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Business & Finance

Personal Financial Advisors

Fits your schedule, weak part-time · slow to ramp

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. May also buy and sell financial assets for clients.

Median salary

$102,140

Typical range

$50k – $184k

Job outlook

+10% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Personal Financial Advisors

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

License required

Cost to qualify

$1,275–$4,475

Time to qualify

1.5 yr

Renewal

$428/yr

  1. 1

    Series 65 exam

    Exam

    Uniform Investment Adviser Law exam (or Series 7 + 66 via a sponsoring firm).

    $175–$175 · 2 months source

  2. 2

    Register as an Investment Adviser Rep

    License

    Register with your state (or the SEC) through a firm.

    $100–$300 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 1 yr source

  3. 3

    CFP® certification (optional, valuable)

    Certification

    Education, exam, and experience to use the CFP marks.

    $1,000–$4,000 · 18 months · renews every 2 yr source

Which occupations require a license and in which states: CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. DOL). Costs/hours are curated estimates that vary by state and change — see each step's official source.

Typical progression

  1. Personal Financial Advisors Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Personal Financial Advisors

    Entry / Junior

    $49,990

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Personal Financial Advisors

    Established

    $102,140

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Personal Financial Advisors

    Senior

    $142,996

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan.
  • •Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.
  • •Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
  • •Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment.
  • •Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Business & Finance

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.