Lead Financial Advisor, Retirement Planning

Thrive Retirement Specialists; Royal Oak (MI); On-site; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off

401(k) with 4% employer match

Health Savings Account

Job summary

Thrive Retirement Specialists in Michigan is seeking a Retirement Advisor, a senior client-facing role responsible for building and leading a base of up to 80 retirement-planning households from lead to planning, implementation, and reviews.

You will deliver comprehensive retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, and investment management while maintaining ETF portfolios and income ladders, with autonomy and a client-first mindset.

Qualifications

• CFP professional with at least 10 years of work experience (at least 5 years in personal financial planning).
• Strong working knowledge of retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, and investment management.
• Demonstrated experience serving as the lead advisor for client households.
• Proven ability to develop, deepen, and retain long-term client relationships.
• Willingness to obtain the Retirement Management Advisor (RMA) designation.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a client base of up to 80 retirement-planning households, owning each relationship from firm-provided lead through planning, implementation, and semiannual reviews.
• Serve as clients’ primary advisor throughout retirement, earning their trust through proactive planning, clear communication, and responsive service.
• Deliver comprehensive retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, and investment management, taking ownership of the quality of advice and client outcomes.
• Maintain clients’ low-cost, passive ETF model portfolios and income ladders, placing trades at Schwab as needed.
• Exercise independent professional judgment and problem solving while solving complex planning challenges.

Skills

CFP professional

Retirement income planning

Risk management

Tax planning

Investment management

Lead advisor

Client relationship management

Autonomy with judgment

Education

CFP certification

Tools

Schwab

Income Lab

Holistiplan

Zoom

Wealthbox CRM

Job description

Thrive Retirement Specialists is an advisor-owned, Registered Investment Advisor focused exclusively on retirement planning.We serve HNW individual clients virtually and provide comprehensive retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, and investment management for households with more than $2 million in assets. Our client service model encourages an extended long-term relationship. We serve clients through the transition into retirement and throughout the 20 to 30+ year retirement journey that follows.Every client pays the exact same $3,000 quarterly flat fee, allowing our advisors to focus on delivering thoughtful, client-first advice free from conflict of interest.All clients are of equal importance and receive the same great level of service.

Why Join Thrive

Where else can you form approximately 80 retirement planning-focused client relationships from scratch that you get to serve over the remainder of your career.We estimate it will take approximately seven to ten years to onboard 80 new client relationships, after which time you will be eligible for partnership and profit sharing.

Position Overview

The Retirement Advisor is our most senior, client-facing advisory role.

What You Will Own

• Build and lead a client base of up to 80 retirement-planning households, owning each relationship from firm-provided lead through planning, implementation, and semiannual reviews.
• Serve as clients’ primary advisor throughout retirement, earning their trust through proactive planning, clear communication, and responsive service.
• Deliver comprehensive retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, and investment management, taking ownership of the quality of advice and client outcomes.
• Maintain clients’ low-cost, passive ETF model portfolios and income ladders, placing trades at Schwab as needed.
• Exercise independent professional judgment and problem solving while solving complex planning challenges.
• Operate effectively under meaningful autonomy while contributing positively to a collaborative and collegial team.
• Maintain the technical knowledge and professional standards expected of a retirement-planning specialist, with intellectual curiosity, a client-first mindset, and attention to detail.
• Help shape Thrive’s client experience, planning processes, and team culture as the firm grows.

Required Qualifications

• CFP® professional with at least 10 years of professional work experience (at least 5 years in personal financial planning).
• Strong working knowledge of retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, and investment management.
• Demonstrated experience serving as the lead advisor for client households.
• Proven ability to develop, deepen, and retain long-term client relationships.
• Commitment to gaining and maintaining the knowledge required to serve as a retirement-planning specialist throughout clients’ 20 to 30+ year retirements.
• Willingness to obtain the Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) designation.
• Comfort operating with meaningful autonomy and exercising sound professional judgment.
• A client-first mindset, intellectual curiosity, strong problem-solving ability, and a collaborative approach to working with others.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving high-net-worth individual households.
• Deep experience with retirement income planning and retirement distribution strategies.
• Experience with passive index-fund investing, model portfolio management, and trading.
• Experience with annual tax projections, Roth conversion analysis, charitable-giving strategies, and tax-optimized withdrawal sequencing.
• Familiarity with Schwab, Income Lab, Holistiplan, Zoom, and/or Wealthbox CRM.

Compensation and Benefits

A Retirement Advisor starts with a base salary of $170,000 plus, which climbs steadily to $250,000 as you reach 80 new clients, after which time you will be eligible for partner and profit sharing.We also have additional cash bonuses of ~$100,000 tied to new client milestones along your way.

In addition to cash compensation, Thrive offers a generous benefits package designed to support your long-term financial security and well-being that includes:

• Unlimited paid time off
• 401(k) plan with a 4% employer match, immediately vested
• Health Savings Account

Hiring Process

As this position is on a partnership career track, we are extremely thorough in our selection of candidates.Our hiring process is designed to be thoughtful, transparent, and respectful of your time.

We will communicate clearly throughout the process and keep candidates informed of their status.

Thrive Retirement Specialists is committed to building a team of exceptional professionals with diverse experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.