Career Path Of A Financial Advisor At A Wealth Management Company
Jessica's career progression demonstrates a strategic approach to professional growth, starting with "student council president" and an internship at a private equity firm, then transitioning through roles at Ameriprise and a large wealth management firm where they gained broad experience in "tax returns, financial advice, and insurance." This diverse experience culminated in leading their own book of clients as a financial advisor, showcasing a clear path of advancement driven by seeking opportunities for growth and aligning roles with personal career goals.
Financial Planning, Wealth Management, Client Service, Leadership, Career Growth
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jessica Roks
Financial Advisor
Wealth Management Company
UC San Diego
Na
Economics, Psychology
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Jessica's involvement in student council and her role as an RA demonstrate the value of leadership experience in securing finance-related positions.
2. Her career progression highlights the importance of gaining experience in various areas of wealth management, including tax preparation, financial advice, and insurance.
3. The decision to leave roles that lacked growth opportunities underscores the need to seek environments that support career advancement and align with professional goals
Transcript
"Hey, Jessica, could you walk me through your career path? Let's start with your experiences in college, any internships or jobs you had prior to your current role. Specifically, how did you land that first job?"
Sure, absolutely. I was pretty active in college, which I think always helps in your career. It shows people any leadership positions you've taken on, and those are good for any interview when college is recent.
I was really involved in student council in college and was the president. I was also an RA, so I had good leadership experience there. I had an internship at the end of college with a private equity firm. I think that was probably helpful just generally for getting experience in the finance industry.
My first job out of college was at a small franchise of Ameriprise, a wealth advisory firm. I was a client service manager. That's a starting role for many in my field.
The reason I left that job is because there wasn't a lot of room for growth there. It was a very small company, and I was ready to take the tests required by the industry to provide financial and trading advice to clients. They weren't ready to support me in that.
So, I took another job with a very large company and got some really good experience there. I learned about all areas of wealth management. I did tax returns for clients, provided financial advice, and reviewed their employee benefits, insurance, property and casualty insurance, life insurance, and estate plans. I got really good experience there, and that was important going forward.
It was a pretty well-known company that people held in higher regard, so having that on my resume was very helpful. After that, I had an opportunity at a small company to help start their financial planning branch. At that point, the company focused mainly on selling life insurance.
What I found after working there for some time was that they wanted to continue focusing on life insurance as their main line of business and use financial planning as an ancillary service to sell more life insurance, which wasn't something I was really interested in doing.
So, I had another move, and at that point, I became a lead advisor with a book of clients of my own. That's the role I've had ever since then. That was my path.
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