Toptal aims to be the best site to hire financial planning consultants. Toptal only accepts the top 3% of candidates who apply to the site. Both large companies and small startups can find the right freelancer for their critical projects here. Toptal offers a no-risk trial, where you only pay if you are satisfied with the results. The site’s fast turnaround connects you to a top-tier financial planning consultant within days.
Key points:
Enjoy a risk-free trial for up to 5 days
Completed over 60,000 projects for 25K+ satisfied clients
Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5
Testimonial:
“Despite accelerating demand for coders, Toptal prides itself on almost Ivy League-level vetting.” — Bloomberg Business
New Planner Recruiting is the top recruiting firm for the financial planning industry. They strive to match candidates with successful companies. If you have a larger company and are looking to hire financial planning consultants for an employee role, this could be a great option for your search. All it takes is a few clicks on their website to get started.
Key points:
Hire someone for your firm with little effort
Get access to both fresh graduates and seasoned financial planners
Ensure candidates have the proper skills and qualifications for the job
Fintalent allows you to find freelance financial planning consultants in just 48 hours. This platform hosts over 3,000 freelance consultants from 43 countries who can start working right away. Fintalent is simple and easy to use. In just hours you can have your posting up and see candidates that fit your needs.
Key points:
Quickly post a project in under 5 minutes
Receive a personalized list of candidates who fit your needs
Message and request proposals through the platform
Mission Wealth is a company offering financial services for business owners. They allow you to work closely with a reputable financial planning consultant who understands your needs and can provide tailored advice and support. This company serves a variety of business owners. However, they specifically target entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Key points:
Experts in creating complex financial plans for emergencies, transfer of ownership, or closing or selling a business
EP Wealth Advisors offers financial planning for small business owners. Its professional financial planners prioritize aligning your financial plan with your business plan. They can blend your personal and professional goals to help you reach the future you have planned. EP Wealth Advisors understands that personal and business finances can often mix with small businesses and have experience with a variety of unique challenges.
Key Points:
Can help with a variety of small business needs
Knows the difference between personal and business financial planning, but can help you meet both goals
Bridgepoint Consulting looks at your business insights to help you create a financial plan that matches your strategic approach to your industry. The best financial planning consultants understand that a long-term plan should mesh with the realities of your daily operation to help your business grow in the long term. The financial specialists at Bridgepoint Consulting create plans for entrepreneurs who want to turn their small businesses into the company of their dreams.
Key points:
Uses your business data to give you actionable insights
Offers budgeting and forecasting services alongside planning
Can give you a competitive advantage in your industry
Bark lets you find business-level financial planners in your area that you can work with in person or online. Get the help you need with just a few clicks on this website. Some of the best financial planning consultants for hire are on Bark. Running a free search on the Bark platform is an easy way to get quotes from available candidates.
Key points:
Easy-to-use platform
Describe your project and get a shortlist of candidates
Compare profiles, read reviews, and ask for proposals all on the platform
Wealthtender lets you easily find and hire financial planning consultants for small businesses. This website is free for hiring agents to use, but it makes money by charging professionals for featured placement on the site. That can skew results by pushing highly qualified candidates lower in search results. You can browse listings or perform a search by geographic area or financial specialty.
Key points:
Possibly biased recommendations due to the pay-to-be-featured structure
Allows you to easily find a candidate in your area
CFP offers a search feature that lets you refine the professionals you see by their specialty to find financial planning consultants who specialize in small businesses, startups, or large-scale corporate financial planning. With almost 70,000 candidates, you can find someone with expertise in your area. All professionals you connect with through this site are certified financial planners.
Key points:
Easy to filter the candidates
Ensures all candidates are qualified financial planners
Finance Strategists can answer any financial questions you may have. Simply ask a question and the website will match you with an appropriate financial planner. Finance Strategists has accolades from reputable companies, such as Entrepreneur, MSN Money, Business Insider, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance, and MarketWatch. You must create an account to ask your question, but it is free.
Key points:
Allows you to ask detailed questions
Secure platform to protect confidential business details
Easily connect with thoroughly vetted finance professionals
Testimonial:
"Would happily share this with anyone as a viable resource…” — Jeff Rose, CFP®
Indeed is a great platform to search for talent if you are an established company. It allows you to find candidates local to your area or for remote work. It is also perfect for filtering through candidates and making sure applicants have the appropriate qualifications for your position. You are most likely to hire a financial planner on this site if you are offering full-time work.
