What does it require to become a financial advisor?

You NEED to be good salesman.  That's the most important thing.  Managing the money is the easy part- you need to be able to bring in clients first.  That is all any firm cares about.

It depends on what country you are in. In the USA, it usually requires that you pass the Series 7 & 65/66 exams. Along with your Life and Health Insurance Licensing. Below , so one mentioned being a good sales man, sadly that is the most important skill in that position. The industry as a whole has adopted a sales over stewardship mentality.  So remember that, as your venture on your  new career path.

Let me clarify something about licensing.  The term financial advisor is very general, and depending on the firm you work for or what services or products you are selling or providing dictates the licensing and credentials required.  For example the insurance industry call their sales people financial services reps, but they sell insurance and annuity products.  Many clients feel that they are receiving financial advice from them.   They are only required to have a Series 6 and 63 plus an insurance license for their state. A stock broker typically needs a Series 7 and a 65 or 66 to sell individual stocks and bonds along with options and other securities.  Many of their clients also believe they provide advice. If you are going to be "paid" for advice, you typically need the Series 65 in order to work for a Registered Investment Advisor where you would be an Investment Advisor Representative.   If you are going to work for such a firm, it is helpful and becoming expected that you will hold a CFP, CFA or ChFC designation.   Most people think if this type of role as a fee-only financial planner although many advisors who sell products also hold those designations. If you are seeking to provide financial advice for a fee and don't want to sell products, you would be best served with the Series 65 and a CFP or ChFC designation.  As mentioned by another person here, there is a long road to obtain those designations.  7 classes plus 3 years of experience and a comprehensive exam is required for the CFP.

There is no doubt that a financial advisor can be a great profession because now people are more conscious about their financial future....Now they want to save their precious money for their future and for their children...so now people want to manage their financial account and for this they want to take a help of financial advisor.....for financial advisor you need to be an MBA in accounting or finance  and having some experience from business side...although you should have  CFP..To get CFP certification, you must have three years of experience working for a financial planning business if you have any more que. regarding to finance or finance advisor you can login at our website    http://www.watergateconsulting.com ....