Spec’d out: Five job descriptions

ASSOCIATE FINANCIAL ADVISER

Firm
Fox Joss & Yankee LLC

Job summary
The associate financial adviser is a junior adviser/support position that provides technical support for all financial advisers. Responsibilities include data gathering and analysis, development of financial planning recommendations, implementation and portfolio management. The associate will participate in client meetings but not in an advice capacity. In addition, this position has limited decision-making authority on client matters. Associates may also participate in developing investment and financial planning strategies as part of the firm’s investment committee and financial planning committee.

Duties and responsibilities
Associate financial advisers can expect to focus their work in the following areas:

• Client relationship management, including continuing and regular client contact and communications.
• Client service, including preparing for client meetings, planning updates, portfolio changes and reviews, information gathering, portfolio returns and implementing recommendations.
• Comprehensive financial planning, including coordinating of asset management, estate planning and risk management.
• Client asset management, including coordination of financial planning and wealth management (analysis, estate planning, tax strategies for assets under management, and portfolio management).
• Gathering information regarding client finances, organizing electronic case files, preparing reports, letters and other correspondence, and completing special projects as appropriate.
• Attending client and team meetings as required.

Firm posting
New Planner Recruiting LLC

Job summary
This is a professional position that will report to the president, supporting and serving existing and potential clients with the financial advisory process. You will be expected to assist in various aspects of client service, including data entry, responding to client requests, reconciling portfolio management software, trading, quarterly reporting, and financial plan and investment policy statement preparation. Mentoring and big-picture direction will be provided, but you must have the ability to utilize critical-thinking skills, work independently and anticipate firm needs and client questions. The firm wants to provide an opportunity for a new graduate to come in and learn the business from the ground up, and the staff is committed to helping the new hire reach his or her goals. The strategic vision includes building a great business as a team, and creating great lives for the clients and the members of the team.

Initial key areas of responsibility

• Involvement in all aspects of pre-client-meeting activities, such as preparation of meeting agendas, client paperwork, data gathering as well as post-client-meeting tasks such as developing meeting notes.
• All aspects of day-to-day client service such as working with various custodians on client account issues/maintenance, dealing with deposits and withdrawals, new-account setup and account transfers.
• Working with president to prepare plans and projections.
• Working with the custodial platforms, client relationship management software and portfolio management software.
• Coordinating quarterly report generation and mailing.
• Troubleshooting computer software and hardware.
• Participating in and contributing to daily staff meetings.

Future key areas of responsibility

• Regularly monitoring clients’ financial situations with detail and accuracy.
• Advising clients on all aspects of financial situation; performing financial situation analyses and coordinating planning implementation with outside professionals, if necessary.
• Becoming the primary contact for clients and leading financial planning meetings with clients.

CLIENT ACCOUNT SPECIALIST

Firm
JNBA Financial Advisors Inc.

Job summary

The client account specialist is accountable for contributing to JNBA’s success by accomplishing the following tasks: Enhancing and deepening relationships with clients by providing exceptional client service

Duties and responsibilities

• Maintaining accurate and complete client information in the firm’s customer relationship management system by documenting all client and related third-party interactions.
• Preparing the appropriate detailed information and paperwork for client meetings, and attending some client meetings with senior advisers.
• Initiating, completing and monitoring meeting follow-up tasks as appropriate.
• Responding to client requests.
• Establishing new accounts and account features with firm’s custodians and clients.
• Verifying daily transactions.
• Handling incoming client calls.
• Scheduling and confirming client and team meetings.
• Processing mail and paperwork through completion.
• Other client-specific tasks as requested by the adviser.

PARAPLANNER

FIrm
Fox Joss & Yankee LLC

Job summary

The paraplanner is a junior adviser/support position that provides technical support for all advisers, as well as providing general office support between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The paraplanner is responsible for greeting clients, answering calls, directing calls to appropriate firm members, receiving and processing investment checks, scanning, and maintaining client information in customer relationship management and data management software, completing applications and forms, as well as assisting other advisers with client service tasks.

Duties and responsibilities

The paraplanner can expect to focus his or her work in the following areas:

• Greeting and communicating with clients and guests in a professional, friendly and hospitable manner, answering telephones and directing callers to appropriate member of the firm.
• Assisting other advisers with client service, including preparing for client meetings, planning updates, portfolio changes and reviews, information data gathering, portfolio returns, and implementation of recommendations.
• Gathering information regarding client financial information, organizing electronic case files, preparing reports, letters and other correspondence, completing special projects as appropriate, maintaining office filing system, scanning, faxing and collating.
• Assisting advisers in the preparation and filing of client application and enrollment forms.
• Opening and closing the office (locking doors, turning off lights), maintaining the kitchen area (stocking the refrigerator and refreshments).
• Attending team meetings, investment committee meetings.
• Completing special projects as needed.

Firm posting
New Planner Recruitment LLC

Job summary
This is a professional position that supports financial advisers and wealth managers directly in serving existing and potential clients. You are expected to perform various tasks, including portfolio reviews and preparing financial projections using financial planning software. You must have the ability to use critical-thinking skills, work within a team, and anticipate firm needs and client questions. Qualified candidates are detail-oriented, structured and have a high degree of follow-through.

Duties and responsibilities

• Preparing financial analyses for clients, including retirement analysis, estate-planning analysis, education-funding analysis, stock options analysis and risk management needs analysis.
• All aspects of pre-client-meeting activities, such as preparation of meeting agendas, client paperwork, investment policy statements and asset allocations, as well as post-client-meeting tasks such as developing meeting notes, performing financial situation analyses and coordinating planning implementation with outside professionals if necessary.
• Continuously monitoring clients’ financial situations with detail and accuracy.
• Being able to keep up and learn things quickly in a fast-paced environment, and effectively managing regular changing of priorities.