Careers / Personal Financial Advisors
Personal Financial Advisors — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$105,070
United States, 2025
Employment
266,800
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Advise clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate. Duties include assessing clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives. May also buy and sell financial assets for clients.
- O*NET code
- 13-2052.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Explain to clients the personal financial advisor's responsibilities and the types of services to be provided.
- Interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan.
- Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.
- Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
- Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment.
- Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.
- Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.
- Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$50,190
25th percentile
$72,440
75th percentile
$176,790
90th percentile
$357,020
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.0
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Mathematics3.6
- Social Perceptiveness3.6
- Service Orientation3.6
- Complex Problem Solving3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.4
- Persuasion3.4
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.1 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.4 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $166,570
Compare with Personal Financial AdvisorsSupplemental
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Compare with Personal Financial AdvisorsSupplemental
National median $50,080
Compare with Personal Financial AdvisorsSupplemental
National median $69,990
Compare with Personal Financial AdvisorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $170,050 | 23,980 | 2025 |
| NY | $166,400 | 21,550 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $160,610 | 7,130 | 2025 |
| Muskegon, MI | $159,990 | 100 | 2025 |
| NJ | $158,570 | 9,300 | 2025 |
| Springfield, IL | $154,370 | 100 | 2025 |
| Amherst Town, MA | $145,190 | 40 | 2025 |
| Bloomington, IL | $141,070 | 60 | 2025 |
| Santa Fe, NM | $138,790 | 110 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $136,820 | 1,530 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $135,770 | 2,500 | 2025 |
| Staunton, VA | $133,900 | 40 | 2025 |
| Sheboygan, WI | $133,200 | 50 | 2025 |
| Bend, OR | $133,080 | 150 | 2025 |
| Great Falls, MT | $131,270 | 60 | 2025 |
| Ithaca, NY | $130,940 | 40 | 2025 |
| CA | $130,330 | 32,200 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $130,330 | 3,010 | 2025 |
| Burlington, VT | $129,940 | 280 | 2025 |
| CT | $129,720 | — | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Personal Financial Advisors to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.