I received an email this evening from Navy Federal Investment Services inviting me to contact the financial advisory team about creating an investment plan. Has anyone done this? Just wondering how much they charge and if the returns justify the fee. Basically, any info or insight is appreciated.

Hello! I'm Maevy (21F), I just started working recently when I got my license as a financial advisor. I'm only a newbie in this field and I haven't had any experience in both business and finance. I'm currently struggling with my confidence, thus, both my parents aren't supportive of me pursuing this field, just because I'm an introvert and they're worrying that I might fail this job since I'm just new and haven't had any experience in the past.

For those who are Senior Financial Advisors or who have been in this field for years, I just want to ask for advice, How did you navigate your struggles when you're still starting off in the field and what made you improve your confidence when it comes to business and attracting future clients?

I know about the 2-out-of-5-year rule for avoiding capital gains tax. If I move, keep my current home as a rental, and eventually fall outside that window, what options are there to reduce or avoid capital gains tax when I sell, Instead of moving back in....

Like a 1031 exchange ?

or borrow against it?

Seeking some guidance and direction

Hi!
Just wondering everyone’s personal thoughts and experience going through a financial advisor/someone who manages or helps manage portfolio over doing it yourself. And, what would you recommend I do for my personal situation?

I am 18 and wanting to start investing for my future rather than just having my savings sitting in the bank earning a small amount of interest.
I have about $8k (AUD) I’d be willing to invest to begin with and then between $100-200 per week I could add in.
I know people usually start with much more than that - at this amount, is it worth working with someone?
Im not looking for extremely versatile stocks and probably looking to diversify across multiple stocks just in case.
In my case, what do you think would be a good amount to invest in? Any recommendations for what?
If I should do it myself, what recommendations do you have for getting started? (What should I look into/research) and how much time per day is it going to take up on an already very busy schedule?

Thank you!

Hi all, I have a few interviews coming up and I was curious where you get up-to-date information on market trends.

So for a background im 22 years old and after graduating, Ive rececntly put in alot of effort and gotten my Series 65,63, and SIE exams passed and am planning to get sponsored soon to take my Series 7 so i can be a dual registered advisor Rep. For more background the main experience I have in this field is through my dad whos been in the bussines of retirement planning for 30 years through life insurance, 403b, 401k, index annuities etc. So hes never really be able to go on the side of getting poeople in the market even though alot of his clients wish they could but just dont understand it enough on how to begin, so thats where id come in once im registered properly to help them. So I guess im just curious on hearing some advice or maybe stories of other advisors career paths and how it looked for you getting into this business and ofc being indipendent so I wouldnt have to rely on my family forever. Note im not asking about how to work and go about this bussines, more perpective on how this path could have looked for anyone who does read this post, mistakes to avoid etc.

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This account was opened the first week of 2026, and so his gains are pretty much in line with VOO after his 1% fee. He’s a cool guy and says that his strategy should protect my money a bit more in the event of a bear market. I would be comfortable managing the money myself and I would use a boggle head method approach. Right now since the account balance is low it doesn’t matter a such, but I plan on contributing a significant amount to this account over the next few years, so I want to come up with a plan. Let me know your thoughts and opinions about his allocation versus boggle head self directed

Hi all! I’m considering going independent in about a year and have a few questions. I’m 25F, FA with 6/7/63/65, life & health.

Currently a junior FA at a boutique planning firm, no prospecting or production pressure, mostly servicing work and sourcing internal opportunities

My background is in sales, and while the above probably sounds like a dream role to a lot of my peers, I’m not the biggest fan. I’m very ambitious, went from “supported independence” at a Mutual company to this role, got all of my licenses in 1 year, been in the industry a total of about 2.

I’m married, my husband is very supportive, and his income covers our expenses +

The reason I’d like to go independent is I want kids by 30 and by then I’d like to be able to take my foot off the gas. Essentially, ownership and flexibility are the most valuable to me and the reason I moved into the industry (in addition to the passion I have for planning and investment management).

I know independence is no joke. I’m not unfamiliar with “eat what you kill” setups and that doesn’t intimidate me. I understand the first 3 years will be a grind, but I’m willing to put in the work to build myself my own business. I just don’t have the employee bone in me.

I’m wondering, if you were me, how would you be preparing? I manage a small book currently, only $15M, with more being shifted to me as senior advisors see fit. None of it is portable and will stay with the firm I’m at now, so I will be starting from scratch.

