Financial Services · Advisor recruiting
Before you post a wealth advisor job, decide whether you are paying for a book of clients or for the skill to serve the clients you already have, because the licenses, pay plan and candidate pool all change with that answer. Careerscape recruits advisors nationwide through a remote team of recruiters who specialize in financial services.
Start here
BLS describes personal financial advisors as people who meet clients, recommend investments, explain risk and plan for retirement and education. It adds that many give tax advice or sell insurance, and many spend significant time marketing their services. That last part splits the job in two.
A producing advisor is hired to bring in or grow assets. The pay plan leans on production, the interview leans on client relationships, and the hardest question is which clients may follow and under what agreements. Have counsel review the candidate's current agreements before you build an offer around transferred assets.
A service or associate advisor works the clients your firm already has. BLS notes that advisors usually train on the job for more than a year under senior advisors, so this hire can come in with fewer licenses and earn them with your sponsorship. Licensing also depends on your firm: per BLS, advisers at small firms that manage client money register with state regulators and those at large firms with the SEC.
Put these decisions in the posting itself. A vague wealth advisor ad draws both kinds of candidate and serves neither: say which job it is in the first paragraph.
Licenses and marks
Series exams are qualification exams tied to what an advisor may sell or advise on. Designations are voluntary marks of training and experience. Requirements change, so check each issuer before you write them into a posting.
| Credential | Issuer | What it qualifies or signals | Requirements to earn and keep it |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIE and Series 7 | FINRA | General securities representative; sale of all securities products | Must be sponsored by a FINRA member firm; SIE is a corequisite; Series 7 has 125 questions over 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Series 66 | NASAA, administered by FINRA | Both broker-dealer agent and investment adviser representative | Series 7 is a corequisite |
| Series 65 | NASAA | Investment adviser representative | 130 scored questions plus 10 pretest questions in 180 minutes; a candidate can enroll without a firm through FINRA.org for $187 |
| CFP | CFP Board | Comprehensive financial planning | Registered Program coursework, a bachelor's degree, a 170-question exam, 6,000 hours of experience (or 4,000 as an apprentice), ethics declaration and background check; 30 CE hours every two years, rising to 40 for cycles that start in or after Q1 2027 |
| CPWA | Investments & Wealth Institute | Advanced private wealth advice | Bachelor's degree or a listed designation, five years of client-centered experience, an executive education program and a proctored exam; 40 CE hours every two years |
| CFA charter | CFA Institute | Investment analysis and portfolio management | Three exams and 4,000 hours of relevant experience over at least 36 months |
BLS notes that license needs vary by product, insurance included. State insurance licensing is not covered in this table. Source: FINRA, NASAA, CFP Board, Investments & Wealth Institute (via FINRA) and CFA Institute.
29 metros
BLS counts wealth advisors as personal financial advisors. Metro figures are May 2025 estimates and, like all BLS wage data here, leave out self-employed advisors who run their own practices.
| Market | Jobs | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 23,980 | $170,050+62% | 1.47 |
| Los Angeles | 13,980 | $124,490+18% | 1.30 |
| Miami | 8,390 | $125,670+20% | 1.73 |
| Chicago | 8,370 | $113,210+8% | 1.08 |
| Philadelphia | 7,390 | $116,560+11% | 1.49 |
| San Francisco | 7,130 | $160,610+53% | 1.75 |
| Dallas | 6,230 | Not published | 0.90 |
| Phoenix | 5,000 | $103,680−1% | 1.23 |
| Charlotte | 4,850 | $99,440−5% | 2.08 |
| Denver | 4,700 | $98,740−6% | 1.70 |
| Atlanta | 4,690 | $103,990−1% | 0.95 |
| Washington, DC | 4,330 | $106,230+1% | 0.80 |
| Minneapolis | 4,150 | $103,410−2% | 1.24 |
| Houston | 4,130 | $98,930−6% | 0.73 |
| Seattle | 3,940 | $114,540+9% | 1.10 |
| Tampa | 3,660 | $82,580−21% | 1.47 |
| Detroit | 3,430 | $76,830−27% | 1.05 |
| Baltimore | 3,240 | $98,970−6% | 1.39 |
| San Diego | 3,010 | $130,330+24% | 1.14 |
| Raleigh-Durham | 2,340 | $104,780±0% | 1.84 |
| Pittsburgh | 2,030 | $115,600+10% | 1.06 |
| Austin | 2,010 | $95,990−9% | 0.91 |
| Nashville | 1,710 | $91,040−13% | 0.91 |
| Providence | 1,200 | $83,720−20% | 0.98 |
| Buffalo | 690 | $103,650−1% | 0.75 |
| Albany | 680 | $124,610+19% | 0.88 |
| Boston | — | $126,530+20% | — |
| Hartford | — | $81,990−22% | — |
| Portland | — | $122,830+17% | — |
New York City is in a class of its own, with 23,980 advisor jobs and the highest median of our metros at $170,050. San Francisco follows on pay ($160,610) and is also concentrated (location quotient 1.75). Charlotte has the highest concentration at 2.08, ahead of Raleigh-Durham (1.84), Miami (1.73) and Denver (1.70). Detroit has the lowest median ($76,830); Houston (0.73) and Buffalo (0.75) are the thinnest pools. BLS does not publish a job count for Boston, Hartford or Portland, or a median for Dallas. More on the sector at our financial services recruiting page. Personal Financial Advisors, by metro area, sorted by jobs. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; U.S. median $105,070. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job is a bigger share of local employment than nationally.
