Position Overview
The Financial Planner Associate is a structured, mentorship-based role for building a career in financial planning under the direct guidance of a Lead Financial Advisor. The role is based on-site at SmartPro Financial in Sarasota, Florida, and provides hands-on experience across the full financial planning process.
Candidate Profile
We are looking for candidates with, at minimum, one to three years of relevant work experience — or recent college graduates with coursework in financial planning, finance, or a related field — who have a sincere desire and goal to build a career centered on the CFP® curriculum and planning process.
Mentorship & Credentialing
Mentorship is provided directly by the Lead Financial Advisor, who holds the CFP® (Certified Financial Planner), CKA® (Certified Kingdom Advisor), and CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst) designations. Training and curriculum draw on both the CFP® and CKA® bodies of knowledge, and the associate's development is tracked and coordinated against both frameworks.
SmartPro Financial Planning Focus Areas
Coursework and hands-on experience will center on SmartPro's own interpretation and application of the CFP® topic areas, including:
- Goals-based planning
- Assets and liabilities planning
- Cash flow planning
- Tax planning
- Risk management and insurance planning
- Estate planning and wealth transfer planning
- Additional areas, including education planning and giving/philanthropic planning
The CFP planning architecture pulls in financial circumstances and variables from prospective and existing clients through these same terms — retirement savings and income planning, tax planning, risk management planning, education and employee benefits planning, estate planning, and assets and liabilities planning — directly linking and overlapping with the SmartPro focus areas above.
Financial Planning Process
These inputs are then applied within CFP Board's seven-step financial planning process:
- Understanding the Client's Personal and Financial Circumstances
- Identifying and Selecting Goals
- Analyzing the Client's Current Course of Action and Potential Alternative Course(s) of Action
- Developing the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
- Communicating the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
- Implementing the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
- Monitoring Progress and Updating
Blending CFP, CKA, and Ramsey Frameworks
The associate is expected to blend elements of the CFP process with the CKA process, particularly in areas such as cash flow planning using the Live–Give–Owe–Grow framework and the sequential investing hierarchy. The associate will also incorporate Dave Ramsey financial principles where appropriate, including a strong emphasis on budgeting and Ramsey-specific concepts such as the Baby Steps.
Client Base & Scope of Work
The practice includes approximately 150 households, spanning beginners to retirees, with a mix of existing plans that need continued support and new financial planning engagements — typically 20 to 40 new plans per year. Financial plans are compensated through a mix of flat-rate plans, subscription-based plans, and plans tied to asset-based fees.
Immediate Responsibilities
- Help monitor and update approximately 60–80 existing financial plans for the Lead Financial Advisor
- Work initially on approximately 5–15 new financial plans
- Develop proficiency in financial planning software (e.g., eMoney) quickly
- Serve clients across the full spectrum — beginners and builders, accumulators, pre-retirees and retirees, and high-net-worth households — developing a diversified approach to varied planning circumstances
- Build experience across all core planning disciplines — investments, taxes, insurance, and estate planning — along with the client relationships required to support them
Year One Focus
In the first year, exposure will be weighted toward the analytical and ongoing-service stages of the planning process:
- Majority of time and experience: Step 1 (Understanding the Client's Circumstances), Step 3 (Analyzing the Client's Course of Action), and Step 7 (Monitoring and Updating)
- Moderate exposure: Step 6 (Implementing the Recommendations), including supporting referral relationships and assisting with implementation directly where possible
- Introductory exposure: Step 2 (Identifying and Selecting Goals) and Steps 4–5 (Developing and Communicating Recommendations)
Exposure to Steps 2, 4, and 5 will increase progressively as the associate advances beyond year one.
Trajectory — Within the First Three Years
- Work toward CFP® certification or equivalent coursework
- Become significantly more client-facing, with the potential to hold client relationships directly
- As the role matures, take on leadership responsibilities that benefit the broader advisor base — the majority of whom do not hold the CFP® certification — including contributing to hiring, management, or leadership within the financial planning function
- Develop deeper specialization in one planning area of particular interest (for example: assets, cash flow, estate, or tax), with the potential for niche leadership in that area
Beyond Three Years
Successful completion of milestones — progressing from Financial Planner Associate to Financial Planner under the mentorship of the Lead Financial Advisor — opens the door to additional opportunities aligned with the candidate's own goals, whether that means building an independent book of business, leading a financial planning department, or moving into new areas within the firm.
Beyond this initial period, there are significant career and vocational growth opportunities across SmartPro as a whole — extending beyond the financial planning function into other advisory, leadership, and specialization paths firm-wide.
This is a developing role at SmartPro, and the associate should bring an entrepreneurial mindset and sense of creativity.
The Lead Financial Advisor has existing processes in place, but is looking for someone who will help refine and improve those processes to benefit SmartPro and its clients as a whole, leading to stronger, more successful financial outcomes.
Compensation
Compensation is structured as a base salary of $45,000–$65,000 during the initial training period. Once the associate has gained sufficient experience and demonstrated the ability to add value to the planning process, compensation will include a performance bonus of $15,000–$35,000, tied to new and ongoing financial plan revenue generated beyond the first year of training.
Pay: $45,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
Work Location: In person
