Planning/Service Advisor

Job Description

Job Description

Preface:

This is a job posting for a specific type of person. Experience is not required as we are happy to license and train hirees in house. My name is Andrew Stringer, CEO of FEFA Financial, and I wrote this job post myself to ensure that we do not get the wrong type of applicant. 

We know that most people will not read this entire post and we are okay with that. We're not the right fit for most people. We also know that most people who apply on job websites are looking to apply for as many jobs as possible in the shortest amount of time possible, whereas we want someone who wants to work hard to find the right company in hopes they will be there for double-digit years.

We are entering an extended growth phase and are looking to bring on talented, hard-working, unentitled people who are enjoyable to work with as advisors (regardless of whether they are already licensed or not as we do cover studying and licensing costs as some of our best advisors were not licensed when they first came aboard).

We have two types of advisors at FEFA. We have “Retirement Advisors” and “Planning Advisors.” 

This job posting is specifically for Planning Advisors. Planning Advisors are focused on retaining Clients through excellent service and financial planning execution. A Planning Advisors job is essentially to execute the plan laid out and ensure that Clients do not leave us. There will be times where you are asked to talk to a prospect but those times are few and far between. This position is focused on retaining Clients, not bringing on new Clients. 

All advisors receive 6-12 months of training (drop in the bucket if you align with our values) before talking to Clients (whether already licensed or not). 

Company Intro:

FEFA Financial (FEFA) is a federally registered Financial Advisory. We are a very unique company and do many things differently from our industry which is something we are proud of and our Clients love! We do not prioritize maximizing profits. Our top priority is to hire people who want to be a part of a company that is:

• Doing things that most cannot do
• Doing things no one else will do

Assuming that we hire people that want to be a part of an organization that shares those motivations and the following Core Values, then we know that everything else will fall into place for both Clients and everyone here at TeamFEFA. 

We never stop pushing the bounds on ways to improve our processes and service offering. We are obsessed with finding new ways to distance ourselves from our competition. Therefore this is not a company for people that lack a competitive spirit or the motivation to always be improving themself. 

-Having fun at work

-That actually enjoying your co-workers company produces the best work culture

-That being direct with co-workers is the only way to have the culture that we want

-That in-office politics of have no place within our firm

We believe:

• In having fun at work 
• That actually enjoying your co-workers’ company produces the best work culture
• That being direct with co-workers is the only way to have the culture that we want
• That in-office politics have no place within our firm
• That having a couple of dogs in the office makes everybody’s day better

But we also believe that all of that is only okay if everyone is working to legitimately put the Client’s needs in front of our own. Our “DNA” is right below and we believe that people must align with it to be a good fit here. We are not in the business of wasting anyone’s time, whether ours or yours. 

FEFA’s DNA:

FEFA's Why: Because people deserve better

Core Values: 

1. Start with why: Why you do something matters as much as what you do.

2. Good isn't good enough: If it isn’t broken, still try to make it better.

3. Winners win: Don’t be entitled. Don’t make excuses. Just win! 

4. Embrace change: The only constant you can rely on is change

5. Name on the front > name on the back: Don’t put yourself above the team.

6. It's gotta be fun: Life is too short to not enjoy what you do.

Planning Advisor Position Description:

Planning Advisors are in charge of retaining Clients that have been brought into the firm by the Retirement Advisors that they work with. They work closely with our internal Planning Team to ensure that Clients are receiving the highest quality of financial planning possible and then executing said planning with their Clients. 

This position comes with a base of $60k or $65k (depending on experience level) as well as recurring fees on the book of business that you manage. Additionally, there are opportunities for commissions as well. Very few companies still pay recurring fees to advisors but we know that allowing someone to build a large amount of recurring revenue helps lead to people wanting to be here for the long haul and that is what we want. 

A Planning Advisor can count on making $60k - $75k in year one, $70k - $90k in year two, and $100k+ in year three. Our highest paid Planning Advisors bring in around $175k per year. 

The day to day of the position involves assisting in the onboarding of new Clients, running Strategic Reviews with your existing Clients, and ensuring that your Clients know that we are doing everything possible to increase their net worth for them. This position has more standard hours, especially after you have reached your capacity for new Clients. Until you get to that point, there are 1-2 days per week you will likely have to run an appointment after hours. Then, once you have hit your capacity for new Clients that you can manage, you are very much operating within a normal schedule (08:00 - 05:00 or so). 

The people that are right for this job are those that:

• Are detail-oriented 
• Enjoy solving problems that others cannot or would not want to 
• Like talking and interacting with Clients (we have the coolest Clientele)
• Are focused on the outcome their Clients receive more than that of their own
• Don’t mind putting in the work
• Can think on their feet

Key Differences from Most Alternative Advisor Positions:

There are a few ways that we are different from most other firms that many advisors do not find attractive. That is okay. The ones that we want will find these attractive because they align with wanting what is actually best for the Client (even if it is hard)...

1. Our financial plans are built in-house, using our proprietary planning model. We do not use 3rd party planning software due to our belief that the primary focus of said software is sales rather than actual planning. 
2. We make our advisors go to a much more comprehensive level when building and/or executing a person’s financial plan than you are likely to find elsewhere.
3. We do not allow advisors to coast - always improve

Training:

First, if you are not licensed, we will pay you for up to 6 weeks while you obtain the necessary licenses (Series 65 and life insurance producer license). 

Once licensed (or for those already licensed), training comes in two parts:

1. Centralized training on internal processes, planning, and culture expectations
2. Understudying one or more established advisors for 6-12 months as you slowly move into an autonomous advisor role

We do not rush people into the role. We want them to have a 360 Degree perspective of the role before being “out in the wild.”

Conclusion:

I hope that some capable people, that align with our Core Values, will take the time to read this job posting and consider applying. This job is one that can have a large impact on the lives of others. 

If you are interviewed to work for FEFA, make sure that you remember to ask “How is Ringo doing?” in your interview. Why do we do this? Because this is a position that requires a high degree of attention to detail and organization and this is a small way to test for those things. So, remember to ask about Ringo. 

You will struggle to find a company or coworkers that care about you more than those at FEFA. If you are still reading this post, please give a hard look at our "why" and our Core Values, and if you can align with those, please apply for this position and fill out this short questionnaire.  

This is a rewarding job, within a fun company, that is doing great things for great people!