What a financial planner does
A financial planner looks at a client's full situation rather than one product. They gather income, assets, debts, pensions, insurance and goals, then prepare a written plan covering retirement, tax-efficient saving, risk protection, education funding and estate matters. Some planners work fee-only and never sell products; others work inside a bank, dealer or insurance firm and implement parts of the plan themselves. Either way, clients rely on the planner to connect decisions that would otherwise be made in isolation.
Ontario regulates the title. Only people holding an FSRA-approved credential may call themselves a Financial Planner, and approved credentials include FP Canada's Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Qualified Associate Financial Planner (QAFP) and the Canadian Securities Institute's Personal Financial Planner (PFP). For your firm, that makes credential status a hiring requirement, not a nice-to-have. Finch confirms good standing with the credentialing body and reviews the quality of a candidate's planning work before you meet them.
Typical responsibilities
- Gather complete financial information through discovery meetings and questionnaires
- Prepare written plans covering retirement, tax, insurance needs, education and estate goals
- Present plans in plain language and update them after major life events
- Coordinate with clients' accountants, lawyers and insurance specialists
- Implement recommendations directly where licensed, or hand off to licensed colleagues
- Keep planning files, disclosures and engagement letters complete and current
Qualifications and credentials
- An FSRA-approved credential for the Financial Planner title in Ontario, such as the CFP, QAFP or PFP
- Good standing with the credentialing body, including continuing education
- Securities registration or an FSRA life insurance licence if the role includes implementing investments or insurance
- Experience building comprehensive plans with professional planning software
- Strong knowledge of registered plans, personal income tax and retirement income options
Who hires a financial planner
- Fee-only and fee-based planning firms
- Bank and credit union wealth divisions
- Investment dealers and advisory teams adding planning services
- Insurance and estate planning firms
- Accounting firms that offer personal financial planning
Where we recruit financial planner candidates
We fill financial planner roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Credential and standing confirmed directly with the issuing body
- A sample or redacted plan, reviewed for depth, accuracy and readability
- How the candidate explains trade-offs to clients who are not financially minded
- Which licences they hold to implement advice and how that fits your business model
- Eligibility to work in Canada and preference for fee-only, fee-based or commission work
Interview questions to ask
- A couple in their fifties wants to retire early. What do you need to know before saying whether it is realistic?
- How do you handle a client whose spending does not support the goals in their plan?
- Which parts of a plan do you pass to an accountant or lawyer, and how do you manage that hand-off?