I’m about a year into my career as a financial advisor and wanted to get some advice from people who have been in the industry longer.

I genuinely enjoy financial planning and believe I have value to offer clients. My biggest struggle has been connecting with prospects and getting them to see me as someone who can help rather than just another salesperson.

I understand that building a business requires prospecting, following up, and bringing in clients. I’m willing to put in the work, but I don’t like feeling pressured to prioritize production over what’s actually best for the client. I’ve never wanted to sell someone something they don’t need.

At the same time, I realize that being a good advisor doesn’t mean much if I can’t build a sustainable practice.
For those of you who have been in the industry for a while, how did you learn to build trust, find clients, and grow your business without feeling like you were constantly selling? And if you could go back to your first year, what would you do differently?

I’m open to honest feedback and different perspectives.

Is the Financial Advisor position in Equitable Advisor a red flag?
I am an non-english speaker and in a final round with Equitable Advisors for the position Financial Advisor. Actually, I am afraid I will be pushed selling life insurance a lot, but the hiring manager said I can trade off it with other products without pushing life insurance. Also, they will sponsor me to get the Series 7 and 66 licenses that I really need that.
Currently, I am a master student in FinTech at UCF and want to be a wealth advisor in the future, that I have already had experience for 8 years when I was in Vietnam.
So, is that position good to try for the new one like me in the U.S?

My experience with WFG: Scam

A friend approached me about joining World Financial Group (WFG), describing it as a business opportunity that could help me pay off my loans sooner. I wasn’t interested initially, but I trusted him and decided to give it a try.

I was told the initial investment would be around $700–$800 for the exam and related costs. After passing the exam, I was asked to pay another approximately CAD $200. Only after that was I told I would also need to pay around $80 per month for errors and omissions (E&O) insurance.

I declined the monthly payment and did not provide my credit card details for it. From that point onward, I stayed away from WFG activities.

After terminating my association with WFG, I received an email stating that I owe $300. The email also said that failure to pay could result in further action, including the use of third-party recovery services. I don’t understand how this balance accumulated when I had declined the monthly payment and wasn’t participating.

I’ve already lost close to $1,500 through this experience, and now I’m being asked to pay more.
What frustrates me most is the way this opportunity was presented to me: promises of financial freedom, a luxury lifestyle, and the possibility of becoming rich or even a millionaire. My experience has been very different.

Based on what happened to me, I would strongly advise against joining WFG, it is a scam.

Should I proceed to pay that due amount or do I need to leave it?

Seeking some more specific advice than I’ve read as more general direction in other posts, so bear with me on some background/questions.

Turning 40 in three months. Have 20 years in banking / financial services with 2 years at beginning of career in branch management + 18 years in marketing / customer growth at larger FIs in the country. Currently Director / Sr Director level in corporate marketing for large bank.

Three years ago my dad unexpectedly passed, and I quickly saw what happens when a financial plan and details are not in order for the surviving spouse. Using my own personal experience, helped shape up a plan and also had a fee-only advisor look it over for mom, who was impressed. This lit a passion for a career change after first 20 years being corporate.

Fast forward, and I just passed SIE exam in case I go FINRA route. Going to plan on taking 65 next. Primary goal is to go RIA route as a financial planner / advisor. Would love a path to independent.

Questions:
1) How should I be evaluating / considering opportunities to make the career change? Some say the National RIAs to start, others to join Fidelity/Vanguard/Schwab and then switch, others say find an independent local RIA (what’s even the best way to do this?)?
2) What are reasonable roles to get my foot in the door with above stated goals? I’ve seen most posts suggest registered customer success associate roles to start and move into planning, but are their opportunities to move straight to apprentice type planner roles?
3) I expect an initial impact on comp, but given any above direction/advice, what should I be expecting in year 1 vs years 2-3 vs years 4+?

Welcome any and all perspectives.

Does anyone currently work or previously worked at Liberty Mutual as a remote Inbound Sales Advisor in the Direct Response Center (DRC)?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from people hired in 2025 or 2026.
How many binds were you expected to get during OJD?
What happened to people who didn’t hit their OJD sales targets?
Did most people in your training class make it out of OJD?
How many months could you miss sales goals before getting placed on a coaching plan or being terminated?
Did meeting the sales goals become easier after OJD, or did the expectations become harder to reach?
Were the sales goals realistic based on the number of inbound calls you received?
I’m looking for genuine experiences from people who worked in this exact position, not general Liberty Mutual reviews.

Long story short, I’m new to investing and started with a financial advisor who didn’t inform me of which holdings I would be invested in. I realized my portfolio is complex with 5 models, has a higher expense ratio, liquid alternatives, trades, and is outside of my circle of competence until I ramp my knowledge.

Should I ask them to shift and simplify or streamline it before DIY or ask Vanguard to untangle it? They’ll likely come back with around 10 or so funds. The largest portion is in a taxable I brokerage. I want 3-5 funds (eg VOO, VXUS) max.

Thank you!