*This piece was written for a firm in India, there are variations with trade marks because of that.
Certified Financial Planners have many different career opportunities. The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERCM (CFPCM) study program and subsequent professional designation sets financial professionals apart. The CFPCM study program prepares students to become ethical experts in the personal financial services industry. A career in Financial Advisory Services can lead down many career paths. Let’s take a look at some of them.
The Employee Approach: Work with a firm, but for yourself. Working directly for a Financial Advisory firm affords Certified Financial Planners the resources they deserve and expect but also a degree of freedom employees never thought possible. A Certified Financial Planner working through a firm may advise other firm employees or work from a company branch advising loyal client bases. Employees of firms expand investment programs and acquire new customers. Many times the Financial Advisory Service is a bank or credit union.
The Independent Approach: Run your own business on your own terms. The independent approach for Certified Financial Planners is all about control. Planners build his or her own business and utilize as much or as little support from Financial Advisory Service providers. Through the independent approach, Certified Financial Planners are true business owners with total flexibility. Combine fee – and commission-based sales to find the right mix for clients.
The Institutional Approach: A hybrid between independent ownership and becoming an employee, this Certified Financial Planning approach centers on partnership. As an independent Certified Financial Planner, advisors may choose to partner with an institutional firm to facilitate growth. The institutional firm gains strength through your powerful CFPCM study and you gain the ability to access firm clients. Together, the Certified Financial Planner and the Financial Advisory firm can build an investment program to add revenue and profit. Current clients of the partner Financial Advisory firm are able to expand current relationships to include fee-based financial planning and investment management. Typically the best institutions to partner with are banks and credit unions.
Talented, driven new Certified Financial Planners will find there are many career paths to choose from. Discovering which one fits his or her needs the best is a matter of personal choice. Through the CFPCM study program, students are nurtured on how to break down barriers within the current Financial Advisory Service industry and will be ready to provide and implement financial recommendations upon program completion. Putting theory into practice will create wealth for Certified Financial Planners but also add value to the future clients he or she counsels.
