HOW TO BECOME A FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Financial industry research firm, Cerulli Associates, conducted a study showing that as of the beginning of 2010, independent registered investment advisers tripled their assets under management to a collective $1.7 trillion during a single 10-year period. This has caused the biggest brokerage and investment advisory firms to take notice, even as their salaried advisers continue to manage some $13 trillion in client assets.



A 2010 survey by TD Ameritrade published in the Wall Street Journal found that investment advisory firms are seeing a major increase in assets, with 70 percent having experienced growth in the six months leading up to the report. The survey revealed that 64 percent of new inflows were coming at the expense of larger broker dealers, often referred to as wirehouses. Not surprisingly, the survey showed that 77% of investment advisers expressed a high degree of satisfaction with their career.
The industry as a whole has experienced explosive growth and, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is expected to see a 30% increase in the number of jobs over the next eight years as investment markets become trickier to navigate and consumers look to professionals for help with managing their investment portfolios.