Paraplanner

Shepherd Financial Partners, LLC

Winchester (MA)

On-site

USD 65,000 - 95,000

Full time

15 hours ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Licensing support

Job summary

Shepherd Financial Partners, LLC is seeking a Paraplanner to build and maintain client financial plans at the center of our relationships. You will gather data, model scenarios, and support advisors through planning meetings and implementation, with growth toward advising clients directly.

We value strong Excel and Office skills, attention to detail, and collaborative teamwork. This role sits within a Lead/Associate Advisor and Client Service Associate team, focused on data integrity and timely

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience; business-related field helpful but not required
1+ years in financial planning, wealth management, accounting, tax, or similar analytical field
Strong analytical skills and comfort with numbers; you check your own work
Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
Organizational discipline and ability to balance priorities across client teams
Flexibility to adapt to different advisors' working styles and schedules

Responsibilities

Gather, organize, and analyze client financial information and follow up for missing items
Build and maintain client financial plans in planning software from initial plan to annual updates
Model scenarios to answer client questions: retirement income, education funding, etc.
Prepare clear, well-organized plan deliverables for advisor presentations
Update plans promptly when a client’s circumstances change and support implementation

Skills

Excel

Office skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Discretion

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

eMoney

Redtail CRM

Planning software

Job description

bout Shepherd Financial Partners

Shepherd Financial Partners is looking for its next team member to join our hardworking, motivated, and community-focused team of financial advisors, investment professionals, and dedicated service team members. We are committed to providing personalized financial plans to help our clients achieve their financial and personal goals. Joining Shepherd Financial Partners not only means working with brilliant seasoned and young professionals, but also learning from and being supported by all members of the team to grow and build your career. Every role plays a critical part in the success of the firm, and we champion a community where every voice and opinion is heard and valued.

The Role

As a Paraplanner, you will build and maintain the financial plans at the center of our client relationships. You will gather and organize each family's information, model their situation in our planning software, research the questions their circumstances raise, and prepare the analysis our advisors bring to the table. You will join planning meetings, help carry recommendations through to implementation, and keep plans current as clients' lives change. Over time, you will develop the technical depth and judgment that lead to advising clients directly.

Where this role sits

Our client teams are built around a Lead Advisor, an Associate Advisor, and a Client Service Associate. The Paraplanner works alongside those teams as a dedicated planning resource. The Lead Advisor owns the relationship and the advice. The Associate Advisor supports planning and analysis and is developing toward advising clients directly. The Client Service Associate owns meeting preparation, follow-up, and service. The Paraplanner owns the quality and completeness of the plan itself — the data behind it, the analysis in it, and keeping it current between conversations.

What You Will Do

Gather, organize, and analyze client financial information — statements, tax returns, benefits elections, insurance policies, and estate documents — and follow up with clients for anything missing

Build and maintain client financial plans in our planning software, from the initial plan through each annual update

Model the scenarios our advisors need to answer client questions: retirement income, savings targets, education funding, Roth conversions, equity compensation, major purchases, and cash flow

Prepare clear, well-organized plan deliverables that an advisor can present with confidence

Update plans promptly when a client's circumstances change — a new job, a sale, a birth, a death, an inheritance

Analysis & Research

Review tax returns for planning opportunities and flag anything that warrants advisor or CPA attention

Prepare insurance needs analyses and obtain insurance quotes as needed

Summarize estate documents and beneficiary arrangements so gaps and inconsistencies are visible

Research technical planning questions and write up findings the team can use — we expect you to bring back an answer, not just a link

Stay current on tax, retirement, and estate planning rules that affect our clients

Meeting Support

Prepare the planning portion of each meeting package, working with the Client Service Associate so the advisor has one complete set of materials

Brief the advisor ahead of planning meetings on what changed since the last plan and what questions the analysis raises

Participate in client planning meetings, capture planning-related decisions, and update the plan to reflect them

Implementation

Translate planning recommendations into specific action items and hand them off to the Client Service Associate and operations team for execution, and follow up to confirm that each item is completed

Communicate directly with clients on data requests and planning questions, as directed by the advisor

Coordinate with clients' accountants, attorneys, and insurance professionals on technical planning items

Data integrity and process

Maintain accurate, current, and complete planning data in the firm's planning software and CRM, and keep client electronic files and documentation organized, including scanning client documents

Follow the firm's documented planning workflow consistently, and help improve it — our templates, checklists, and deliverables should get better because you use them

Support recordkeeping and documentation standards in line with firm compliance policy

Participate in client team meetings and firm-wide planning discussions

Share research and planning techniques with colleagues so the whole firm benefits

Support colleagues across client teams during peak periods, including tax season and year-end

What This Role Is Not

Not a business development role. You will not be asked to prospect, sell, or carry production targets.

Not an advisory role — You will build the analysis and draft recommendations; the advisor reviews them and delivers the advice.

Not a client service role. Our Client Service Associates own scheduling, service requests, and meeting logistics. You will work with them on every meeting; you are not responsible for the service queue.

Not a data entry role. Entering data is part of the work. Interpreting it is the job.

What Success Looks Like: Horizon & What we expect

First 60 days

You know our systems, our planning workflow, and our planning software. You are gathering data and building plans for new clients, with advisor review.

First 90 days

You are preparing complete plan updates for review meetings with limited revision. Advisors trust your numbers and your summaries of what changed.

First year

Advisors bring you in on their most complex questions. You identify planning opportunities before anyone asks. You are making real progress toward the CFP® certification. You have improved at least one planning template or process, and made the case for it.

What We Are Looking For

Required

Bachelor's degree, or equivalent professional experience; a business-related field such as finance, accounting, or economics is helpful but not required

One or more years in financial planning, wealth management, accounting, tax, or a comparably analytical field — or completion of a CFP Board Registered Program. We welcome recent graduates and career changers

Strong analytical skills and comfort working with numbers; you check your own work before anyone else has to

Strong written and verbal communication, and strong interpersonal skills — a meaningful share of this role is explaining analysis clearly to advisors and clients

Demonstrated organizational discipline, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently to balance competing priorities across multiple client teams

Flexibility to adapt to different advisors' working styles and to changing schedules and priorities, including handling urgent client requests and quickly returning to planned work

Strong Microsoft Excel and Office skills, and a willingness to learn new platforms quickly

Discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential financial and family information

A genuine commitment to client service and a sense of stewardship for the families we serve

Preferred

Progress toward or completion of the CFP® certification, or a similar credential such as the Registered Paraplanner (RP)

Experience with eMoney or another financial planning platform, and with Redtail or another CRM

Working knowledge of income tax, retirement plan, insurance, and estate planning concepts

Experience supporting high-net-worth clients, ideally at an independent RIA

Experience working with LPL Financial

SIE, Series 7, or Series 65; life insurance license

Who tends to do well here

People who are curious about the work rather than only competent at it. People who would rather ask a question than guess. People who take pride in a client saying \"they always get back to me.\" Our culture is collaborative and deliberately low-ego; we are a small enough firm that how someone works matters as much as what they know.

Licensing and Professional Development

No securities license is required to begin in this role. We will support and fund credentialing for candidates who want it — coursework and examination for the CFP® certification, the Securities Industry Essentials exam, and the Series 65 are all paths we sponsor. For a Paraplanner, the CFP® is the natural next step, and we expect to help you get there. We invest in our people's professional development as a stated firm value, and we would rather grow the next generation of this firm internally than hire it.

This role has two forward paths, and we consider both of them successes.

Deepening in planning. Paraplanner to Senior Paraplanner to Financial Planning Specialist — a career track for people who want to build deep technical planning expertise and become the firm's go-to resource on complex planning questions.

The advisory track. Paraplanner to Associate Advisor and onward through our advisor development program. Time in this seat is the best preparation we can offer: you will already know our planning process, our clients, and our culture

Compensation and Benefits