How To Become A Finance Consultant: What It Is and Career Path

Q: Can anyone be a financial consultant?

Yes, anyone can be a financial consultant. To become a financial consultant, you do not need a college degree, a special certification, or even a high-school diploma to qualify. The key to achieving success as a financial consultant is knowing what you're doing, and having the education and credentials helps differentiate you from those less qualified.

Q: Do finance consultants travel a lot?

Yes, finance consultants travel a lot. Consultants tend to travel a lot and experience extended time away from home. This is true whether working at a large firm or as an independent contractor.

Q: How many years does it take to become a financial consultant?

It takes between five to seven years to become a financial consultant. The path to becoming a professional financial consultant can be straightforward, or it can include a series of twists, turns, and detours depending on education and past experience.

Q: How much do financial consultants make?

Financial consultants make $88,000 a year, on average ($42.74 an hour). However, there is a lot of variation in how much a financial consultant can make, starting from as little as $58,000 to as much as $134,000 a year. Factors such as company type, years of experience, and location impact how much a financial consultant can earn.

Q: Is a financial consultant a good job?

Yes, being a financial consultant is a good job. Financial consulting can be an exciting career that is well paid and in demand. However, these jobs typically require a lot of travel - sometimes four to five times a week. This means that this is a great position for someone just starting out in their career and is looking to travel a lot.

Q: Financial consultant vs Financial advisor

A financial consultant is a professional that helps an individual or company build wealth, while a financial advisor helps clients understand their current financial situation. A financial consultant's main objective is to help their clients with developing comprehensive long-term financial strategies to increase their wealth. They are heavily involved in the buying and selling of investments. And turning complicated financial concepts into actionable strategies.

What is a finance consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Nate Peach Ph.D.

You might have taken economics or finance-related courses in college, or you might have a strong grasp of the financial market and the economy. Well, did you know that there are companies that hire consultants to guide them in their financial decisions? Some individuals even hire personal consultants! If you have years of experience and a great track record, this can be a lucrative engagement for you.

Finance consultants are usually those who have been in the finance world for quite a long time. If you are interested in this career, you need to have a good portfolio and an amazing track record. You should know how to manage wealth, and you should be updated with the latest trends in the economy. You also need to have a nice, clean reputation for clients to want to work with you.

If you think this is a good fit for you, you better start networking! This will surely help you get clients in the future.

What general advice would you give to a finance consultant?

Nate Peach Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Economics, George Fox University

Try to stay optimistic. You've invested your time, energy, and money on a precious degree. The pandemic has not changed the value of the skills you've acquired. What it has done is to make it challenging to find a job for the moment. Things are weird right now. Many companies are redesigning their hiring practices, which is bound to cause challenges for job seekers. The skills that you developed as an economist are precious to employers, be diligent in your job search, and you will be rewarded with a great career.

ScoreFinance ConsultantUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $77,551

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 8.46%

Black or African American 5.73%

Hispanic or Latino 9.57%

Unknown 4.38%

White 71.76%

Gender

female 31.54%

male 68.46%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a finance consultant

Explore finance consultant education requirements

Most common finance consultant degrees

Bachelor's

72.4 %

Master's

17.1 %

Associate

5.7 %

Start to develop specific finance consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	13.72%
Financial Services	10.23%
Financial Statements	4.67%
CPA	3.98%
Business Development	3.72%

Complete relevant finance consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New finance consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a finance consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real finance consultant resumes.

Gain additional finance consultant certifications

Finance consultant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific finance consultant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for finance consultants include Certified Professional, Life and Health Insurance Program (CPLHI) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

More About Certifications

Research finance consultant duties and responsibilities

Lead new hire training for FINRA test preparation and consultative sales model.
Manage client's portfolio to ensure proper taxation of gains/losses on exercise stock options.
Provide expert advice to clients to achieve their financial planning goals in conjunction with an independent RIA.
Lead and organize a weekly macro meeting with multi-asset strategists to discuss and challenge the team's positioning.

Prepare your finance consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your finance consultant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a finance consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable finance consultant resume templates

Build a professional finance consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your finance consultant resume.