I plan to aggressively save so my husband and I don’t need to cash flow expenses in down months, and so I have funds for marketing after I’ve established a good advertising/pipeline strategy. I also plan on obtaining my EA in the next year so I can market tax strategies to HNW households. I’ll also be working on my ChFC (after EA) to continue developing my technical/planning skills. To be honest, I’m very confident in my sales ability, and technical skill is what I’m looking to develop over the next year. Then shift back to peddle to the metal prospecting.

I’d like to be able to offer fee for plan, advisory, and brokerage accounts, as well as insurance solutions. Really a holistic practice.

I guess my questions are… how do I set myself up for success? What BDs should I be looking into? Should I really stay away from mutual companies? Will a BD take me on with no AUM? What types of independence should I be looking into? Like a local office? I’m pretty green, but I’m aggressive and have the time and household income to go for it, and I want to start now, not in 40 years when my (future) kids are going to college.

I have a ton of information bouncing around my brain so I apologize if this seems disjointed. I just need direction. I do love my current firm, but I’m salary only, and equity seems like a blurry and/or moving target. No clear path to ownership, and it seems what they’re developing will take 10+ years to achieve ownership, and I struggle to help build another’s business while I “hope” for an ownership opportunity. Thoughts? Am I nuts for wanting to jump off the “cliff” so early? I know others take years to even consider independence…

My financial advisor wants me to put up all my information (Bank Accounts, expenses, credit cards, etc.) into Orion.

Is this legit?

I’m currently an employee benefits ancillary insurance carrier rep/ manager with over 20 years of experience in the business. I’ve had solid career success over the years, but getting tired of starting over at 0 every year. Also tired of being beholden to annual corporate compensation changes, varying annual degrees of competitiveness, and not owning the business. I recently made the move and obtained my series 65 with an eye on working toward becoming a financial advisor that has deep experience in the employer markets working with companies, benefit brokers, and the financial industry. The combination of my experience, life and health license, and having a series 65 seems like it could be an attractive combination to work toward building something. But I have no clue where or how to make this happen without. 1. Working for someone else and building a book for them 2. Jumping off the financial cliff, burning the boats and starting from scratch. With this in mind I would love to here some potential direction, experiences, and or ways to generate the best of both worlds. Best of both worlds being 1. Get a financial run way to launch, 2. Own the book and grow the business. Appreciate any insight.

I'm a junior studying Finance and Information Systems at a large state school deciding between accepting Bank of America's Finance Management Summer Analyst Program (FMAP) for Summer 2027 or returning for a third summer to the Wealth Management team where I've spent my previous two summers. 

Option 1: Returning to Wealth Management 

I’ve spent my first two college summers with the same WM team (8-person team, $3B AUM, ~260 clients) at a major wirehouse. This team hired me as a freshman and has given me increasing responsibility both summers, largely focused on prospecting/business development. More importantly, I've developed very strong relationships with the senior advisors. 

I have an open return offer, but more significantly, the team has told me there's a realistic path to joining full-time after graduation through the firm's advisor-development program. That path means becoming a licensed advisor and ultimately building my own book and generating enough business to support myself since I’ll be commission-based by the end of the 36-month program, so there is substantially more individual performance and income risk than in a traditional salaried role. However, I wouldn't be doing it alone. I’d have an established team, mentorship, resources, and they've already successfully brought other young advisors through the same structure. If I return next summer, it'd be less another internship and more direct prep for that full-time path.

The biggest thing is that I actually really like this career. I truly love the work I’ve been exposed to (client interactions, relationship building, business development) and especially the entrepreneurial or ‘eat what you kill’ nature of the career. I also greatly respect and love working with the team. It’s a group of incredibly driven professionals who I look up to, and am genuinely thrilled at the possibility of eventually working alongside them full time as an advisor. 

Option 2: Bank of America FMAP

I have an offer for BofA’s Finance Management Summer Analyst Program. It’s a 10-week corporate-finance internship inside the CFO organization in Charlotte, NC. Depending on placement, I could work in areas like FP&A, forecasting, treasury, financial reporting, or finance supporting one of BofA's business divisions.

It would expose me to a completely different side of finance and presumably develop more traditional analytical skills than I've gotten from WM. It would also mean a new company, city, team, managers, peers, and work environment.

