Up to 90% of financial advisors fail in their careers and the amount of certified financial planners around the nation declines each year for reasons that include a lack of clients and proper training. Some of these failures stem from the economic problems that people around the nation are suffering and the competitiveness that comes with working in financial planning.
Most financial planners earn a majority of their money off commission, and fewer people are trading daily. With fewer people having the money to invest, and without trading stocks and funds, it’s harder for up-and-coming planners to make money. The people who have money are already working with financial planners with whom they have long-standing relationships, and people with new money want experienced planners they feel they can trust. This leaves new graduates on the outside.
The number of financial planners working independently has decreased significantly. With the increasing number of students with student loans, it’s hard for young graduates to start their own firms without credit, experience and financial stability. You need money to make money in financial planning, and new graduates have a hard time finding money and clients.
The training programs available at large investment firms aren’t as great as they used to be. The experienced planners that are making money don’t want to share trade secrets and tips with the hungry graduates trying to get into the field; they want to keep the clients and commission for themselves.
Those who aren’t making their clients satisfactory returns on their investments lose clients, and you can’t get new clients without a successful portfolio.