How to hire an investment advisor

How to hire an investment advisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step investment advisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an investment advisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new investment advisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an investment advisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the investment advisor you need to hire. Certain investment advisor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An investment advisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, investment advisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of investment advisor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Investment Advisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Investment Advisor	Personal financial advisors give financial advice to people. They help with investments, taxes, and insurance decisions.	$28-88
   Treasury Analyst	A treasury analyst is a professional who manages and analyses the financial activities of an organization that can include cash flows, liability obligations, and assets. Treasury analysts are required to execute the daily cash management of the organization such as cash forecasting, investing of excess cash, and running a hedging program in interest rates... Show more	$25-48
   Corporate Finance Analyst	Corporate finance analysts make significant business decisions based on the data they gather. Typically, corporate finance analysts work within an organization and support management decisions through actionable financial information... Show more	$25-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Exceptional Client
   • Risk Management
   • Client Relationships
   • Health Insurance
   • Business Development
   • FINRA
   • Mutual Funds
   • Financial Services
   • Securities
   • Asset Allocation
   • Real Estate
   • Wealth Management
   • Portfolio Management
   • Asset Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and strengthen customer relationships through cross-selling and up-selling to maximize retention and income generation by contacting existing and prospective customers.
   • Obtain skills with different financial programs and tools such as Morningstar and NetX360.
   • Advise and recommend insurance products including, fix and variable annuities, and term life.
   • Focus on macroeconomic fundamentals, high yield, distress debt, volatility and macro base cross-asset statistical strategies.
   • Communicate information to clients on various products offer such as equity funds, bond funds, annuities, and money markets.
   • Identify client- specific and regulatory reporting requirements, review purchase and redemption activity, securities settlements, and cash movements.

   More investment advisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your investment advisor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An investment advisor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, investment advisors' average salary in mississippi is 56% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level investment advisors 67% less than senior-level investment advisors.
   • Certifications. An investment advisor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an investment advisor's salary.

   Average investment advisor salary

   $105,377yearly

   $50.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level investment advisor salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average investment advisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$150,017	$72
   2	Massachusetts	$147,910	$71
   3	California	$133,179	$64
   4	Washington	$112,497	$54
   5	Minnesota	$110,562	$53
   6	Oregon	$109,187	$52
   7	District of Columbia	$108,158	$52
   8	Connecticut	$106,436	$51
   9	New Jersey	$102,216	$49
   10	Illinois	$102,019	$49
   11	North Carolina	$101,506	$49
   12	Michigan	$98,528	$47
   13	Arizona	$96,319	$46
   14	Ohio	$91,655	$44
   15	Georgia	$90,258	$43
   16	Pennsylvania	$88,638	$43
   17	Texas	$84,211	$40
   18	Colorado	$82,950	$40
   19	Indiana	$82,291	$40
   20	Maryland	$80,986	$39

   Average investment advisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$184,798	$88.85	3
   2	Capital Group	$174,347	$83.82	13
   3	Eton Park	$172,318	$82.85
   4	Lloyds TSB Bank	$163,881	$78.79
   5	Univest Financial Corporation	$160,126	$76.98
   6	Goldman Sachs	$156,604	$75.29	28
   7	Apple	$155,896	$74.95	8
   8	Partners Group LTD	$152,870	$73.50
   9	Buckman Buckman & Reid	$150,765	$72.48
   10	Marathon Asset Management	$147,289	$70.81	2
   11	Permira	$146,533	$70.45
   12	Wellington Group	$143,961	$69.21
   13	Donaldson	$143,948	$69.21
   14	Western & Southern Financial Group	$141,925	$68.23
   15	Cambridge Associates	$141,902	$68.22	5
   16	Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America	$141,534	$68.05	28
   17	Meeder Investment Management	$140,077	$67.34	5
   18	Citi	$138,999	$66.83	83
   19	Putnam Investments	$138,713	$66.69
   20	Canvas Worldwide	$137,055	$65.89	3

4. Writing an investment advisor job description

   An investment advisor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an investment advisor job description:

   Investment advisor job description example

   Zions Bancorporation is one of the nation's premier financial services companies operating as a collection of great banks under local brands and management teams in high-growth western markets. Zions is regularly recognized by American Banker as one of the "Best Banks to Work For" and as having a top banking team in its list of "The Most Powerful Women in Banking." Our customers consistently vote us as the best bank in our local markets., We value our employees, and we are committed to search out, recognize and create fulfilling opportunities for outstanding people within our organization, rewarding them for their contributions to our success. We recognize that banking is a "local" business, and that to be successful, we must have very strong ties to the communities we serve and strong relationships with our customers.
   
   With benefits starting on day one, 12 bank holidays, profit sharing and company-matched 401(k) contributions, Zions is dedicated to being an employer of choice in our communities. At Zions, the possibilities are endless. You bring the talent; we bring the opportunity.
   Zions Wealth Management is accepting applications for a Portfolio Trading & Investment Specialist to join the team.
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   Execute securities trades for client investment portfolios. Propose and analyze trades to rebalance portfolios Assist portfolio managers with analysis, trade suggestions, and tax implications. Help monitor client portfolios to ensure close adherence to investment mandates. Interact with relationship managers on investment changes and market updates. Works closely with other portfolio managers and investment team members. Other investment and operational support and projects as assigned.
   
   Qualifications :
   
   Requires a Bachelor's degree 2-4+ years' experience with equity income portfolios, investment products, or other directly related experience. A combination of education and experience may meet requirements. Knowledge of investment products, services, and terminology. Excellent attention to detail, an exceptionally high degree of initiative and adaptability, and the ability to multi-task. The ability to work independently as well as in a team environment. The ability to perform a wide variety of tasks with speed and accuracy. Strong analytical skills are needed in order to solve operational problems. Must be able to exercise independent judgment. Excellent communication (verbal and writing) skills. Strong knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, Word and MS Outlook.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right investment advisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with investment advisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit investment advisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your investment advisor job on Zippia to find and recruit investment advisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with investment advisor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new investment advisor

   Once you've found the investment advisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new investment advisor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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