Careers in financial planning can be extremely rewarding if you have the right skills and find it rewarding to deal with people. A career in financial planning can lead to many opportunities, whether it is on your own as an entrepreneur or with a corporation that provides great benefits and advancement opportunities.
Historically, financial planning simply did not exist as a career. It was not until the late 1970’s that financial institutions began to provide financial planning services when selling their products. Currently there are about 60,000 professionals in Canada who offer financial service.
A financial planner should understand investments, taxes, money management, estate transfers and planning. Furthermore, they should have strong computer skills, organizational skills, and be able to time manage their workload efficiently. Your daily duties will include assessing clients’ financial needs for retirement, taxes, tax, estate, and family planning, educating yourself on current market trends and financial products, formulating and implementing customized financial plans and solutions for your clients, and providing wealth management advice such as guidance on portfolio and investment information.
Financial planners generally start out with a University or College degree and move on to gain professional accreditation by taking the CSC, Wealth Management Techniques Course, or the Professional Financial Planning Course. The Canadian Securities Course is highly recognized in the financial industry and is a good place to start when looking at a career in financial planning. The CSC will help gain an understanding of investment and financial markets and services. If you are to work for a financial institution, most of them require that you are a CFP or Certified Financial Planner.
A career in financial planning can provide a satisfactory quality of life. Many positions are flexible hours, good salary, and the ability to help others. Jobs are generally salary based and there is also the potential to earn commission.
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