A detailed road map for getting started as an independent financial consultant
Each year, thousands of people from all walks of life leave the security of their nine-to-five jobs to pursue careers as independent financial consultants. For a great many of them, the experience is financially and personally rewarding beyond their expectations. If you, too, are thinking about taking the big leap into becoming a financial consultant, but you aren't sure how to go about it, this book is for you.
How can I be sure that financial consulting is right for my personality? What kinds of training and skills do I need to succeed, and how do I get them? What special licenses or certification are required? How do I find clients and build lasting relationships with them? With the help of first-person accounts from successful financial consultants from across the country, expert Edward J. Stone provides complete answers to these and all your questions concerning: * Acquiring and honing key skills, including the all-important "people" skills * Organizing and structuring your business * Indispensable software tools * Services you can offer clients and why you should specialize * Marketing your services, targeting clients, and building a solid core clientele * Why you should become certified and how to go about it * Profiling clients and drawing up formal financial plans * Dealing with state and federal regulations * Contracts and key legal considerations * Surviving in a down market
About the Author
Edward J. Stone has been a full-time consultant, specializing in the financial and business computing industries, for more than a decade. He is the editor of the Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance, and the editor/writer of the newsletter Banks in Insurance Report.