Key points:
Easily establish minimum skill and education requirements for the position
Upwork hosts some of the best freelance financial planners. This platform offers access to a wide range of financial specialists to help you get your job done. A global talent pool removes geographical barriers to finding top financial planning consultants. Upwork candidates have 4.7 out of 5 stars from 326 reviews. Upwork makes it simple to find a candidate: Post a job, tell the candidates what you need, and wait for a match.
LinkedIn allows you to access some of the top financial planning consultants on the market. You can search by area if you want to find someone to work in person or widen your search with remote professionals. The platform also has excellent features that allow you to communicate with potential candidates and receive proposals. If you don’t have time to browse providers, you can answer a few questions and receive proposals from up to 5 candidates.
Key points:
See past experience, recommendations, and connections of each candidate
Fiverr can give you access to freelance financial planning consultants. Once you choose one, you can continue to focus on other aspects of running your business. Fiverr does not screen freelancers, so you must conduct your own vetting process. It is an excellent platform for securing basic accounting and bookkeeping services. Fiverr professionals also offer assistance in planning for taxes, financial forecasting, and in-depth corporate financial planning.
Key points:
Easily sort through candidates by the services you need
Search for candidates with experience in your industry
Read reviews to find and connect with the top-rated candidates
Guru has over 7,000 financial planning consultants on the platform. These skilled freelancers are ready to start working right away through Guru’s flexible and secure platform. You start by posting your job for free to start receiving quotes from interested professionals. Over 800,000 companies across the globe trust the Guru platform to find top talent. Freelancers have completed over 1 million projects via this platform.
Key points:
Over $250 million securely transferred through this platform
100% customer satisfaction rate based on reviews
Post a job for free to get expert candidates
Not happy with this selection?
Guide To Hiring Freelance Financial Planning Consultants
Financial planning consultants are specialized experts who perform a wide range of planning and forecasting functions. To hire effectively, you must find a planner skilled in the areas your business needs to focus on the most. This could be strategic planning, an upcoming merger, or developing competitive compensation structures.
Failure to find a financial planner with these skills could have serious negative consequences. However, companies looking to hire financial planning consultants face several challenges. One of the biggest is the declining number of qualified and credentialed finance professionals.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates an 8% growth rate in job openings for financial advisors through 2032. This is significantly higher than the average of 3%, which could make finding qualified financial planners more difficult. Much of this growth is due to strong economic trends and business expansion.
Additionally, the projected demand for personal planners is even greater. With growth expected to reach 13%, the personal financial planning sector could draw some commercial consultants and further drain the talent pool.
This is concerning because the skill level of a consultant directly impacts company profit and growth. Strategic hiring practices can help you overcome these obstacles to find the right financial planning consultant for hire.
Each company will approach hiring financial planning consultants slightly differently. However, following a core set of steps can help you connect with a financial professional who has the skills and experience necessary to build stability and foster future growth.
Hiring a Freelance Financial Planning Consultant
You can hire a freelance financial planning consultant for full-time, part-time, or freelance work. The very nature of consultancy makes contract workers an attractive option for this role. It provides flexibility and allows you to bring in individual experts for specific projects or areas of concern.
Hiring freelance financial planners also has the benefit of being relatively quick. With some platforms, you can connect with a skilled financial expert in a week or less, something that is impossible with a traditional hiring process.
Another benefit of using freelance financial planners is an increased search reach. With networks like those on Toptal, you can access global talent pools of prescreened specialists who are available to start working on your project right away.
What Does a Financial Planning Consultant Do?
Financial planning consultants develop an overall plan for long-term business success. They develop and manage goals to promote the organization’s financial health. This involves working on both day-to-day processes and long-range plans.
Many financial planning consultants for hire specialize in a specific field of business operations, such as taxes or mergers. Others work on more generalized planning and financial management. They can range from basic analysts to executive-level consultants.
Companies may also hire dedicated financial planning consultants to work on a special project. In this case, the work may revolve around creating project budgets, developing specific strategies for development and growth, or crafting project staff compensation packages.
To perform these functions, financial planners typically have a robust background and education in math, finance, or accounting. Familiarity with budgeting, accounting, and other financial software is required to prepare and interpret reports. Freelance financial planning consultants also need strong communication and strategic planning skills.
