Where will the next gen of advisers come from? Probably here

Out of the hundreds of FAs at the Schwab IMPACT conference here in Boston today, there's a group that stands out from the rest the moment you walk into the exhibit hall: the financial advisers of tomorrow. Several universities with financial planning programs have packed up their faculty and students to be here -- to learn more about the profession, to network and look for a job, and to tell us here at InvestmentNews a little more about their goals and plans. The 20 students who are here from Texas Tech University, for one, didn't take long to introduce themselves (I met 10 in 15 minutes.) They're obviously eager (they're here), a fact that can't be ignored the moment they begin to discuss their plans and courses. But it takes a little longer to notice another thing: They could be your future employees. Actually, they really want to be your future employees. And they don't just seem to want a job for the sake of being employeed. They want to be FAs and they're approaching this career seriously. They want to meet you, the FA of today, which is why they're here. But they also want to know more about what you're looking for when you evaluate talent. Help us help them -- what would you want to ask any of these future FAs if you were here? -- M.B.