I love speaking with people and getting paid to do so. I loved learning about others’ goals personally, professionally, and financially. I also enjoyed that all the work was for myself and not for a boss.
What I wish was different
Advice
Be prepared to work, and only get paid for how much time you put in. Results are slow but powerful if you hang on.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
May 2019 • Woburn, MA
What I liked
The ability to run my own practice, work alongside experienced coworkers, and gain real world experience. I loved the trust I was given from the start. My success was directly correlated to my work ethic and the effort/time I put in. There was a wealth of support in my network at the office, and I had access to many full time staff members to bounce ideas, thoughts, and problems off of. They encouraged independence, but were there if you needed it.
What I wish was different
I was not personally super keen on selling to people I know. That was not anything to do with Northwestern however. I was just a little uncomfortable with person to person sales with people I knew. I preferred cold calling and that's just not a formula for success.
Advice
It is not easy work. You have to want it in order to succeed, and you have to be willing to step far outside your comfort zone. You're running your own practice with your own personal clients to take care of. They'll give you all the resources and support they can so there's no one to blame but yourself if you fail.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Financial Advisor Intern
May - August 2019 • Palm Beach Gardens, FL
What I liked
The freedom of who I did business with.
What I wish was different
I wish it had been closer to my house.
Advice
It’s a fun summer internship. There is a decently hard licensing course you have to take, but it is recognized as a good internship for FSU’s Graduate department.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
May - August 2019 • Waterloo, IA
What I liked
I really liked the amount of mentorship that this internship gave me. I also like how you much you are able to learn about the insurance industry.
What I wish was different
I really wish I had been explained more about the actual job duties while I was interviewing. I had no idea the things I would actually be doing.
Advice
If you take on this challenge, remember that you truly are running your own insurance business.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
May 2019 • Phoenix, AZ
What I liked
The internship gives hands on experience of the financial services industry. You get to test drive building your own financial planning practice and determine whether the field is right for you or not.
What I wish was different
More structure in the schedule.
Advice
Make the most of your experience. Give it your all or do not take this internship.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
February - May 2019 • Canton, OH
What I liked
Creating Plans for clients. Learning about the different ways that I could help people.
What I wish was different
Advice
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Financial Representative
September 2019 • Fairfield, CT
What I liked
Learning financial planning
What I wish was different
Starting thinking about this earlier in college
Advice
Try to learn and observe everything about the real world in college so you feel very ready and prepared when training to be a financial planner
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Financial Representative
May - October 2019 • Logan, UT
What I liked
It was very real as far as what the career was like. It was good to be in there with about 10 other new interns so I didn’t feel left out.
What I wish was different
A little more clarity on what I’d be doing. I definitely think the pay structure should be changed.
Advice
Just really know what it is before going in, I think a lot of people didn’t and quit because of that.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Financial Representative Intern
April - September 2019 • Lake Oswego, OR
What I liked
I really enjoyed the freedom of starting my own financial representative practice with guidance from top advisors on the West Coast. It was a difficult internship in the aspect of what you are there to do, but I gained valuable knowledge into the sales cycle and other parts of starting your own business.
What I wish was different
I think having more of an internship type feel in the aspect where days are structured a bit more for us. We had to create our own schedule and follow what we had down. I had the option to sit in the office all day and not do anything because I wasn't paid hourly, I was paid off commission.
Advice
This experience was exactly what I wanted out of an internship. I had to start and run my own practice, learn the sales cycle based around a product I previously had no knowledge about, and put myself out there by calling and reaching out to people I know or people I didn't know, but were referred too.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
August 2019 • Tampa, FL
What I liked
Great experience and training. They paid for my licensing as well.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more time to allocate to this as I love the exposure and development.
Advice
Stay ahead of the game by being proactive, be enthusiastic about what you do and leverage veteran advisors as you build your clientele!
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
June - November 2019 • Portage, MI
What I liked
Flexible schedule, very hands on first person experience, independent and teamwork work, challenging, very self motivated, welcoming environment, helpful co-workers, and a lot of networking.
What I wish was different
More consistent pay rather than relying on commission.
Advice
Very useful knowledge and skill development, teaches self motivation, creates a sense of self reliability, improves time management, teamwork, and communication skills.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
June 2019 • Milwaukee, WI
What I liked
-Flexible Schedule
-Co-workers were helpful
What I wish was different
-No sales-oriented as much
Advice
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Intern
August 2019 • Coral Gables, FL
What I liked
Awesome environment, the office is very welcoming and try to help you as much as possible.
What I wish was different
Personally, I wish I was a bit more connected in the area as I am originally from Orlando
Advice
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Finance Associate
April - September 2019 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
Great culture and people who were very helpful with any questions that came up throughout the summer.
What I wish was different
I would have liked more sales training to better prepare myself for a job in that industry.
Advice
Ask as many questions as you can and dive in 100%.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
May - July 2019 • Milwaukee, WI
What I liked
Meeting new peope
What I wish was different
The pay
Advice
Your not going to make money if you don’t make calls and meetings consistently
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
June 2019 • Poughkeepsie, NY
What I liked
I loved the team that I worked with.
What I wish was different
Advice
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Financial Representative
June - August 2019 • West Hartford, CT
What I liked
I really liked that you got out what you put into the experience. Working hard to find clients really paid off.
What I wish was different
I wish that we had more guidance in the beginning. We did have a lot of training, but I felt that I wish that I had even more to make sure I started out on the right foot.
Advice
This is the job for you if you enjoy enjoying the fruits of your hard work. This internship is easy if you don't want to do anything, but if you want to succeed, it is a grind.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
College Financial Representative
May - December 2019 • Germantown, WI
What I liked
Learned a ton about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Real world experience that you can’t find in a classroom.
What I wish was different
Advice
It’s really tough, so be ready for rejection. Keep trying, keep dialing.