Top consultants pursue certification as chartered financial consultants through the American College of Financial Services. To qualify, candidates must take nine courses covering specific complex financial planning. Eligibility for the program requires a minimum educational attainment and at least three years of related professional experience. Not all financial consultants seek ChFC certification.
According to Maryland certified financial planner Jeremy Eppley, some financial consultants “can even do business consulting, or act as a thought partner to bounce business ideas off of.” This extra impartial opinion is invaluable when deciding on the strengths or weaknesses of certain business investments.
Why Hire Financial Planning Consultants?
There are multiple reasons for why to hire financial planning consultants. They work to provide solutions to ongoing issues, design process improvements, and implement appropriate business tools. Financial planners can also identify potential problems and weaknesses to limit negative consequences.
If your business is considering expansion, a planning consultant can evaluate prospects and inform you of appropriate strategies. Another area where financial analysts play key roles is developing an exit strategy. Whether you are thinking of retiring, selling, or closing your business, having expert advice can preserve wealth while minimizing tax liabilities.
Top financial planning consultants provide data-driven analysis to inform operational decision making and organizational strategy. They provide expert strategic guidance to steer company decisions toward achieving objectives.
How To Hire Financial Planning Consultants?
Hiring a financial consultant is a major step for any company. Finding the right financial professional requires an investment of time and effort. A good place to start is by identifying your goals and expectations. The following questions can help jumpstart the process:
Do we need to hire a financial planning consultant?
What do we hope to achieve?
What role will a consultant play in our organization?
What specialized skills are required?
The answers to these questions will help steer the rest of the hiring process by establishing the skills needed for success. Then, you can tailor your search toward that level of professional.
Entry-level financial analysts typically have a few years of experience. Someone at this level may use the title consultant, but will not have a certification. This may be a good fit if you are budget conscious and seeking general financial guidance.
Certified financial analysts and consultants must have three years of professional experience before beginning the certification process. They are more experienced professionals who usually have a deeper understanding of complex business finances. A mid-level consultant can spearhead strategic planning, develop compensation plans, and develop growth strategies.
Executive-level financial consultants generally have seven or more years of experience. The most experienced professionals have been in the field for 20 or more years and held various titles. These professionals are a good fit for enterprise-level businesses and those looking to make major financial moves.
No matter what level of experience you need, any financial professional should have a strong understanding of business finance, planning strategies, and tax regulations. Skills in math, organization, and communication will help them succeed.
What Skills To Look for When Hiring a Financial Planning Consultant
Financial planning consultants for hire need a core set of soft and technical skills. Communication, organization, and time management are all important. Financial professionals must also have strong math and analytical skills and be familiar with accounting and budgeting software.
Desired Skills for Financial Planning Consultants
Soft skills
Attention to detail
Communication
Listening
Organization
Time management
Technical skills
Proficiency in financial software
Budgeting and forecasting
Tax planning and regulations
Strategic planning
Certifications
Certified Financial Planner
Certified Chartered Financial Consultant
Soft skills, particularly interpersonal skills, allow financial consultants to interact effectively with various company stakeholders. This is crucial for developing working relationships and building trust. These relationships help planners obtain and share accurate information.
Technical skills are crucial to success in a financial planning role. Every candidate should have advanced proficiency in accounting and budgeting software. Ideally, this will be in the programs you use within the organization. However, someone with technical ability and a willingness to learn new programs can often adapt quickly to different software.
Every candidate should have strong finance skills to complete complex tasks such as:
Budgeting
Cash flow management and analysis
Financial planning
Forecasting
Risk analysis
In general, financial planners have at least a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, math, statistics, economics, or a related field. Highly qualified candidates have advanced degrees in one of those fields. CFP or ChFC certification is highly desirable. These require specialized training, on-the-job experience, and rigorous testing to achieve.
Although you can hire a financial planning consultant with minimal experience, many companies choose to seek candidates with at least five years in a similar position. This provides professionals with exposure to real-world situations and decision making. It also gives you a chance to see their work style and any accomplishments they have achieved.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire Financial Planning Consultants?
You can expect to pay an average of about $96,000 per year to hire a financial planning consultant. According to ZipRecruiter, salaries range from $49,000 to $140,500 per year. U.S. News and World Report provides a slightly wider range of $61,960 to $165,590 per year.
