How to hire personal financial advisors
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • 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. • Implement financial planning recommendations, or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation. • 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. • Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date. • Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance. • Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals. • Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, writing, critical thinking and mathematics skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, economics and accounting, English Language and mathematics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $50.51 an hour ($105,070 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for personal financial advisors
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to implement financial planning recommendations, or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to 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. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What personal financial advisors do
- 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.
- Implement financial planning recommendations, or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation.
- 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.
- Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.
- Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance.
- Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.
- Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for personal financial advisors
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Training on the job: Long-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +1.4% over ten years, little or no change · about 17,100 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay personal financial advisors
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| New York | $166,400 |
| New Jersey | $158,570 |
| California | $130,330 |
| South Dakota | $128,720 |
| Oregon | $122,830 |
| Oklahoma | $68,670 |
| Kentucky | $67,150 |
| Mississippi | $63,300 |
See personal financial advisors pay in every state
Related hiring guides
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- Financial and Investment Analysts
- Insurance Underwriters
- Financial Risk Specialists
- Financial Examiners
- Credit Counselors
- Loan Officers
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.