Hiring Personal Financial Advisors

What do personal financial advisors do?

• 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.
• Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 13-2052.00.

What does it take to become one?

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

O*NET Job Zone 4, SVP (7.0 to < 8.0). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Dynamics for this role.

What do personal financial advisors get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for personal financial advisors in 88 of the metro areas in this build. The median ranges from $57,380 to $170,050 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $99,350. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2052.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median for personal financial advisors in this build is $170,050. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $34,010 to $51,015 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a personal financial advisors search fill?

23 to 35 days, 2 to 3x faster than a typical contingency search, per the recruiting provider's published figures.

What if the hire does not work out?

A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.