{"id":8726,"date":"2023-05-30T09:15:59","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T09:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emoneyadvisor.com\/?post_type=thought_leadership&p=8726"},"modified":"2023-05-30T13:13:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T13:13:11","slug":"advice-for-the-nextgen-advisor","status":"publish","type":"thought_leadership","link":"https:\/\/emoneyadvisor.com\/blog\/advice-for-the-nextgen-advisor\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice for the NextGen Advisor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up, I often acted as a translator for my parents and helped them with financial documents. I didn’t know it then, but that was the start of my journey to becoming a financial advisor.<\/p>\n

Now I’m several months into my first post-graduate job as a Financial Planning Associate at Ronald Blue Trust. I’m very grateful for how my journey has turned out so far and I hope that it helps inspire your own.<\/p>\n

My Journey to Financial Planning<\/h2>\n

When I first started at the University of Georgia (UGA), I knew that I wanted to work with people and that I had always been interested in personal finance. But I didn’t know that financial planning was an option, so I was very focused on getting into business school. I wanted to have a plan B in case that didn’t work out and decided to talk to my advisor about my options. My academic advisor suggested that I consider UGA’s financial planning program, which is actually not part of UGA’s business school.<\/p>\n

I brushed the idea off at first, but then I looked into the curriculum and realized it was exactly what I wanted to do. I took one course and that was it\u2013I was hooked. I switched majors and went on to earn a BS in Financial Planning and an MS in Financial Planning with a concentration in Behavioral Financial Planning\/Therapy.<\/p>\n

While I was a student, I earned my eMoney certification in the\u00a0University Program<\/a>\u00a0and joined eMoney’s Student Advisory Board in Spring 2022. Being a member of the Student Advisory Board gave me the opportunity to gain more insight on the trends within the financial planning industry while being able to grow as a young professional through mentorship and networking. I appreciated being able to make valuable connections with other future advisors my age.<\/p>\n

I also had the opportunity to gain practical experience at Ronald Blue Trust. I was an intern during the summer of 2021 and had a temporary Financial Planning Associate position during the summer of 2022. The temporary position was a great way for me to get a better understanding of the role, see how I fit within the team, and learn more about the path for career progression at the firm. Shortly after the summer ended, I was thrilled to be offered a permanent Financial Planning Associate position on the team that started in January.<\/p>\n

I work in a team of eight that is made up of two advisors, two planners, two associates, one client support associate, and one administrative assistant. In my role, I help prepare financial plans, convert plans from a former software solution into eMoney, sit in on client meetings, write follow-up letters, and do investment management reports.<\/p>\n

Due to the experience I gained in my internships and my knowledge of eMoney, I was able to add value right from the start.<\/p>\n

My Advice for Aspiring Planners<\/h2>\n

If you’re just starting your journey to becoming a financial advisor, here are a few pieces of advice I have as someone who has been in your shoes:<\/p>\n