Interview
Use these after the license and disclosure checks, with the advisor who will supervise or partner with the hire in the room.
Listen for: A process: discovery, goals, risk tolerance, then changes with reasons. Watch for answers that start and end with a product.
Listen for: A clear record of the alternatives considered, costs and why the rollover serves the client. Rollover advice falls under the Department of Labor's PTE 2020-02, now back in its original form.
Listen for: Candor about what they signed and an expectation that counsel will review it. An offer to share client statements or lists from a current firm is a red flag.
Listen for: Contact before the client called, a plain explanation and a decision tied to the plan rather than the headlines.
Listen for: Volunteered context for any disclosure. Defensiveness about a record you can read yourself tells you how they handle hard client conversations.
BLS, May 2025
BLS wage data for personal financial advisors include commissions, incentive pay and production bonuses but not nonproduction bonuses, and they exclude self-employed advisors.
Middle half of all workers (25th to 75th percentile)
The range is unusually wide: $50,190 at the 10th percentile and $357,020 at the 90th, with a median of $105,070. Associate and service advisors on salary and bonus tend to sit in the lower half; producing advisors with large books drive the top. Price the role on the pay plan you will offer and model it with the candidate at expected production, rather than anchoring on the median. Our financial planner salary guide has more on planner pay. Annual pay, all U.S. employers, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation: Personal Financial Advisors. BLS does not publish this title separately; the figures are for personal financial advisors, the closest BLS occupation, which can include other job titles. Closest Salary Guide page: Financial Planner.
Due diligence
Run these before the offer letter, not after a client transition has started.
BrokerCheck shows ten years of employment history, current registrations and disclosures such as customer disputes and disciplinary events. Some items may be pending or unproven, so ask about them rather than rejecting on sight.
An advisor who will sell securities needs the Series 7 and SIE through a sponsoring firm. An adviser representative needs the Series 65, or the Series 66 together with the Series 7. Write down which exams you will sponsor and by when.
Ask CFP Board or the Investments & Wealth Institute to confirm a claimed CFP or CPWA, and check whether CE is current.
Non-solicitation and confidentiality terms decide what a moving advisor may do. Get a lawyer's view before you make pay contingent on transferred assets.
The Department of Labor formally removed its 2024 fiduciary rule effective April 20, 2026, restoring the 1975 five-part test and the original PTE 2020-02. Make sure your rollover review process reflects the rules now in force.
Request talent
Tell us the client segment, pay plan, licenses you need at hire and whether a book is expected.
Looking for a job instead? Submit your resume or browse open jobs.
FAQ
It depends on what they will do. Selling securities requires the SIE and Series 7 through a sponsoring FINRA member firm. Giving investment advice as an adviser representative requires the Series 65, or the Series 66 paired with the Series 7. Insurance products need their own licensing; BLS notes requirements vary by product. The CFP and CPWA marks are optional but show planning training and experience.
Yes. FINRA requires Series 7 candidates to be sponsored by a member firm, so you would sponsor the exam after hire. Put the deadline and any consequence in the offer letter. The Series 65 is different: a candidate can enroll on their own through FINRA.org, so you can ask for it before the start date.
Two federal trial courts put the Department of Labor's 2024 Retirement Security Rule on hold, and it never took effect. In March 2026 the DOL formally removed it, effective April 20, 2026. The 1975 five-part test for ERISA investment advice fiduciaries applies, and PTE 2020-02, which covers rollover advice, is back to its original version. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Yes. We run executive search for senior and producing advisors and direct hire for associate and service roles. We cannot promise that assets will move with an advisor: that depends on clients and on the advisor's agreements. What we can do is screen for the relationships, licenses and disclosure record you need before you meet anyone.
Yes. Careerscape is free for job seekers, and we keep your search confidential if you are employed. Browse open advisor roles on our jobs page or send your resume and note your licenses, registrations and client segment. That tells our recruiters which firms and pay plans fit before anyone contacts you about a role.
Review screened advisor profiles in the Employer Portal, request interviews and leave feedback for your recruiter as the search moves.
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