Associate Financial Planner

Who We Are

Founded in 1998, The Planning Center (TPC) is a fee-only financial planning company with an in-house team of tax professionals. As one of the most respected and well-established RIAs in the country, TPC has a proud history of innovation and influence within the industry.

We believe that money, when approached with intention and foresight, can be a powerful tool for shaping positive change in our clients’ lives. Our goal is to build enduring relationships with our clients by delivering a highly personalized, best-in-class financial planning experience. This begins with deep listening as we guide clients through thoughtful conversations about what matters most to them and their families. Then, once the client feels fully heard and understood, we leverage our team's expertise to create and implement a plan that is reflective of their unique priorities, hopes, and concerns.

We have several locations within the U.S. and are continuing to expand our footprint. As a mid-sized privately owned company, we value diverse perspectives, entrepreneurial thinking and, above all, a commitment to always act in the best interest of our clients.

About The Role

Your objective in the financial planning career track, starting either as a Financial Planning Analyst (working on the CFP® certification) or as an Associate Financial Planner (already obtained the CFP® certification), is to learn how to become a lead relationship manager. You will work alongside our Senior Financial Planners to learn how we deliver a best-in-class experience for our clients. Your first few months will be spent learning the “TPC way” from the ground up. This process will include engagement in 1-on-1 meetings with colleagues to learn systems and processes and group meetings to learn about TPC culture and company-wide initiatives, involvement in operations procedures such as processing contributions and distributions, and participation in client meetings to learn firsthand how we serve our clients and their families.

Once this foundation has been established, you will be encouraged to take on additional responsibility and contribute directly to the success of the company and its clients. Whether this means taking over responsibility for client relationships, serving on committees, or taking on special projects that inspire you, we are excited for you to bring your own unique value to the company. Our goal is to ensure that every member of the team has a voice and an opportunity to contribute in a way that feels meaningful and energizing to them.

What You Will Be Doing

• Support the Senior Financial Planner (lead relationship manager) in meetings.
• Your role will initially be as listener and notetaker, with the goal of preparing you to eventually lead meetings and take on the full responsibilities of a Financial Planner.
• Prepare client financial plans.
• Prepare for, take notes, help run, and do follow-up for existing client review meetings.
• Supervise and review data entry and completion of necessary tasks/business processes within our customer relationship management software and all other TPC tools.
• Become an expert user of our core tools:
• Customer relationship management software
• Microsoft Office suite
• Document management system
• Cash management software
• Financial planning software
• Assist with investment analysis, recommendations, and implementation.
• Host initial calls with prospective clients.
• Collaborate with Operations Department to assist in client workflow, such as account opening, transfers, contributions, and distributions.
• Within one to two years, be able to co-lead client meetings with the Senior Financial Planner, and upon attaining your CFP® certification, be ready to assume sole responsibility of 10-20 existing client relationships.
• Begin participating in TPC committees and workgroups as appropriate and needed.
  

About You

• Trustworthy, ethical, hard-working, and professional
• Tech-savvy
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• “Client-first” attitude
• Desire to build long term relationships with our client families
• Growth mindset
• Adaptable and highly flexible
• Enthusiastic and motivated to help effect positive changes within the organization and the financial planning community
• Capable of working independently and in a team environment
• Strong analytical and financial skills, and…
• A commitment to the practice of financial life planning
  
  

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (any major is just fine!)
• CFP® certification or strong commitment to complete the process to become a CFP®
• Note: preference will be given to those that have already received CFP® certification or have already begun the process to complete all requirements and become a CFP®. Those who have not started the process to become a CFP® professional but are highly interested in becoming a CFP® are still welcome to apply if they can commit to enrolling in a CFP® certification program upon hire with the goal to complete the program in two years. Applicants without CFP® certification would start at TPC with the title of Financial Planning Analyst and would become an Associate Financial Planner upon receiving CFP® certification.
• Two or more years of relevant experience as a financial planner desired
• Must be able to pass standard industry background checks
  

What We Are Offering

• Competitive compensation –
• With a CFP® certification, $81,000 to $97,000, depending on experience
• Without a CFP® certification, $62,000 to $75,000, depending on experience
• 401(k) match up to 6% of compensation
• Paid time off holidays
• Fully paid parental leave
• Work from home flexibility ~ 2 days a week
• Health insurance for you and your family (90% of individual premiums and 70% of family premiums covered by TPC)
• Dental insurance (50% of premium covered by TPC)
• Life insurance ($50k policy fully covered by TPC)
• Disability insurance (Fully covered by TPC)
• Continuing education budget
• Professional dues paid
  

Our Hiring Process and Timeline

• If you are highly interested, we encourage you to apply early and provide a cover letter that outlines your interest since we typically receive a multitude of applications.
• We intend to accept applications through December 31, 2025, unless we receive an overwhelming response and need to cut off applications earlier.
• Interviews are expected to begin in January (3 rounds).
• The start date is flexible and we’re anticipating sometime between March and May.