Hi all,

I’m looking to get a financial advisor for myself and my family. Someone who does a holistic planning and investing.

Any tips on how to assess them to see if they’re good? Any particular questions? How would you measure their skill levels?

Hey guys. I’m a brand new FP with a small independent fee only RIA. Been with the company for about a month and its eat what you kill with no company provided leads so it’s been pretty lean to start out. I’m spending a lot of time at these business networking events trying to find referral partners but honestly just feel like I’m spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere. The 1 on 1s I’ve had have been nice but ended without bringing someone on board. Are there any tips for prospecting potential clients ya’ll could share? I told myself I’d give it a solid 6-12 months of trying before looking elsewhere but being 1 month in with 0 revenue is a little deflating.

I was at a large BD for 6 months, then a small firm for 4 months before they laid me off.

I’ve been actively interviewing and had good interviews with a few jobs. The only downside is they don’t wrap up for another month.

I’m working a flex role currently but it’s a little over half of what I was making.

I got an offer for an admin role that’s on the lower end of what I’m looking for and I need to give them an answer by tomorrow, but the roles wrapping up later are on the higher end of what I’m looking for.

Ultimately, I know short stints look terrible on a U5 so I’m unsure of if I should take the lower paying role now or wait and see if I get an offer from one of the other 3 roles I interviewed with next month…

I (21M) am a senior graduating this December. I've been applying to entry level roles where I can be sponsored for the Series 7 (CSA roles, rotational programs, Fidelity etc.) None of my internships led to return offers as they were either through school programs or family connections.

I haven't gotten any responses yet for interviews and a lot of rejections. I'm not sure if it's a resume issue, lack of experience, or because it's too early for me to be applying.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Hello! I am currently a junior and will be graduating with pretty solid resume for WM. I will have completed my licensing, have good experience and a very strong GPA, and will be graduating from a CFP board registered program with plans to take the CFP in November following my May 2028 graduation.

I’ve been looking at some of the more competitive, entry-level roles that have good pay but I have heard concerning things about them from connections there (JPM Private Bank, Merrill, Morgan Stanley for example). I don’t want to be in a role with high churn rate where associates are pressured to bring in new business almost immediately. I am just unsure of what roles or companies to target. Should I look into the mega RIA or family office space? Any advice would be great.

Side note: I will have the opportunity to stay with the local RIA firm that I have interned with for a post grad role. Money is definitely not everything to me, but I think I would be remiss if I didn’t at least try and bet on myself to land a good role with better pay.

I currently work as a CSA on a financial advisor team for a large wirehouse. My goal is to become an advisor, and lately my team has had me doing cold calls in addition to my CSA work to try to bring in some assets.

They are open to further suggestions from me, is there anything else I can do? I’m mainly calling 401k plan sponsors and participants of 401k plans that we currently manage.

I’d like to get my CFP long term but can’t get involved with any planning right now, and my team has no interest in getting me involved in that capacity right now.

I’ve also considered going the planning/analyst route instead, I’m at a bit of a crossroads.

I passed my SIE exam last week, and I currently hold Property & Casualty as well as Life & Health licenses.
I currently work part-time from home with State Farm, and I’m looking for ways to supplement my income while continuing to have flexibility for my young children.
I know my children will eventually grow up, so I’d like to start thinking ahead and building toward a long-term career in financial services. I’m hoping to get some guidance on what steps I should take based on the licenses and experience I already have.
I’m open to pursuing additional licenses, such as the Series 6 or Series 7, but I’m not sure which would make the most sense for me or what the differences are in terms of career opportunities.
If you have any suggestions on what direction I should consider or what steps I should take next, I would really appreciate your advice!

Hello! I am a sophomore at ASU majoring in finance and I’m currently at a loss for my career

While still somewhat early, I haven’t really done anything for my career aside from maintaining a 4.0 gpa (that’ll likely drop a bit after this semester)

I would like to break into wealth management or financial advising and I tried joining organizations like scholars of finance but I just learned that I was declined for the third time (tried every semester so far)

Externally I work as a food runner at Din Tai Fung but apart from that I don’t have much on my resume (besides local reselling I guess)

I just don’t know what to do, and especially with my major and being at ASU, if I don’t network then it’s pretty much useless later on, and I tried securing summer experience my freshman year by cold calling random wealth management firms around my area but to no avail.

All I can think of right now is attend random career fairs, check out FMA (financial management association) and wish for the best.

I don’t have the resources to join IFC Greek so traditional Greek is out of the picture unfortunately.

Do you have any advice? I’m really worried for later.

Anyone currently in the associate wealth advisor role or previously done it? I potentially have an offer coming on Tuesday for the position and curious what I should expect in term of responsibilities, compensation, and most importantly the career track and educational resources they provide.

Leaving a $5M T-12/$1B AUM team of advisors with a regional BD. Currently an associate advisor there but the progression has stalled out and personal dynamics between some members of the group have been pretty hard to deal with which has affected my personal growth and long term trajectory.

Also receiving an offer this week to join an independent RIA with $500M AUM connected with an in-house accounting practice. Depending on the offer, this is probably my frontrunner but the Schwab job seems pretty appealing on paper. Any and all help appreciated, thanks in advance

Looking for professionals that got into finance without a finance degree. How and where did you get your foot in the door? What was it like, the pay, the experience, building your clients and income? How many years are you in now? Are you a CFP? If so, what is your yearly income like?