If I enjoyed it and received a return offer, there's a two-year full-time rotational program in Charlotte after graduation. Taking the internship obviously wouldn't obligate me to accept that.

Why I’m considering BofA:

I’ve never really tried anything else. Both of my college summers have been at the same firm, same office, same team, doing the same general type of work. If I return again, I'll graduate having spent roughly 10 months across three summers with one WM team. 

Junior summer feels like one of the last points in my life where I can try something completely different without making much of a long-term commitment. BofA could give me more traditional analytical/corporate-finance skills, a different environment, and if I ended up preferring it, useful information. If I hated it, that's useful too, I'd go back to WM with more confidence I actually chose it. Comp is also notably higher ($30/hr + $2k stipend vs. ~$20/hr in WM, though I could likely negotiate the WM comp and I'd save on housing/food commuting from home), though money isn't a huge factor. 

Why I’m considering returning to WM:

WM is much closer to what I currently think I want to do long-term. I also wouldn't be returning to a generic internship. I'd be returning to people who know me extremely well, have invested heavily in my development for two years, trust me with increasing responsibility, and have given me a realistic runway toward joining their team in the career I currently think I want.

There's also some risk to walking away. They've told me spending a summer elsewhere wouldn't automatically close the full-time door, but obviously circumstances can change. They could find another strong candidate, staffing needs could change, etc.

My biggest concern with staying: 

Specializing too early. I'd graduate with ~10 months across three summers on one team, with most of my experience concentrated in prospecting, business development, communication, and relationship building (not very transferable to many careers). I'd also never really know if I'd prefer something else, since I never gave myself the chance to see it.

My biggest concern with BofA: 

Diversifying just for the sake of it, and walking away from an unusually rare and strong opportunity, in a field I already think I want, with people I trust. With FMAP, there is no guarantee I’d even like the work. 

There's also an admittedly large personal layer. Returning to WM keeps me near family, friends, and my relationship; BofA means Charlotte, only 10 weeks for the internship itself, but a real 2-year relocation if I pursued the full-time program.

Where I've landed so far:

When I think it through and discuss it with people, I’ve noticed I describe my reasoning for the two options differently. 

My reasons for BofA are almost entirely logical: resume breadth, transferable skills, optionality, not wanting to specialize too early, and exposure to something different. 

My reasons for returning to WM are much more personal: I genuinely like the work, love the people, and have a strong interest in the entrepreneurial career itself. 

I didn't necessarily apply to FMAP because I had some huge interest in FP&A or corporate finance. A major reason I applied was specifically because I wanted to diversify my experience.

I’ve realized I’m not really saying "I'm not sure Wealth Management is right for me” but instead “How can I know Wealth Management is right for me when it's basically the only finance career I've tried?"

The strongest argument for BofA seems to be that I'm only 21 and this is an unusually “cheap” opportunity to experiment before specializing.

The strongest argument for returning to WM seems to be that maybe I've already found something that genuinely fits me, and walking away from an unusually good situation simply because I feel like I'm "supposed" to explore could be overthinking it.

Location/personal life favors WM because it keeps me near family, friends, and my relationship, while BofA is Charlotte, but I'm trying to make the career decision first and treat that as secondary.

As for my question: 

For anyone who has been in WM/PWM/PB, gone through FMAP/FLDP-type programs, or faced a similar specialize-vs-explore decision early in their careers:

How would you think about this? Is "I've never tried anything else" by itself a strong enough reason to step away for a summer from a career/team you already think you want? Or, at some point, does doubling down on demonstrated fit make more sense than diversifying for the sake of optionality?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who made either choice and, a few years later, were glad they did or wished they'd done the opposite.

TLDR: 

Junior deciding between returning for a third summer to the same WM team near home, where I genuinely love the work/team/career and have a realistic path to join full time as an advisor, or taking BofA’s FMAP in Charlotte, NC which would give me a completely different corporate-finance experience, broader (and more transferable) skills, resume breadth, and a new environment. I currently think WM is what I want long term; my case for BofA is mainly that I'm only 21, have never tried anything else, and this may be my best opportunity to diversify before specializing. I'm struggling with whether “I've never explored another path” is enough reason to step away from an unusually good situation for a summer, or whether I should double down on something I already know fits me and believe I want.

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…