In honour of Valentines Day, take a moment to reflect on your relationship with your career. Do you love what you do? Can you see it working out long-term? Are you happy?
If the answer to even one of these questions is no, perhaps it’s time to break up with your career and fall in love with a new one.
Just like a relationship, a career in financial advice requires trust, communication, and empathy. If you’re someone looking for a fresh start in a rewarding profession, financial advice might be the place for you.
What does a financial adviser do?
Financial advisers are qualified professionals responsible for helping clients to make the most of their money. The best financial advisers will look at a client holistically, not just at their finances. They will assess a client’s circumstances and offer bespoke financial strategies in a variety of areas such as investments, estate planning, mortgage provisions and retirement/pensions.
Adviser/client relationships are often life-long, sometimes even spanning generations, supporting families through divorce, grief and other crucial life events.
Financial advice is a career that truly gives back to people who are willing to grab the opportunity with both hands. Are you one of those people? Find out below.
Am I a match for financial advice?
Now you know what a financial adviser does, take the following quiz find out whether you have what it takes to make a good one.
Answer the questions below using a scale of 0-3:
0 – Strongly disagree 1 – Disagree 2 – Agree 3 – Strongly agree
1. I like working in client-facing roles
2. I’m good at reading people
3. I’m qualified to deliver financial advice (or I’m willing to take the necessary exams!)
4. I don’t mind working hard if the career is rewarding
5. One of my strengths is thinking long-term
6. I am interested in finance and the investment world
7. I’m motivated by helping others to succeed
8. I’m a natural communicator who can explain complex ideas in a simple way
9. Building long term relationships with people is something I enjoy doing
10. I feel confident in my ability to find clients and build a network
Next, add up your scores and find your total below.
If you scored:
Between 0-10: Not a match
Continue your career change journey
Financial advice is not the career for you! Keep looking for your true match.
Between 10-15: Not quite right
You have a few of the qualities that could make a financial adviser, but you’re not quite where you need to be to consider a career change into financial advice. Perhaps consider other routes, like becoming admin staff or a paraplanner in a Practice and working your way up. Hear from Carly, St. James’s Place adviser, who started her career in paraplanning.
Between 15-20: Looking promising
Financial advice could be an interesting career for you to investigate. Identify your strengths and weaknesses to ensure that the areas you feel less confident in can be developed over time. Our Academy can help you along this journey. Request a brochure to learn more about how our programme can support you.
Between 20-30: It’s a match, get in touch!
You would make a great financial adviser! You have the ambition, the people skills and the attitude needed to deliver in this role. Take the next step by filling out our contact form, and one of our Partnership Recruitment Managers will be in touch to guide you through your journey into financial advice.