Financial Advisor
Controller Job Description
Financial advisers help their clients understand and improve their finances. This advice can often include information about investments, insurance policies and taxes. To do this, financial advisers usually meet with clients, establish their goals, and perform research. They present their findings to their clients to help them develop their personal financial strategy. They monitor the state of clients’ investments and finances and can provide advice on insurance, mortgages, college savings, estate planning, taxes, and retirement. Financial advisors spend much of their time researching and analyzing investment opportunities. To be successful, financial advisors need to have a deep understanding of investment markets and a knack for identifying the best stocks, bonds, or funds.
Financial advisors need expert knowledge of market performance and investment strategies, but they also must have good people skills. Much of the job involves tracking data and projecting future performances of various stocks, bonds, and funds. Financial advisors need to be able to apply this critical thinking to the needs of their clients. Working with clients is a big part of the job that requires a good communicative skill. Expert proficiency with spreadsheet software, such as Microsoft’s Excel, is important to the job.
At a minimum, financial advisors need a bachelor’s degree, and finance, economics, and accounting generally represent the best paths to get started in the field. Earning a master’s of business administration or a master’s degree in finance will help with advancement or with marketing and recruiting clients.
Typical duties of a Controller
• Market research
• Market analysis
• Recruit and solicit clients
• Assess clients’ needs and goals
• Recommend strategies
• Execute strategies
• Monitor accounts
• Identify new opportunities
• Follow Securities and Exchange Commission regulations
Skills:
• Client relationship skills.
• Business development skills.
• Research.
• Wealth management.
• Analytical thinking.
• Interpersonal communication.
• Detail orientation.
Qualifications: Degrees in business, finance, or even law are most common.