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Financial Advisor Job Description: Top Duties and Requirements

A Financial Advisor, or Financial Planner, is someone who helps an individual budget, build, and control their money. Their duties include building a client base, maintaining relationships with clients, and monitoring the overall portfolio of a client to ensure their money is growing.

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Financial Advisor duties and responsibilities

When writing a job description for a Financial Advisor, it is important to specify the main functions of the role. Some important duties and responsibilities may include:

  • Engaging with new and existing clients on a daily basis to better understand their short- and long-term financial goals
  • Monitoring client portfolios to ensure these meet their progress and target requirements
  • Providing tax, income, and estate guidance for clients while being able to answer questions
  • Regularly attending training sessions to stay up-to-date with regulatory or industry changes
  • Assisting with marketing and communications to help grow their customer base
  • Proactively resolving or preventing banking or portfolio problems
  • Educating clients to ensure they understand how their money is being managed
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Financial Advisor Job Description Examples:

What does a Financial Advisor do?

A Financial Advisor uses their expertise to help build a personal financial plan for their clients. Maintaining relationships with clients is important because a Financial Advisor meets with clients on a regular basis to ensure their portfolio is meeting financial goals. The Financial Advisor is also able to adjust portfolios as goals and needs of their clients change, such as with the birth of a child or a marriage. Some of the duties performed by a Financial Advisor may include budgeting, creating tax strategies, or helping to purchase insurance products.

Financial Advisor skills and qualifications

A successful Financial Advisor candidate possesses various prerequisite skills and qualifications for the duties of this job, including:

  • Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal
  • Excellent digital literacy skills
  • Ability to build trust and maintain strong relationships with clients
  • Ability to work as an individual contributor and as part of the team
  • Outstanding problem-solving and analytical skills
  • Proficiency in math and financial literacy
  • Excellent time-management and planning skills

Financial Advisor experience requirements

When reviewing resumes for a Financial Advisor candidate, you should typically look for someone with at least two to three years of experience in the role. However, if on-the-job training is to be provided, prior experience may not be required. Ideal candidates will be familiar with accounting and bookkeeping software.

Financial Advisor education and training requirements

Ideal Financial Advisor candidates may have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Look for an applicant who has obtained a degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related discipline. Additionally, the applicant should have obtained certification as a Certified Financial Planner in Canada. If the applicant does not have CFP (Certified Financial Planner) certification, they are expected to be working towards achieving it.

Financial Advisor salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Financial Advisor in Canada is $58,052 per year. The actual salary can vary depending on many factors including experience, location, or type of company.

Job description samples for similar positions

If a Financial Advisor isn’t quite what you are looking for, other related job descriptions include:

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Financial Advisor job description FAQs

What should you look for in a Financial Advisor resume?

When reviewing job applicants for the position of Financial Advisor, look for an individual who has experience working in the financial industry. It may also be beneficial to look for someone that has an existing client network and is a participant in various associations, hobby groups, sports teams, or charitable activities, as this shows strong teamwork and interpersonal skills. A good Financial Advisor may also have a Canadian Securities Course designation or will be working towards one.

What qualities make a good Financial Advisor?

Attention to detail is an important skill for any Financial Advisor to have, as they deal very regularly with numbers. It is also important for a good Financial Advisor to be personable and able to build connections quickly. Many successful Financial Advisors are also very involved in their community. Candidates should also be organized and able to oversee multiple portfolios at a time while keeping the financial needs of their clients top of mind.

Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

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