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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Investment Representative

💰 $ - $

FinanceInvestmentsSalesWealth Management

🎯 Role Definition

The Investment Representative is a client-facing finance professional responsible for building and maintaining client relationships, advising on investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, managed accounts), executing transactions, and supporting wealth accumulation and preservation goals. This role combines sales, portfolio servicing, regulatory compliance, and market knowledge to grow assets under management (AUM), hit revenue and client acquisition targets, and deliver exceptional client experience. Success requires strong financial literacy, consultative selling, disciplined compliance practices (KYC/AML, suitability), and proficiency with CRM and trading platforms.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Client Service Representative / Service Associate at a bank or brokerage
  • Financial Sales Associate or Teller with retail banking experience
  • Paraplanner or Junior Financial Advisor support role

Advancement To:

  • Senior Investment Representative / Senior Wealth Associate
  • Financial Advisor / Wealth Advisor
  • Portfolio Manager / Investment Consultant
  • Branch Manager or Regional Sales Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Institutional Sales or Product Specialist
  • Compliance Analyst or Risk Specialist
  • Relationship Manager for private banking

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Prospect, qualify, and convert new individual and small institutional clients through targeted outreach, relationship building, cold calling, referrals, and networking events to grow AUM and meet quarterly acquisition targets.
  • Perform full client onboarding including KYC/AML checks, risk-tolerance assessments, suitability documentation, account opening and verification, ensuring compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
  • Conduct comprehensive needs-based investment reviews and prepare tailored written investment proposals and portfolio recommendations that align with clients’ objectives, constraints and tax considerations.
  • Recommend specific investment products and strategies (equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, managed portfolios, discretionary services) and explain trade-offs, fees, and expected outcomes in plain language.
  • Execute securities transactions (buys, sells, transfers, rebalances) through internal trading systems and third-party platforms, ensuring accurate order entry, confirmations, and timely settlement.
  • Monitor client portfolios regularly, analyze performance versus benchmarks, and implement rebalancing or tactical adjustments to maintain adherence to investment policy statements.
  • Manage and grow a sales pipeline in CRM, track conversion metrics, prepare sales forecasts and activity reports for management, and prioritize outreach based on lifetime value and likelihood to convert.
  • Prepare and deliver persuasive client presentations, quarterly reviews, performance reports, and investment commentary to support retention and deepen client relationships.
  • Coordinate with internal product specialists, portfolio managers, tax advisors, and financial planners to deliver holistic solutions, escalate complex client needs, and close cross-sell opportunities.
  • Meet and exceed monthly and annual revenue, profitability, and AUM growth targets while maintaining high client satisfaction and retention rates.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of market conditions, macroeconomic trends, investment research, and competitor product offerings; translate insight into actionable client dialogue and recommendations.
  • Ensure all client communications, suitability evaluations, trade authorizations and account documentation are accurately recorded to comply with audit and regulatory oversight.
  • Manage client inquiries, requests, and escalations promptly, resolving issues related to transfers, product concerns, trade errors, or documentation discrepancies to preserve trust and minimize attrition.
  • Collaborate with operations and back-office teams to coordinate account transfers, beneficiary designations, corporate actions, and complex settlements to ensure a seamless client experience.
  • Drive targeted marketing and client education initiatives such as seminars, webinars, newsletters, and social events to position the firm as a trusted advisor and generate qualified leads.
  • Use quantitative analysis and financial modeling tools to create scenario analyses, cash flow projections, retirement income plans, and stress tests for high-net-worth client discussions.
  • Maintain professional licensing and certifications required by jurisdiction (securities registrations, FINRA registrations, local equivalents) and proactively participate in compliance and product training sessions.
  • Provide transparent disclosure of fees, conflicts of interest, commission structures and alternative solutions to preserve fiduciary standards and build long-term client trust.
  • Document and track pipeline activity, client touchpoints and follow-ups using CRM, ensuring timely next-actions and automated nurture sequences are executed.
  • Support periodic audits and compliance reviews by preparing required reports, responding to inquiries, and remediating documentation gaps identified by internal or external auditors.
  • Champion client retention programs by designing and implementing targeted retention campaigns, client appreciation efforts, service-level improvements and escalation protocols.
  • Engage in continuous professional development by attending industry conferences, completing product certifications, and consuming research to sharpen advice and sales effectiveness.
  • Mentor and train junior team members on sales best practices, compliance procedures, product knowledge and CRM utilization to scale team productivity.

