How to Start Your Career as a Financial Advisor?

Published on: 13 September 2018 Last Updated on: 19 July 2019
Financial Advisor

Over the next 30 years, the baby boomers are expected to transfer approximately 30 trillion dollars of wealth to the millennial. Financial advisors are at an all-time advantageous position because they will help manage that money.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 27% job growth for advisors between 2012 and 2022. The average job is suggested to be about $99,920.

However, this career is not an easy one. While there are a lot of career openings for finance sector,It is constantly changing. If you are interested in the profession, here are a few tips on the educational requirements, salary packages and the certification that will help you understand what you will need to be a successful financial advisor or start a financial planning career.

Who is a financial advisor?

Just as the name suggests, financial advisors provide advice to clients on how they can handle their money better. Financial advisors tell their customers where to channel their money, so they get higher returns and grow monetarily.  These channels may include insurance options, retirement plans, and other investment strategies.

These professionals, therefore, need to have an excellent understanding of how the stock markets, the banking and insurance sectors are performing.

There are two options if you’re thinking about how to become a financial advisor. You can either choose to work with a company, or you can go private. Either way, you need a bachelor’s degree and relevant certification.

Educational requirements for a financial advisor online

The first step to getting into any career is to get an appropriate bachelor’s degree. The financial advisor career requires you to a degree in business administration and other specialized fields like accounting or financial management.

The business administration course will cover topics like marketing, accounting, operations management, and finance. The financial management course will focus on financial planning, investments and risk management.

While you are studying, make sure that you take advantage of the support resources offered by most universities. Resources such as resume writing guidance for professional CV writing service, job assistance, getting interview leads and writing cover letters will be beneficial when you are building your career.

You may also want to develop your marketing skills as you study since you will be tasked with the responsibility to connect with clients through marketing your advisory services in networking avenues, workshops and seminars. It is critical for you to start learning the different marketing strategies early. They will be helpful when you are looking for clients to represent.

Depending on the country and the state you reside, you will be needed to get licenses and certifications. The license you get will depend on the types of assets you want to handle. If you’re going to sell securities like corporate bonds, you need a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority licensing exam.

For the entry levels, the experience is not necessary, however, as you grow in the industry, you will need to get more certifications. The more certificates you have, the more likely you are to succeed in the private sector.

You will have to take the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam that will require you to complete 30 units of continuing education and summation of your annual dues. These classes improve your professional conduct.

To color your CV even further, take an advanced degree such as a Master’s. It will help you move up in your managerial positions and even land better-paying customers.

Time and costs involved in the financial planning career

This career requires rigorous studying. To pass most of the industry’s exams, you have to dedicate up to 270- hours of study time including the series seven that gives stockbrokers a license to trade and 66 to qualify you as an investment advisor and security agents. You also have to dedicate your time to training programs which will be invaluable for embarking into the career as a private representative.

Being a certified financial planner is not a requirement for financial advisors although the CPF test is done after a person enters the business.

Becoming a financial advisor is not cheap. The series 7 exam costs $305, and the 66 costs $155. The training may be offered by the company that you work for after getting your first degree. CFP costs are $594. The materials needed and the classes can be well over $400.

The monetary costs are nothing compared to the time you have to dedicate to be a competent professional.  The costs of commitment and time will help you build a healthy practice.

The rewards of becoming a financial advisor

The salary of financial advisors varies depending on their education and experience level.  Advisors that do not have more than 10 years experience get a salary of about $25000 per year. The salary increases over time because you get a salary, bonuses, and commissions. After ten years these professionals get about $95000 per year. According to statistics, the highest paid financial advisors in 2013 reached $180000.

There is also the personal satisfaction you get when you help change people’s lives. No two days at work are the same. You have endless opportunities to grow and expand. You will meet interesting people who will also change your life.

You also get the chance to maintain a great work-life balance since you have the advantage of built-in scheduling flexibility. You will also work well after your retirement years because the career does not require physical strain. Once you figure out what type of investor you want to be, it gets more comfortable for you to meet clients, excel in your education and growth.

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Avoid Negative Equity

How Do You Avoid Negative Equity On Your Next Car Loan?

