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Personal Financial Advisors

Advise clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate. Duties include assessing clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives. May also buy and sell financial assets for clients.

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A look at the work

  • Interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan.
  • Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.
  • Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
  • Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment.
  • Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.
  • Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.
  • Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance.
  • Implement financial planning recommendations, or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.0 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.3 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.7 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

4.1 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

5.9 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

5.6 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

2024-08

4.1 / 5

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

2024-08

4.1 / 5

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

2024-08

4.0 / 5

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

2024-08

3.9 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2024-08

3.8 / 5

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

2024-08

3.6 / 5

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

2024-08

3.6 / 5

Service Orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

2024-08

3.6 / 5

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

2024-08

3.6 / 5

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

2024-08

3.6 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 4 of 5 · 2024-08. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Related study fields

Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.

Family Resource Management Studies, General →

Finance, General →

Financial Planning and Services →

Explore all related study fields →

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 13-2052.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.