Associate Wealth Advisor

About the Role

Cusimano Financial Group Wealth Management & Insurance Solutions at Northwestern Mutual Orange County, is a wealth management firm that brings investments, insurance planning, and overall financial planning together into one coordinated strategy for our clients.

We are hiring an Associate Wealth Advisor (CFP professional) to partner with our advisors, build comprehensive financial plans, and see each plan through implementation. This role is primarily back-end support. You will not be required to sit in at every client meeting, but you should be comfortable joining some when we need extra support, such as larger or more complex meetings, so the advisor can stay focused on the client relationship. Your main job is to capture the notes from each meeting and run with the case from there. Behind the scenes, you will pull a client's full financial picture together, prepare the plan, and, once the client decides to move forward, help implement it. You will be a highly involved and important point of contact for clients from the first meeting through the finish line.

This is not a sales role. It is a pure support position. You will not be asked to make sales or to acquire new client relationships. Your job is to support our advisors by implementing financial plans and making sure they can present accurate, well-prepared planning information to clients. The role still demands deep planning knowledge and meticulous attention to detail.

You will coordinate with three to five financial advisors , which makes this role a cornerstone of the firm. You should be comfortable working in a high-activity environment, juggling cases from multiple advisors while keeping every plan accurate and on schedule.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial plan preparation

• Gather and analyze each client's full financial picture, including income, expenses, investments, retirement accounts, insurance, estate documents, and tax returns
• Build comprehensive financial plans covering investments, retirement, tax, insurance, and estate considerations, and present the findings in a clear, polished plan
• Strategically pull a client's situation together so the plan shows the advisor and the client exactly what to do and why
• Review plans for accuracy before they reach the advisor or client

Client meetings (as needed)

• Join select client meetings with the advisor when extra support is needed; attending every meeting is not required
• Answer technical planning questions when attending so the advisor can stay focused on the client relationship
• Capture thorough notes and action items from client meetings, then take the case forward from there; prepare agendas and follow-up summaries as needed

Plan implementation

• Once a client decides to move forward, help the advisor implement the plan from start to finish
• Coordinate with the investment operations, insurance, and tax and legal teams, as well as outside professionals such as CPAs and attorneys
• Track open items through completion so nothing falls through the cracks

Client communication

• Serve as an important point of contact for clients with questions about their plan, staying highly involved through the finish line
• Explain planning concepts, including taxes, insurance, and investment account taxation, in plain language

Compliance and recordkeeping

• Follow firm and regulatory compliance policies
• Keep accurate client files, plan assumptions, and meeting documentation in the CRM and planning software

Required Qualifications

• CFP® certification (Certified Financial Planner), active and in good standing
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in financial planning, paraplanning, or a similar planning role
• Strong, high-level knowledge of financial planning across all core areas, including investments, retirement, insurance, tax, and estate planning
• Solid understanding of how taxes work and how different investment accounts are taxed (taxable, traditional and Roth retirement accounts, capital gains, and required minimum distributions)
• Working knowledge of insurance planning, including life, disability, long-term care, and property and casualty coverage
• Experience building client financial plans and presenting them clearly
• Proficiency with financial planning software (e.g., eMoney, MoneyGuidePro, RightCapital) and Microsoft Office or Google Workspace

Preferred

• Experience working directly alongside an advisor in client meetings
• Experience with CRM and custodian platforms
• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field

Skills and Competencies

Exceptional attention to detail is non-negotiable. Financial plans drive major client decisions, so every number, assumption, and recommendation must be accurate. You catch the small errors others miss and double-check your own work before it goes out.

• Strategic thinking: Pulls a client's complete financial situation together and shows it clearly in a plan
• Client communication: Explains complex topics in plain language, in meetings and in writing
• Ownership: Follows every case through to the finish line
• Organization: Manages multiple client cases and deadlines at once across three to five advisors, and stays composed in a high-activity environment
• Collaboration: Works closely with advisors, operations, and outside professionals
• Integrity and discretion: Handles confidential client information with care

Compensation and Benefits

Salary: $100,00 - $130,000, depending on experience

Benefits: Health, dental, vision, 401(k) with match, PTO, CFP continuing education support]