Car finance allows drivers to spread the cost of a new or used car into affordable monthly payments. By borrowing money from a lender, drivers can purchase a car and pay the lender back in monthly installments until the end of the agreed term. Negative equity is a term you may hear often with car finance, and for many drivers, it is best to avoid it. Find out how you can ensure you don’t end up with negative equity and what to do next if you find yourself in this situation. What Is Negative Equity? In car finance, negative equity is when you owe more on your loan than your car is worth. Negative equity can be known as outstanding car finance or an upside-down loan which means if you sold your car to clear the loan, you still wouldn’t have been able to pay the balance off.  For example, if your settlement figure was £6,000 and your car was worth £4,000, you would still owe the finance company £2,000. Usually, negative equity happens when the value of your car drops quickly during your agreement. This is especially common with brand-new cars, as they can lose up to 50% of their value in the first few years of ownership. Here, if you want to trade in your car but have negative equity, you will need to repay the loan amount before you take a new loan to purchase a new vehicle. What Are The Reasons For Negative Equity? Basically, a negative equity situation happens for a variety of reasons. For instance, an upside-down situation in regard to a car loan can happen due to the following reasons: You might have a loan for a longer term. Apart from that, your vehicle has also gone through depreciation since your purchase. There is a no-money-down auto loan in your case, or you might have paid more than the sticker price of the vehicle due to the inclusion of add-ons.  You might have purchased an expensive vehicle, which might not have the same value that you expected during the purchase. Your debt regarding the loan is of a high rate of interest. Hence, most of the money that you are paying is going to the interest as compared to the principal. Depreciation is also a major factor in this case. Basically, the term rate of depreciation shows how fast an asset loses its value. Generally, a car loses almost 20% of its value in the first year itself. Furthermore, the process of depreciation continues to happen in the following years until the car fully loses its value. Why Is Negative Equity Problematic?  Negative equity within your car finance deal can be an issue because you will still owe the lender money even if you sell your car. In some cases, you may not be able to sell the car, too. If you find your circumstances have changed and you can’t afford to carry on with the loan, you may be charged additional fees for missed or late payments, and it can lead to much more serious financial consequences. How Do You Avoid Negative Equity In The First Place? 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One of the best ways of paying off the loan is to pay extra on the principal part. Apart from that, you can also consider paying a lump-sum amount beforehand to avoid paying interest for a longer period. Hence, you must consider reviewing your budget and savings from time to time to pay off your existing debt. 2. Loan Refinancing Here, you might consider taking out a new loan to pay off your existing debt. This will help you in getting out of your upside-down car loan faster. This works even better if you can avail of a new loan with a lower rate of interest. 3. Selling The Vehicle If you do not need the vehicle, you can consider selling off the vehicle. This way, you can get a lump sum of cash, which will allow you to pay off the loan. Furthermore, if you sell the vehicle to a private buyer, you will have the option to negotiate the price further. This will enable you to get more cash, which will further help you to pay off the negative equity. 4. Surrendering The Vehicle If you handle the vehicle to the lender, you can get out of the negative equity, too. In addition to that, if you do a voluntary surrender, you will be more likely to get out of the negative equity. Summing Up: Getting Out Of Negative Equity If you’ve not been able to avoid negative equity and need to know how to get yourself out of it, follow the top tips below: If you can still afford your current car finance payments, it is recommended you stick with the deal you have at the moment. In many cases, your deal will balance out over the duration of the loan, and the negative equity should be settled by the time you reach the final payment.  You could pay off your negative equity by paying the lender in cash.  You can hand your car back to the lender through Voluntary Termination. If you’ve paid half of your agreement off, you could return the car to the lender. It’s always best to speak with your lender first, though, to see how they could help you.  Do you have any more ideas to add? Consider sharing in the comment section below. Read More: Proven Strategies To Captivate Buyers And Sell Your Business Successfully Get On The Online Market With The Best Web Design Experts In Brisbane 8 Tips For Tech Industry CV Writing That Highlights Your Skills And Experience

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Term Insurance Plan

Everything you Need to Know About Term Insurance Plan Premium

Term insurance plan is a type of insurance policy that offers pure life protection to the family of the insured in case of an uncertain demise of the insured person. This is the most basic kind of insurance policy that you can opt for. The premium amount on the term plan is also the lowest as compared to other life insurance policies. What Is A Term Insurance Policy? The term insurance policy offers life coverage for a specific period of time to the family of the policyholder in case of any eventuality. In case the policyholder expires within the tenure of the policy then the nominees get the sum assured amount. If the policyholder, however, survives all through the term plan and the policy expires then no maturity benefit is offered to the policyholder. The term plan is designed in such a way that it protects the family financially in case of the policy holder’s death. The online term plan is also for a set period of time. 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home improvement loans

