Top Paying Industries for Financial Planner Profession

Personal financial advisors who work in real estate rental and leasing (“lessors of real estate”) have the top salaries. With a mean annual wage of $150,000, personal financial advisors in this industry earn nearly 50% more than those in the second highest industry, which is financial investments ($102,270). Real estate offices ($102,920), securities brokerages ($100,200), and computer systems design ($95,060) round out the top five industries.

Whatever industry they work in, financial advisors make decisions on their own, using their creative abilities, autonomy, and sense of responsibility. Financial advising is a results-oriented profession, producing a sense of accomplishment and achievement. The profession offers advancement opportunities and leadership possibilities. Above all, a career in financial planning requires rigorous honesty and ethical conduct. Attention to detail is also essential for financial advisors.

This chart displays annual mean salaries for Financial Planners in the U.S. The data was collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics OES - May 2008.

You will have strong competition for financial advising jobs in the top paying industries. A bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration/management, economics, finance, statistics, or mathematics is a good start. An internship with a financial advising office will help you apply your education to real-world situations.  How about becoming your own first client? Do the research and decide where to invest your money. You don’t have to actually purchase the investment products, just track them and see how good your choices were. It’s a great way to learn and prepare yourself to advise other people on decisions that can have tremendous impact on the quality of their lives in the short term and well into the future.

Related Charts for Financial Planner Salaries:

Financial Planner Pay Scale - All Industries

Financial Planner Salaries - Top Paying Metropolitan Areas

Financial Advisor Salary Ranges - Top Paying States

The bar graph above shows the industries with the highest financial planner salaries. The data is displayed below in table format: