Financial Advisor - Champaign, IL

Tasks

• 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.

• Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.

• Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.

• Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.

• Implement financial planning recommendations or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation.

• 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.

• Contact clients periodically to determine any changes in their financial status.

• Prepare or interpret for clients information such as investment performance reports, financial document summaries, or income projections.

• Recruit and maintain client bases.

• Explain to clients the personal financial advisor's responsibilities and the types of services to be provided.

• Investigate available investment opportunities to determine compatibility with client financial plans.

• Guide clients in the gathering of information, such as bank account records, income tax returns, life and disability insurance records, pension plans, or wills.

• Monitor financial market trends to ensure that client plans are responsive.

• Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance.

• Meet with clients' other advisors, such as attorneys, accountants, trust officers, or investment bankers, to fully understand clients' financial goals and circumstances.

• Devise debt liquidation plans that include payoff priorities and timelines.

• Open accounts for clients and disburse funds from accounts to creditors as agent for clients.

• Inform clients about tax benefits, government rebates, or other financial benefits of alternative fuel vehicle purchases or energy efficient home construction, improvements, or remodeling.

• Conduct seminars or workshops on financial planning topics, such as retirement planning, estate planning, or the evaluation of severance packages.

• Recommend environmentally responsible investments, such as cleantech, alternative energy, or conservation technologies, companies, or funds.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

• Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

Knowledge

• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.