Internships in the wealth management industry are a tried-and-true way for college students and recent graduates to gain hands-on exposure to a roughly $30 trillion industry — and potentially a job offer at the end. In recent years, 7 in 10 of Vanguard Personal Advisor Services' interns have ended up
But as they learn hard skills like portfolio allocation, investment products and working with retail clients, many younger interns display a surprising lack of basic soft skills, according to Rob Khoury, the founder and CEO of Agile Rainmakers. The business development and consulting firm in Chicago links businesses across all industries, including financial services, with interns from top colleges.
With tens of thousands of financial advisors expected to retire in the coming decade, that people-skills deficit could spell trouble for the broader industry.
Michael Terrana, a recruiter in Chicago for the financial services industry, said that "definitely, financial planning is the cornerstone to managing wealth, so someone who anticipates entering the industry definitely needs the planning aspect" — and the communications and interpersonal skills that anchor it.
Financial planning is, at its heart, a people business in which an advisor gains a client's trust and a holistic picture of his savings and investment goals. That's why amid the rise of digital apps and automated processes, the professional human touch is even more important, advisors say.
Khoury runs intern training courses before sending participants out to their real-life gigs. Here are his top insights for interns in wealth management and the firms that hire them: