Invest in Yourself as a Financial Advisor: As a financial advisor, one of the things you focus on is investing. Investing is a core part of financial planning and it is a component of many financial goals.
Although you can invest in things, one place to consider investing in is yourself.
You are your most important asset. You, in many ways, may be your business. Improving and taking care of yourself might be one of the best investments you make.
Below are four ideas for how you can invest in yourself. They focus on different aspects, but they all overlap with a central goal – doing things to make your life better. By taking a little time, and making some improvements, you can increase your return from your most important asset – yourself.
1. Earn a Financial Advisor Credential – CFP® / CDFA® / RICP®
Earning a credential can be a great way to invest in yourself. Business coaching can help you discover the right credentials for you. By earning a credential you get a number of benefits.
First, you learn something new. This could be learning about finances related to divorce, finances related to retirement, or something else. By learning something new you can better serve your existing clients and you can get an opportunity to serve new clients. It’s always important to keep learning.
Second, once you learn something new, you get an easy way to let clients and prospective clients know about the expertise that you have. When clients see the certification you have, and know what it means, they can get a quick understanding of the skill set you have. A certification is like a flashing sign that says, “I know about this.” It can help you to appeal to different client groups, particularly those that might have greater service requirements, such as affluent clients.
Third, if you’re a salaried financial advisor, earning a certification can help you advance your career. As with clients, coaching can be way to let your current employer or a future one know you have the right skills and knowledge.
Fourth, earning a certification can provide networking opportunities. If you earn your certification in a way in which you can interact with other financial advisors, the certification can give you an opportunity to make connections. If you meet financial advisors that serve different areas or markets, you might be able to send each other referrals.
Fifth, a certification gives you a marketing opportunity. When you earn a certification, you can mention it on your social media, on your website, in a newsletter, and in other ways. It gives you something positive to communicate to your audience that may attract new clients or let existing clients know about an additional service you can provide. If possible, you might also document your journey as you earn your certification and take people who follow you along.
Sixth, a certification can give you more opportunities as a thought leader. If you want to be interviewed about a financial topic, or write about one, having a certification related to that topic can provide you with enhanced credibility and can help you get opportunities that you might not have gotten otherwise. Those letters after your name are a signal to someone that you know what you are talking about and they can be one way you can enhance your ability to get press for your firm.
Three certifications you might consider earning are your CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™), your CDFA® (Certified Divorce Financial Analyst), or your RICP® (Retirement Income Certified Professional®). These, and other certifications, can help you invest in yourself, they can help you to help your clients, and they can provide you with new opportunities.
Earning a certification might be a standalone improvement you make, or it could be part of a larger business plan. Either way, it’s a great way to invest in yourself.
2. Join a Gym / Take Care of Your Body / Improve your life
Have you heard the expression, “You only have one body. Take care of it.”? It’s true. Your body is the only one you have and it’s central to everything you do. By investing in yourself by taking care of your body, you invest in everything else you do.
When you take care of yourself physically, there are a number of benefits. You can feel better, feel more focused, have more energy, you can be able to put more into work, and more.
There are simple things you can do to take care of your body. Before you start a program or make a change though, talk to your doctor to make sure it is right for you.
One great way to take of your body is to join a gym. Joining a gym has a number of benefits.
A gym can give you a multitude of equipment, trainers, and classes. It can provide you with opportunities to exercise and get healthy that you might not have at home.
Joining a gym can be a great motivation to exercise too. Because you paid for the membership, you’ll have an incentive to use it and get your money’s worth. Plus, if you’ve signed up for a class, with a trainer, or you exercise with a friend, this can give you extra motivation, because someone is expecting you to show up. You don’t want to let them down!
Who wants an out-of-shape advisor managing their money? Not me!
Although not a health benefit, a gym can also provide you with networking opportunities. You can meet a number of people in different walks of life at a gym. You might find a number of opportunities to tell them about your work as a financial advisor.
Besides a gym, there are other ways to take care of your body. These are things we all know about like eating right, sleeping enough, drinking plenty of water, getting exercise, and seeing our doctor. By doing these things you can invest in your health and your life, by doing so, you can see improvements in other areas of your life.
3. Get Massages Regularly
This might seem a little out of the box, but getting massages can be a great way to invest in yourself. Massages can help reduce stress, help reduce tension, temporarily relieve pain, and provide a chance to relax. They are the definition of “me time” and we could all use a little more of that every now and then!
When looking for a massage therapist, get referrals from family and friends and look for someone who has some sort of certification, license, or something similar, in your state. Finding the right person can make a difference.
When you go for your massage take it as an opportunity to relax and socialize. You might go with a friend or go shopping or out to lunch afterwards. Make a day of it if you can. No one said “me time” couldn’t last all day! Relax and enjoy yourself. This can be a wonderful way to invest in yourself.
4. Hire Me as Your Financial Advisor Coach
Of course, getting coaching is an excellent way to invest in yourself. Coaching can help you grow your business, expand your practice, and rebrand the work you do. It can help you to improve your prospecting, improve your marketing, and advance your career. Coaching is great because it provides accountability and someone to guide you on your path of improvement.
Coaching covers many aspects of your business and your life. Think of it as your one stop shop for investing in yourself. When you receive coaching, you get an opportunity to improve so many things, and it can be an experience that can change your business and your life.
If you really want to invest in yourself, consider coaching. Contact me and we talk about what is right for you.
As a financial advisor, you know all about investments. Although you specialize in helping others invest in different things to meet their goals, it can help you to also take some time to invest in yourself to meet your own. By taking some steps to do things like earn a certification, take care of your body, relax more by getting massages, or receive coaching, you can invest in your most important asset – yourself.
Suzanne Muusers
