Do You Work For Yourself In A Career As A Financial Advisor?

If you’re here, you might be curious if you work for yourself as a financial advisor. The short answer to that is, yes. Yes, you do work for yourself, but not by yourself. 

Working for yourself means you must be ready to show up for yourself and your clients daily. On that same token, working for yourself also allows you the flexibility to prioritize other areas of your life that are important to you. Whether that’s your hobby, your family, your children, or your business. 

With decades of planning experience and knowledge at Consolidated Planning, we have developed several internal teams to provide support to you in successfully building your practice. 

In this article, you will learn what it looks like to work for yourself as a financial advisor at Consolidated Planning, from the support you will receive to training, and what it takes to be a successful financial planner. 

 

4 Ways You Work For Yourself But Not By Yourself As A Financial Advisor 

Working for yourself but not by yourself might sound too good to be true. It’s not. By utilizing the extensive support and methods at Consolidated Planning, you will learn to build the financial planning practice of your dreams. 

 

#1 Access to A Mentor 

From week one you will have access to your mentor. Webster’s defines a mentor as a ‘coach,’ and that’s exactly what this part of your informal team does for you. This mentor often has a decade or more of experience and has accomplished what’s before you.  There are good days in growing your practice, and challenging days, and a good mentor is there to coach you for both. When you’re new to Consolidated Planning, what may look like a boulder before you is really just a pebble to your mentor.   

 

#2 Formal Trainings 

Too often training in the financial industry has two problems; it’s focused on products, and the training doesn’t compound, meaning there isn’t a specific aim or destination to it.  At Consolidated Planning, we have several development paths that are intentional for how they build you as an advisor, regardless of your prior experience in the industry.   

• Take Off: this initial learning path is focused on our planning process. There is a beginning and an end, that brings awareness to each element of what we do.  By the end of this year-long training, you can expect to fully understand and appreciate the robust options available to our clients, with an extra emphasis on our unique process.
• Consolidated Planning University (CPU): This training takes place about every 60 days and is focused on the basics of what we do and how we do it.  This course is held in Charlotte, NC, and is geared for advisors new to CP (not just new to the business.)
• Goal Planning Sessions: Each month a goal planning session is hosted to work on the horizon of what is possible for you. You work on mindset, thinking 10x, enhancing what is possible, and so much more.  This is for those of you that want to play a bigger game moving forward.
• Learning and Action Academies: These academies cover marketing, prospecting, and planning, starting with the learning academy to teach and the action academy for implementation.
• Living Balance Sheet® Foundations (LBS): This multi-day learning event is meant to make your first 90 days with us impactful. Learn the Living Balance Sheet, focus on our beliefs around planning, and dive deep into the activities needed for success.

 

#3 Back Office Programs 

Our programs offer an extensive support system to you as a financial advisor at Consolidated Planning. Marketing Administration & Practice Solutions (MAPS) for marketing, admin, and practice management support, Advisor Performance Group (APG), for support with personal planning, the New Business Hub (NBH) for accurately processing paperwork, and Business Owner Strategic Solutions (BOSS) for advanced planning solutions with business owner clients. These resources may sound overwhelming right now but through these teams, you will focus on your unique abilities and learn how to be your best. 

#4 Best Practices 

Last but not least, incorporating best practices. You will spend less time and energy wondering and wasting time by seeking wisdom and know-how’s from others at Consolidated Planning. Your peers are phenomenal and will help you get from point A to point B with the least resistance. 

 

What Will Your Financial Advising Practice Look Like? 

 Own your own practice? Check. 

 Have access to support? Check. 

While you indeed work for yourself, you can’t do anything you want because of compliance and regulations. Aside from that, these are some ways your practice might look. 

 

#1 You align yourself with our playbook, principles, and values.  

Alignment in these areas is crucial to your success with Consolidated Planning. Culture is at the forefront of who we are, and it should be for you and your practice as well. 

 

#2 You are responsible for your clients.  

Your clients will require that you deliver expertise, keep up to date on happenings of the industry, and nurture the relationships. 

 

#3 You don’t clock in or clock out.  

As your own boss, essentially, it’s up to you to put in the hours, no matter when that is. Our offices are always open to you, you can come and go as you please as well as work hours that best suit you and your clients. 

 

#4 You lean on your peers and their unique abilities.  

Not only will you focus on your unique ability, but you will learn your areas of weakness. Your peers at Consolidated Planning are here to share their unique abilities with you and help you grow. 

 

Are You Motivated Enough to Build Your Own Financial Advising Practice? 

When you found this article, you may have been wondering if financial advisors work for themselves. Ultimately, you do own your practice as a financial advisor, however determining if you’re motivated to build your practice is at the core of your decision.  

 It’s important to stress that working for yourself does not mean by yourself. The resources at Consolidated Planning are set up to guide new advisors towards a successful career. Along with working for yourself, comes the need for both self-discipline and having a self-starter mentality. 

 If you’re excited about working for yourself, your next step may be to weigh the pros and cons of a career in financial planning.  

 Reach out to our recruiters to discuss how Consolidated Planning can help get your financial advising career started. 

 

2022-146963 11/24