Financial advisor earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level financial advisor earnings begin at:

$79.60 per hour

$165,568 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level financial advisor earnings begin at:

$56.72 per hour

$117,968 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level financial advisor earnings begin at:

$38.92 per hour

$80,947 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level financial advisor earnings begin at:

$26.70 per hour

$55,544 per year

10th percentile

Starting level financial advisor earnings begin at:

$19.03 per hour

$39,575 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Financial advisor salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Washington $99,960
Connecticut $98,000
North Carolina $97,960
Georgia $96,980
California $96,490
New Mexico $91,050
Pennsylvania $90,928
Kansas $90,606
Florida $90,460
Wisconsin $88,590
Texas $88,220
Colorado $85,120
Kentucky $84,103
Rhode Island $83,670
Virginia $83,220
Massachusetts $82,060
Hawaii $81,655
Maryland $81,360
Wyoming $80,630
Alabama $79,293
Minnesota $79,010
Oregon $78,920
Nevada $76,550
Ohio $74,390
Montana $73,240
Michigan $73,050
Mississippi $72,320
Idaho $70,670
North Dakota $70,500
Arizona $70,096
Utah $69,740
South Dakota $68,830
Vermont $68,340
Nebraska $68,290
Louisiana $67,750
New Hampshire $65,030
Tennessee $63,490
Missouri $63,000
Alaska $62,280
West Virginia $61,900
Arkansas $60,480
South Carolina $60,070
Oklahoma $54,530
Puerto Rico $47,060
New York $136,830
District of Columbia $136,660
Illinois $126,640
Indiana $108,576
New Jersey $107,250
Iowa $103,033
Delaware $101,920
Maine $101,550

How much does a Financial Advisor earn?

“In the wake of the recession, people are looking for guidance on how to build financial security after depleting short-term savings, tapping into retirement funds and losing home equity,’’ says Jennifer Grasz of Careerbuilder.com. “We see more demand for financial advisors.”

Salaries for financial advisors vary with experience. The trainee stage for most financial advisers lasts up to three years, as they establish a set of regular clients and start earning commissions. Eventually, brokerage firms tend to stop paying advisers a base salary. An entry-level financial advisor earns 17% below average, a mid-career financial advisor earns 27% above average, and a late-career financial advisor earns 105% above average.

In addition to salaries, financial advisors also receive compensation in the form of bonuses, profit sharing and commissions. According to Payscale.com, the average annual bonus received by a financial advisor ranges from $0 to $29,936. The average annual profit sharing compensation ranges from $1,163 to $15,115. The average annual commission compensation ranges from $3,912 to $186,292.

Financial advisors that have customer relationship management skills earn 2% above average, and those with financial analysis skills earn 3% above average. Financial advisors with sales skills earn 9% above average, those with investment planning skills earn 22% above average, those with investment management skills earn 38% above average, and advisors with portfolio management skills earn 56% above average.

How do financial advisor salaries compare to similar careers?

Financial advisors earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than financial managers but more than budget analysts.

Career Median Salary
Financial manager salary $114K
Bank branch manager salary $105K
Actuary salary $108K
Statistician salary $91K
Financial advisor salary $81K
Operations research analyst salary $85K
Consultant salary $78K
Business analyst salary $75K
Budget analyst salary $76K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)