Licensed Financial Consultant Salary

Licensure

• Financial analysts, consultants working for companies and organizations, generally obtain licensure from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sell-side analysts, who work for securities dealers such as banks, are more likely to require a license than buy-side analysts, who work for companies with money to invest. Personal financial consultants who directly buy or sell stocks, bonds and insurance policies must obtain a combination of licenses that depend on the specific types of products they sell.
  
  

Financial Analyst Salary

• Financial consultants working for companies as analysts earned an average salary of $85,240 as of May 2009, according to the Bureau. In the industry of financial investment activities the average wage was highest, at $111,490 annually, while salaries were lowest for those working for insurance carriers, at an average of $74,980 annually. Analysts working in the management of companies and enterprises earned a salary average of $79,420 annually, while those working in securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerages earned $98,220.
  
  

Personal Consultant Salary

• Personal financial advisers earned an average salary of $94,180 as of May 2009, states the Bureau. Wages were highest in the industry of financial investment activities, at an average salary of $110,130, followed by securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage, where the average was $104,840. The lowest salary average for personal financial consultants was in depository credit intermediation, at $64,010, while those working in agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities earned an average of $89,920.
  
  

Location

• The state with the highest salary average for all types of licensed financial consultants is New York; for personal consultants the average is $146,460 and for analysts the average is $107,650. California ranks second for financial analysts, with a salary average of $96,960, followed by Connecticut, at $95,040. For personal financial consultants, Massachusetts is the second-highest-paying state, with a salary average of $139,390, followed by Connecticut, at $125,210.