Financial Advisor Trainee

About the Role

The Advisor Mastery Program (AMP) at Raymond James offers a comprehensive education for aspiring Financial Advisors. This program incorporates training for both technical and sales skills to position new Advisors for success. Working with a Mentor, Branch Manager, or a team of Financial Advisors, you will learn to build an individual practice, balancing client development, sales, investment management, customer service, and compliance with personal and professional growth. You will provide sound financial advice and counsel tailored to client objectives, time horizons, and risk tolerance.

Key Responsibilities

• Fulfill varying tasks and assignments, completing rotations in financial services areas under supervision.
• Develop skills and capabilities to move into a specific role within the organization.
• Build an individual practice, balancing new client development, sales activities, investment management, customer service, and compliance.
• Provide clients with sound financial advice and counsel consistent with their objectives, time horizon, and risk tolerance.
• Become trained and skilled to effectively and efficiently perform the Financial Advisor role.
• Meet production targets that impact overall company revenue goals.
• Develop a book of business consistent with AMP program goals for assets under management and required production.
• Provide a high level of client service.
• Evaluate client’s financial needs, investment opportunities, current holdings, and available investment capital.
• Help clients identify investment objectives, including communicating portfolio losses when necessary, while preserving client loyalty.
• Develop client pipeline through prospecting, networking, community initiatives, centers of influence, and niche development.
• Recommend suitable investment products, solutions, and services based on predetermined client needs, time horizons, risk profile, and preferences.
• Seek expertise of internal resources to identify investment opportunities and solutions for clients.
• Open, transfer, and close customer accounts.
• Maintain appropriate account records while monitoring customer portfolios.
• Make recommendations consistent with changes in economic and financial conditions, as well as client needs and objectives, considering newly offered investments.
• Obtain and verify customer purchase and sale instructions, enter orders, and follow up on transaction completion.
• Complete required program training and assignments.
• Obtain mandatory industry licenses within prescribed timeframes.
• Master assessments and meet minimum performance and production standards.
• Stay abreast of investment products, industry rules and regulations, and financial planning.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Client relationship manager system
• Other required software applications to produce financial plans, correspondence, reports, electronic communication, spreadsheets, and databases.

Qualifications

Knowledge

• Economic and accounting principles and practices.
• Financial markets, banking, and financial data analysis and reporting.
• Basic principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services.
• Firm’s working structure, policies, mission, strategies, and compliance guidelines.

Skills

• Identifying customer needs through effective questioning and listening techniques.
• Operating client relationship manager system and other required software applications.

Ability

• Organize, manage, and track multiple detailed tasks and assignments with frequently changing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced work environment to run an optimal practice.
• Continuously learn investment products, industry rules and regulations, and financial planning.
• Use appropriate interpersonal styles and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with all organizational levels.
• Keep all appropriate parties up-to-date on decisions, changes, and other relevant information, and articulate reasons behind decisions.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Persevere, handle rejection, and show resilience during the prospecting and networking process.
• Network in the community and effectively market him or herself and Raymond James.
• Demonstrate persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Accept criticism and deal calmly and effectively in high stress situations.

Education/Previous Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university preferred.
• Minimum of three (3) years of relevant working experience, demonstrating achievement in sales (preferably intangible) or a business environment.
• An equivalent combination of experience, education, and/or training as approved by Human Resources.

Licenses/Certifications

• SIE required (provided that an exemption or grandfathering cannot be applied) or ability to obtain within four (4) months from the start of the program.
• Series 7 and Series 66 or the ability to obtain them within four (4) months from the start of the program.
• Life, Health, and Variable Annuity or the ability to obtain within six (6) months from the start of the program.

Work Experience

• General Experience: 7 to 12 months

Workstyle

• Resident
• Travel: Less than 25%