend on the proper certifications coupled with a master’s degree.
Education
At the very minimum, in order to be a financial advisor, one requires to have a bachelor’s degree as well as a field study of finance, economics, and accounting. Earning a master’s of business administration or a master’s degree in finance will tremendously help advancement or with marketing and recruiting clients.
Certifications
Anyone in the world selling financial products such as stocks, bonds, and insurance policies needs licenses to start doing it in the first place. Advisors who manage their clients’ investments need to register with either the state or SEC, depending on the size of the firm they’re working for.
Many advisors can earn the Certified Financial Planner credential from the CFP board. But, remember that you need a bachelor’s degree as well as three years of experience in financing to get that certificate.
Common skills required for Financial Advisors
Since they’re supposed to be an expert in finance, there are a couple of skills that you need to be a good financial advisor.
- Analytical thinking
Much of the job description involves tracking data and predicting future performances of various financial products in the market. As such, it’s a necessity for the advisors to be able to apply their analysis to the needs of their clients.
- Communication
Working with clients in a one-on-one relationship is a big part for financial advisors, as such being able to communicate well is very vital to the job because financial advisor needs to understand the goals of their client before being able to give the proper solution.
- Computer skills
Most finance tools and products are computer software, and operating them can be a bit tricky for most, as such, if an advisor is already a tech-savvy individual, this becomes an easy matter for them, and as such, they can help their client more efficiently.
That’s all from us for now about this article about financial advisor job description, we hope you find what was written useful, and we’ll see you again later.
