How To Become A Registered Representative: What It Is and Career Path

What is a registered representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Price Fishback Ph.D.

Registered representatives sell financial products and services to customers. They research the market, make connections with prospective clients and build strong working relationships with existing customers. They create investment plans for their customers and offer other ways to manage their assets.

You will inform your clients about the conditions of the market and the regulations of investment opportunities. It will be your job to create your own customer base reaching out to potential clients using the platforms provided by advertisement campaigns and personal contacts. You will interview clients to assess their financial situation and understand their investment goals and opportunities.

A degree in a finance-related field may be required from candidates for this position. Analytical thinking and an affinity for numbers are a must, as is the in-depth knowledge of financial products and services the company you work for is providing. Annual salaries for this position average around $57,000.

What general advice would you give to a registered representative?

Price Fishback Ph.D.

APS Professor of Economics at the University of Arizona, The University of Arizona

Gain a great deal of oral and written presentation skills, training in statistics, and experience with computers.

ScoreRegistered RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,074

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 10.32%

Black or African American 5.81%

Hispanic or Latino 12.26%

Unknown 4.15%

White 67.24%

Gender

female 22.63%

male 77.37%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a registered representative

Explore registered representative education requirements

Most common registered representative degrees

Bachelor's

79.6 %

Master's

9.1 %

Associate

7.4 %

Start to develop specific registered representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Services	25.35%
Financial Products	14.49%
Securities	6.00%
Annuities	4.07%
Long-Term Care	3.51%

Complete relevant registered representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New registered representatives 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 registered representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real registered representative resumes.

Research registered representative duties and responsibilities

Manage variable and fix immediate and defer annuities for wealth accumulation.
Develop knowledge of complex financial instruments and successfully communicate strategies for utilizing various securities in achieving client financial objectives.
Manage and strengthen customer relationships through cross-selling and up-selling to maximize retention and income generation by contacting existing and prospective customers.
Intern at the NYSE with the M/S floor trader.

Prepare your registered representative resume

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