Home Sweet Home Improvement: How to Find the Best Home Improvement Loans

It's estimated that in 2018, Americans spent nearly $340 billion on home remodeling projects. Home improvement loans are one of the best ways to sort out the problem of home renovation. If you're planning to make some changes to your home, you may find that a home improvement loan is the only way you can get the job done. But finding a home improvement loans isn't easy, and sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how you can find the right loan, at the right price. Below you'll discover how you can find the best home improvement loans for your renovation project. Read on, and you'll discover how you can give your home a fresh look, without having to wreak havoc on your finances. Decide What You Want to Use the Loan For: Before taking out the loan, it's a good idea to think about how you're going to spend the money associated with the loan. In doing so, it becomes easy to work out how much you'll need to borrow. This then prevents you from over-borrowing and ending up with more debt than necessary. Now, if you don't know how much a particular home improvement project is going to cost, it's probably worth speaking to some contractors. If you can provide these contractors with an accurate representation of what you want to achieve, they should be able to give you a quote. If you can, try to speak to more than one contractor. This'll help develop a realistic average of what the project is going to cost. How Can You Fund the Home Improvement Project? There's more than one financial 'instrument' you can use to fund your home improvement project. For instance, there's the typical route of obtaining a home improvement loan. Now, home improvement loans can often sound like a good idea, but you'll find that such loans aren't always the best option. This often comes down to the fact home improvement loans tend to be unsecured, and this makes them a risky bet for lenders. This risk can also mean that the interest rates are going to be high. On top of this, you'll find lenders will offer relatively short repayment periods associated with these loans. The other option is to go for a personal loan. Again, this kind of loan is unsecured, and this can make such loans pricey. But, if you have good credit and a steady income, lenders might be willing to offer you a personal loan at a reasonable rate. One of the good things about a personal loan is that you may have a favorable payment term that gives you plenty of time to pay the money back. If you'd like to learn how you can find the best personal loans, check this out. There's also the option of funding your project using a credit card. Now, for many people, this should be considered as a last resort. This is because the interest rates on a credit card can be very high. But if you can find a credit card that offers 0% APR, this might be a worthwhile option. Speak to Many Lenders: Once you have a decent sense of how much the project is going to cost you, it's the time to approach some lenders. It's worth noting that some lenders will have different requirements to others. Often, you'll have to fill out an application, and the information you provide will determine whether you receive the loan. If you find your application is successful, you may have to approach another lender. You may also need to think about funding your project, using a different strategy. Manage Your Project Carefully: Once you receive your funds and begin remodeling, it's vital you manage your project carefully so that it doesn't go over budget. If this happens, you'll need to lend more money, and this can increase your debt burden. At the very least you need to keep a close eye on the contractors and ask them about their progress daily. Ask them to provide you with projected deadlines, and then check in with them to ensure they're going to meet these deadlines. It's essential you do this, as contractors often charge you a daily rate. If the project goes over schedule, you may end up needing to spend more than you budgeted for. Can You Reduce the Price of the Project? Before the project begins, you might want to ask your contractors if there's anything you can do to help lower the cost of the project. If you take certain cost-cutting measures, you may find that you don't need to use the entire loan. This then means you can repay the loan faster, thereby reducing the amount of money you spend on interest payments. Taking this step is important, as it can reduce the stress associated with having to find the 'perfect' home improvement loan. For instance, the contractors might say that things will work out cheaper if you source the materials needed for the project. You can then ask them what they need, and you can go to your local hardware store and order these items. You might also want to ask the contractor if there are any simple tasks that you can help them with. So, if you're looking to renovate a bedroom, there may be some closets that are 'built into' the room, of which you no longer want. If you take the time to remove these closets, the contractor doesn't need to spend their time on this task. This then lowers the amount of money they'll charge you as their workload is now reduced. Do You Know How to Find the Best Home Improvement Loans?  If you want to give your home a fresh look, home improvement loans can help you get the job done, without having to spend all your savings. That said, you want to make sure you do everything you can to limit the amount of money you actually need to borrow. You also want to make sure you speak to a broad range of lenders so that you can find an affordably priced loan. Yes, it can be scary to borrow money for a home improvement project. 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