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A detailed road map for getting started as an independent financial consultant

Each year, thousands of people from all walks of life leave the security of their nine-to-five jobs to pursue careers as independent financial consultants. For a great many of them, the experience is financially and personally rewarding beyond their expectations. If you, too, are thinking about taking the big leap into becoming a financial consultant, but you aren't sure how to go about it, this book is for you.

How can I be sure that financial consulting is right for my personality? What kinds of training and skills do I need to succeed, and how do I get them? What special licenses or certification are required? How do I find clients and build lasting relationships with them? With the help of first-person accounts from successful financial consultants from across the country, expert Edward J. Stone provides complete answers to these and all your questions concerning:

• Acquiring and honing key skills, including the all-important "people" skills
• Organizing and structuring your business
• Indispensable software tools
• Services you can offer clients and why you should specialize
• Why you should become certified and how to go about it
• Profiling clients and drawing up formal financial plans
• Dealing with state and federal regulations
• Contracts and key legal considerations
• Surviving in a down market