Retirement Financial Planner

Job Description

Job Description

• Compensation: Base + Commission. On-target earnings up to $250,000+. Unlimited earning potential!
• Location: Columbia, Maryland (Onsite work required). Relocation assistance is available!
• Work Hours: Business Hours Monday - Friday, plus availability for leading evening seminars or meeting with clientele.
• Job Type: Full-time W-2 position
• Benefits:
  • 401(k) with 4% match
  • All leads are provided and seminars are filled for you!
  • Hands-on comprehensive training and development
  • Administrative support with a dedicated Paraplanner (PP)
  • Flexible work-life balance
  • All overhead costs covered by SAM (marketing, office expenses, admin support, setting up seminars, etc.)
  • Family-oriented environment!

Role Overview

A Sentinel Asset Management Advisor is a client-facing professional responsible for educating prospective clients, leading them through Sentinel’s structured financial planning process, and stewarding long-term client relationships. The role centers on conducting high-quality first discovery meetings, confidently leading second meetings where planning recommendations are presented and decisions are made, and maintaining ongoing relationships through annual reviews. Advisors spend their time in client meetings (typically 2–3 per day once fully onboarded), preparing and documenting financial plans, and maintaining precise records to meet regulatory and firm standards. Success in the role requires adherence to Sentinel’s process and language, exceptional communication and listening skills, emotional intelligence, and a calm, professional presence that builds trust and long-term confidence with clients.

Role Definition & Operating Standard

Role Purpose

A Sentinel Advisor is the primary steward of the client relationship, and the embodiment of the Sentinel standard. The role is not transactional sales. It is structured guidance, disciplined execution, and client stewardship delivered with empathy, confidence, and precision. We worry about tomorrow, so our clients may enjoy today.

The advisor’s mandate is simple and rigorous:

• Educate with clarity and conviction
• Lead through process, with evidence and expertise
• Prompt action decisively when appropriate
• Maintain trust through informed stewardship

This role exists to build enduring client relationships, not short-term returns.

Core Client Responsibilities

• A Sentinel Advisor is responsible for executing the Sentinel client journey to standard:
• Deliver the Sentinel Seminar / Education (where applicable)
• Teach Sentinel’s philosophy and approach, as designed
• Establish trust, credibility, and authority through clarity and consistency
• Create the conditions for qualified engagement
• Conduct a world-class introductory meeting
• Deep discovery, listening, and data gathering
• Minimal product discussion
• Demonstrate empathy, composure, and integrity
• Assess mutual fit and client mindset
• Lead the second meeting and close
• Present a clear, structured financial plan
• Guide decision-making with confidence and calm authority
• Close aligned clients decisively, politely, and professionally

Ongoing Client Stewardship

• Annual reviews conducted to Sentinel standards
• Maintain trust, relevance, and long-term planning alignment
• Act as a lifelong advisor, not a one-time salesperson
• Understand the evolving needs of the client
• Support critical decision making through ongoing and effective communication

Day-to-Day Operating Reality

Phase 1: Immersion & Mastery (First 6–8 Months)

• Full immersion in Sentinel’s process, language, tools, and standards
• Product and planning education across AUM, annuities, insurance, and pensions
• Learning to think, speak, and operate the Sentinel way
• This phase is intentionally demanding and requires humility and discipline, this is about character beyond qualifications

Phase 2: Production & Client Leadership

• Client meetings (typically 2–3 per day when active)
• Writing and refining financial plans
• Ongoing documentation, compliance, and record-keeping
• Active participation in team collaboration and growth initiatives

Non-Negotiable Responsibilities

• Mastery of Sentinel’s process and language
• Precise compliance documentation and detailed meeting notes
• Same-day responsiveness to clients and internal communication
• Calendar discipline: punctuality, preparation, and follow-through
• Flexibility and team-first mindset
• Personal accountability for outcomes

What Defines an Exceptional Sentinel Advisor

Values & Character

• Loyalty and honesty above all else
• Empathy without emotional fragility
• Calmness under pressure
• Assure self-confidence without ego or arrogance
• Humility, professionalism, and personal discipline

Behavioral Standards

• Follows the Sentinel standard, and takes pride in them
• Willingness to unlearn prior “sales” conditioning
• Learns a new professional language and uses it precisely
• Listens deeply; to what is said and what is not said
• Handles conflict with maturity and emotional intelligence

Professional Presence

• Polished, appropriate appearance
• Clear, articulate communicator
• Leads conversations without dominating them
• Commands respect through competence and composure

Mindset

• Self-starter with the ability to actively look for opportunity when needed
• Sees the big picture: building a firm, a team, and a legacy
• No tolerance for corporate politics or transactional behavior
• Puts their clients and their colleagues before themselves

Education & Licensing Requirements

• Series 65 (required)
• Life & Health Insurance License (required)
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; Master’s degree advantageous
• Advanced credentials strongly preferred (CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, Certified Financial Fiduciary, or equivalent) Licensing can be obtained, but doing so extends the ramp-up period by approximately 45–60 days.

The Sentinel Standard

This role is not suitable for individuals seeking autonomy without accountability, shortcuts, or personal reinterpretation of process. Sentinel Advisors operate within a defined standard; because this standard is what protects clients, the firm, and long-term value. Those who thrive here become trusted stewards of families’ financial futures and foundational builders of a growing, principled firm.

Candidates with experience in these roles are great fits for this job:

• Wealth Advisor, Financial Advisor, Life Insurance Sales, Life Insurance Planner, Fiduciary, IAR Representative, Annuity Salesperson, Financial or Insurance Wholesaler, Internal Financial or Insurance Wholesaler, Pharmaceutical Sales and more