Occupational Outlook

As baby boomers save for retirement and as a generally better educated and wealthier population increasingly seeks investment advice, financial planners are expected to experience faster-than- average employment growth.1 In fact, among business and financial occupations through the year 2012, personal financial advisor (or financial planners) will be one of the fastest growing occupations, with job increases of 34.6 percent. Indeed, financial planning has been repeatedly named among the best professions in the country due to higher income potential, lower stress, and personal autonomy. Fast Company rated personal finance advisor the number one job on its “Top 25 Jobs for 2005” list.3 The 2001 Jobs Rated Almanac (St. Martin’s Griffin) rated financial planner as the “best job in the whole country” and once again followed up in the sixth edition, 2002, by ranking financial planning in the top three for “best jobs in the whole country.”Graduates may work as financial planners in a variety of practice settings. Many financial planners work in small, high-end firms serving an affluent and influential clientele. A growing number of large firms seek to employ financial planners, including insurance companies, brokerage firms, banks, financial service companies, accounting and law firms, and investment banks.