Secondary Functions

  • Prepare regular market commentary, investment outlook pieces and client-facing educational materials to be used in newsletter and seminar programs.
  • Support ad-hoc research requests from advisors and senior management by consolidating performance data, product comparisons and compliance-related summaries.
  • Assist in process-improvement initiatives to reduce onboarding time, improve trade settlement accuracy and streamline cross-department workflows.
  • Participate in product due diligence and vendor reviews when evaluating new funds, platforms or third-party service providers for client use.
  • Attend community events, industry conferences and networking activities to represent the firm and cultivate referral partnerships with accountants, attorneys and CPAs.
  • Help design and implement client segmentation and retention analytics in partnership with marketing and analytics teams to maximize lifetime value.
  • Contribute to ongoing training programs by sharing field experience and helping to build playbooks for objection handling, closing strategies and client review scripts.
  • Coordinate with compliance to roll out regulatory changes, new account forms, and disclosure updates, ensuring consistent adoption across client-facing teams.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep knowledge of investment products: equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, options, structured products and managed accounts.
  • Proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce, Redtail, Junxure or equivalent) to manage pipelining, documentation and client communication workflows.
  • Experience using trading and order management platforms (e.g., Charles River, Advent, Schwab, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade Institutional).
  • Understanding of portfolio construction, asset allocation, diversification, tax-aware investing and risk management methodologies.
  • Strong Excel skills for financial modeling, performance attribution, scenario analysis and client reporting (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic VBA helpful).
  • Familiarity with regulatory requirements, KYC/AML procedures, suitability rules and recordkeeping standards applicable in your jurisdiction.
  • Ability to prepare performance and compliance reports and export data for audits and regulatory filings.
  • Competence with financial planning tools (MoneyGuidePro, eMoney, NaviPlan) and the creation of retirement income projections and cashflow analyses.
  • Comfort with digital client platforms and e-signature tools (DocuSign, Laserfiche) for efficient account openings and documentation capture.
  • Experience analyzing market research, mutual fund prospectuses, fixed income issuance and company fundamentals to produce concise recommendations.
  • Knowledge of fee disclosure, commission structures, and compliance-related documentation standards.

Soft Skills

  • Consultative sales approach and relationship-first mindset with demonstrated ability to build trust and win repeat business.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication for client meetings, pitches, regulatory disclosures and internal collaboration.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, able to translate complex financial concepts into clear, client-friendly language.
  • High ethical standards, attention to detail, and a compliance-oriented mindset to protect clients and the firm.
  • Resilience and persistence in a sales environment; ability to manage rejection and sustain pipeline activity.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance servicing existing clients with new business development.
  • Active listening, empathy and emotional intelligence to identify client needs and recommend appropriate solutions.
  • Team player who collaborates effectively with advisors, product teams and operations to deliver a seamless client experience.
  • Presentation and public speaking skills to host webinars, workshops and client seminars.
  • Adaptability to changing market conditions, regulatory changes, and firm initiatives.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Accounting or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree with honors, or relevant master’s (MFin, MBA) preferred for senior roles.
  • Professional certifications such as CFP®, CFA® Level II/III, or equivalent highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Economics
  • Business Administration
  • Accounting
  • Mathematics / Statistics
  • Applied Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of client-facing investment or wealth management experience (retail brokerage, private client, or institutional sales).

Preferred:

  • 3+ years selling investment products or managing client portfolios with demonstrated AUM growth.
  • Prior experience with regulated financial services, securities licensing (Series 7/63/66 or local equivalents), or certifications in financial planning.
  • Track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets and strong references evidencing client retention and revenue generation.
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