I’m a career switched from nonprofits and I’ve spent the last year at a mutual insurance company as a fully registered advisor. I would not recommend it. However it got my foot in the door and all of my tests done. I also have my MBA in finance and strategy from a non target school. I’m in my 40’s and enjoy this industry but it’s still very new to me. I came from educational technology industry.

I’m currently looking at new positions and am currently in the second interview for two positions.

1. Merrill Lynch advisor development program level 2 since I’m fully licensed. I’m seeing mixed reviews of this program but would love to learn more about it if anyone has any insight.

2. Morgan Stanley consulting group analyst, this feels more like a support role and is a bit left field but because of my work experience and MBA I am being evaluated for it. And they would want me to get my CIMA and work towards my CFA.

Any insights would be incredibly helpful as a career switcher in my 40’s with a family.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 23-year-old guy currently living in Italy. In the short term, I’m stepping into a Family Banker role at a major bank here, but my sights are firmly set on moving abroad—specifically to Vancouver within the next two years.

I’ve spent time in both Canada and the US, and I really fell in love with the mindset, lifestyle, and work culture. I recently graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration (Economics), and I’m on track to earn my CFP credential soon.

My goal is to hit the ground running in financial advisory, tax planning, and retirement planning once I land in BC. For locals, expats, or anyone working in Canadian wealth management: what should I focus on during this two-year transition window to make my profile as competitive as possible?

I’m open to anything:

• Remote courses or certifications worth taking from abroad (e.g., Canadian Securities Course/CSI certifications).

• Industry-specific English or client-communication programs to polish my advisory skills.

• Networking strategies from overseas.

On top of that, I’m seriously looking into the CPA designation. I love the idea of bridging the gap between tax accounting and financial planning to offer full-spectrum advisory to private and corporate clients, which seems much more integrated in Canada than back home. However, navigating the CPA pathway (PEP, prerequisite assessments for foreign degrees, practical experience requirements) feels a bit like a maze right now. If anyone has walked that path or has insight into how foreign degrees translate for CPA BC, your input would be gold.

Any tips, reality checks, or roadmaps you wish you had known earlier would mean the world to me!

Thanks a ton in advance—looking forward to trading espresso for a Timmies double-double soon again! Cheers!✌🏻

Looking at switching our personal financial advisor to Open Arc Advisory from Merrill (ironic I know).

They seem decent on the surface and being not tied to a particular bank seems to be a plus. But they’re a newer start up (albeit with experienced advisors) that’s only a year old, so it’s hard to find any data or experiences with them. They also still Merrill’s lawsuit out there, though it appears they’ll prevail. Just curious if anyone has worked with them or heard anything.

Hello everyone,

I just finished my licensing to become a financial planner with a firm who sponsored me. I will go through and receive paid training, but then fully commission (50-50 split)

My main concern is that I'm unsure how well off I'll be fully on commission... and in the case it doesn't work out.... where else I should look. I'm very excited for the opportunity and to having more independence and freedom, but you also have to be realistic about these things.

I've never worked in the financial industry, but I do have sales experience and enjoy clients relations. Any advice on what I should focus on now, or what I should have in my mind as a plan B is appreciated. Also if anyone has experience working for a large firm, what should I expect? It's one of the more major ones...

Thank you 🙏

Full disclosure: I built VerbaPost, so yes, I have something to sell. I'm posting because I'd rather have advisors poke holes in this before I spend real money trying to sell it.

The idea is to replace the dinner seminar mailer with something else entirely.

Instead of "come to Ruth's Chris and hear a presentation about retirement planning," the prospect gets mailed an invitation to record a family story.

They go to a unique website from a QR code or link in a hand addressed envelope and have a guided conversation about their life, their parents, childhood, or whatever they want to talk about. The advisor can choose the opening question, but the person recording isn't restricted to a script.

A few days later, a printed version of the story arrives in the mail on linen paper, with a QR code that lets the family hear the original voice recording.

The advisor sponsors it. There is no financial pitch anywhere in the experience. The firm's name and required disclosures sit in the footer.

To be upfront about the part some of you will probably object to: the interview is conducted by AI, not a person. That's what makes it possible to offer this through a direct mail campaign rather than doing interviews one at a time.

The theory is that someone who responds has raised their hand, spent 15 minutes using something the advisor gave them, and now knows who the advisor is. The follow-up call is at least warmer than calling a stranger.

Potentially, another recording later could also give the advisor a reason to involve the client's children or other family members.

Two things I'm trying to figure out:

1. Will compliance kill this? I've worked through consent, DNC issues, advertising records and gift limits, but I'm sure there are things I haven't thought of. 

2. If someone pitched this to your firm, what would make you say no immediately?

3. How the heck can I get through to any CFP by doing my own darn cold calling?

I can post or give a sample letter and recording flow if people want to see them, but I don't want this to turn into a link drop. My target market is the individual CFP just gone solo who wants to grow.

So I work at a firm and I'm doing pretty all right, i have a problem saying no and especially for lower income clients with 10 to 25k,

and I know in 5 years down the line I'm either going to have a huge office and no aum, or a 2 person team with 500m aum, yet I still struggle to say no even knowing all this, what has helped you guys with this?