The term “Financial Advisor” is one that you may be familiar with, without really knowing what exactly the job description of a financial advisor is. Certainly there is an air of “big money” surrounding financial advisors that piques curiosity and entices many to find out more.

First of all, the job descripition of a financial advisor does indeed involve handling large amounts of money – amounts that may run into the millions depending on the advisor’s expertise and experience. Though high-earners themselves, the money belongs to other people.

In a nutshell, it is the financial advisor’s job, as an employee of firms like Merrill-Lynch, Morgan Stanley and TD Waterhouse, to help clients how to make the most of their money.
For instance, the job description of a financial advisor includes helping clients to:

  • Understand the risks and rewards of various investment options.
  • Protect clients from loss and alert them to opportunities resulting from market shifts.
  • Invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and so on, earning money through interest and maturity.
  • Establish trust funds for children.
  • Set up retirement portfolios, investing 401k money into interest-bearing accounts
  • Source funding for business or other needs.

Naturally the job of financial advisor – managing life savings and million dollar fortunes – requires a particular skill set. Financial advisors possess a finance-related Bachelors degree at minimum and have passed the necessary exams to be a certified and licensed Financial Advisor. Through subsequently training and experience, they have proven themselves to possess the necessary skills and expertise to successfully manage client accounts.

In the early days of their career, the job of a financial advisor involves working extremely hard, typically undergoing intensive in-house training while simultaneously studying for exams to become certified and licensed. Employers invest a great deal of time and money in new recruits and because of this, are extremely selective at the recruitment stage.

Salaries of financial advisors are typically high, boosted by commissions and bonuses with earnings increasing considerably with experience and success. For an opportunity to enjoy these rewards, prospective financial advisors must be prepared to study hard, train hard and work hard.

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