Salaries for financial advisors can vary depending on location, experience, and certifications. A 2023 compensation study by the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning showed that professionals with CFP® certification earned 12% more than their non-certified counterparts. The median total annual compensation for a CFP® professional with five to 10 years of experience was $152,000 including bonuses and other variable forms of income.
Tips for Writing a Financial Planning Consultant Job Description
Be clear from the start about why you want to hire a financial planner and your expectations for the role. This will remove any ambiguity and lay the foundation for open communication. It also helps to attract financial professionals who are well-qualified to handle the responsibilities.
If you are hiring a financial planning consultant for a special project, provide as much detail as possible about it. Doing so can help generate excitement and interest among highly qualified candidates who specialize in this area.
Sharing information about company culture in a job description is usually helpful. The job site Monster.com suggests including details about available development opportunities.
A successful job description will lead to interviews. Be prepared to conduct fair and impartial evaluations of candidates. Because freelance financial planning consultants have such varied roles, you want to assess soft and hard skills. Technical skill tests and behavioral interviews may have a place in your interview process.
Common Interview Questions To Ask When You Are Looking To Hire a Financial Planning Consultant
Asking the right questions can help you narrow your search for a qualified financial planning consultant who fits well within your company. Try to use the interview to gain insights into personality, soft and hard skills, and prior accomplishments.
What financial planning software do you use, and why is it your preferred choice?
Any financial planner should be able to provide you with a list of their preferred software programs. LinkedIn Talent Solutions suggests using this type of question to gauge proficiency and prior successful use of programs such as Moneytree or MoneyGuidePro. Look for answers that show a comprehensive understanding of features and possible use cases for them.
What is your ideal work environment?
This question is key to helping you find a financial planning consultant who fits well with your organization. Look for answers that show compatibility with current company culture and structure. This is also a good starting point for discussing remote office requirements.
How many clients do you manage at a time, and how do you balance those responsibilities?
Consultants may manage multiple clients simultaneously, and it is important that you find someone who can devote the necessary time and attention to your company. You may find that a consultant who can provide one day per week is sufficient, or you may need one who can devote all of their attention to your business for a short period.
Have you ever had an employer challenge your personal integrity or pressure you to make an unethical choice? How did you handle the situation?
Managing finances requires strict integrity and adherence to a moral code. The best answers to this question will provide a clear example of those values being tested, understanding of the seriousness of the situation, and the ability to maintain personal values in the face of pressure.
How To Find Freelance Financial Planning Consultants for Hire
The best sites to hire financial planning consultants connect you with professionals within a timeframe and budget that works for your organization. They may also have a vetting process in place to facilitate your internal screening process. Freelance marketplaces, job boards, and outsourcing agencies are just a few types of places to find freelance financial planning consultants.
Freelance marketplaces offer access to a wide range of talent ready for immediate work. Talent agencies can take slightly longer, but may have a more comprehensive vetting process. Job boards often take the longest and require a significant effort from organizational staff.
There are several points you must consider when hiring financial planners. The speed at which you need to fill a position plays a major role in how you find qualified candidates. Some freelance networks can connect you with financial professionals within a few days, while traditional onboarding can take months.
Experience matters in the financial field. You should determine if you need an experienced consultant or if an entry-level analyst will meet your needs. Consider specializations to find professionals who can help you meet established goals.
Be sure to establish a budget for hiring before you begin the search. This will impact the type of planner you hire and how you connect with them. It also helps to consider that some consultants prefer to work on-site, while others require fully remote positions. Decide if you have flexibility in this area before creating a job description.
Companies looking to hire a financial planning consultant can take strategic action to identify business needs, develop effective hiring strategies, and conduct fair comprehensive interviews. These steps help attract top talent and, when combined with appropriate development initiatives, retain top talent to promote organizational success.
FAQ
Where can I hire Financial Planning Consultants?
For a more comprehensive analysis of your needs, you'll need to do more than rely on this list.For a personalized list of the best sites to find Financial Planning Consultants, our quiz can be of a great assistance.
To hire Financial Planning Consultants, click the green button below to get started.
People interested in hiring financial planning consultants are usually interested in experts with the skills listed below. Click on the icons to receive personalized recommendations to hire the best talent.
