Journal of Financial Planning: June 2025
Kristy Gusick is the founder of Align Marketing Group (https://alignmarketinggroup.com), where she leads a team dedicated to helping financial advisory firms strengthen their brand presence, grow their client base, and achieve sustainable growth. A former advisor herself, Kristy brings a blend of strategic insight, creativity, and practical experience to every engagement. She serves on the board of directors for the Financial Planning Association of Minnesota and is chairperson of the chapter’s Communication Committee.
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Entering the world of financial planning can be both exciting and overwhelming—especially if you’re new to the profession or transitioning from another career. While credentials, technical skills, and a strong work ethic are critical, they aren’t always enough to distinguish you in a profession built on trust and relationships.
What truly sets successful planners apart is their personal brand—the unique combination of values, strengths, expertise, and personality traits that shape how others perceive and connect with them.
Personal branding isn’t about being flashy or promotional. It’s about being intentional in how you show up: how you communicate your value, how you build trust, and how consistently you deliver on your promises. When you’re selling a service like financial planning, you are selling yourself. And to sell yourself well, you need to be believable, consistent, and authentic. That’s the foundation of your brand.
This guide offers practical steps to help you define, develop, and communicate a personal brand that attracts the right clients and opportunities—whether you’re just getting started or reintroducing yourself in a new chapter of your career.
What Is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is the intentional shaping of your professional identity. It’s how you define and communicate your value so that others—clients, colleagues, and referral partners—clearly understand who you are, what you offer, and why they should trust you.
Gone are the days when simply working hard and “keeping your head down” was enough. As marketing thought leader Seth Godin puts it: “To stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about—that’s the path to getting what you’re worth.”
In the world of financial planning—where the service you provide is often intangible—your brand is the emotional experience you create. It’s not just what you do, but how people feel when they work with you: safe, supported, understood. These feelings are what drive trust, loyalty, and referrals.
Firm Branding vs. Personal Branding
Firm branding provides a layer of credibility, especially for new planners working under the umbrella of well-known organizations like Creative Planning, Morgan Stanley, or Thrivent. These names may help open doors at first—but clients ultimately hire people, not logos.
Even within a reputable firm, you must define what makes you memorable, relatable, and trustworthy. Your personal brand is your professional reputation. It communicates your values, your expertise, and the experience you create for clients—something no firm name can do for you.
Internally, personal branding can also help you rise within a firm. If managers and peers don’t know what you’re passionate about or what you do best, opportunities may pass you by. And as you gain more experience and clients, you will find you no longer need that big firm name behind you. In fact, it’s common for many professionals to move to a smaller firm or start their own firm as they evolve in their career because they are the brand—not the firm name on the door.
Think of your personal brand as the story people tell about you when you’re not in the room. Make sure it’s accurate, meaningful, and memorable.
Building Confidence Through Experience
Before you can confidently articulate your personal brand, you have to build confidence in your role. That confidence doesn’t come from theory—it comes from experience.
In your first few years, say yes to learning opportunities. Sit in on client meetings. Help other advisers with research or planning work. Ask questions. Volunteer for workshops or firm events. These experiences reveal where your strengths lie and help you understand what kind of work you most enjoy.
Confidence also grows through reflection and community. Journal your thoughts after client meetings. What went well? What felt natural? Which questions stumped you? Over time, patterns emerge—and those patterns are clues to your unique value.
This is also where mentorship and coaching can really help. Join an FPA NexGen group, connect with seasoned advisers, or hire a marketing coach. External feedback and support can bring perspective, more precise language, and encouragement as you build your identity in the field.
Confidence is one of your most powerful brand assets—and it’s cultivated through action, reflection, and support.
When Good Work Isn’t Enough
Real life example: Mike was a newer adviser studying for the CFP® exam. While supporting the firm’s lead planners, he noticed a recurring theme—college planning questions. He leaned in, developed deep expertise on the topic, and became the go-to person in the office for anything related to college planning. He started writing blogs, giving webinars, and networking around that topic. His niche made him memorable, trusted, and easy to refer.
Then there’s Sandy, a career changer who left a successful role as an institutional equity trader to become a financial planner. She realized her past network wouldn’t help her grow a client base of retirees. So, she built a new brand from the ground up—targeting divorced women. She created free financial tools for divorce attorneys, co-hosted webinars with decluttering and cybersecurity experts, and built a brand of humility, helpfulness, and deep expertise.
Neither Mike nor Sandy started with a flashy resume or big marketing budget. They focused, specialized, and consistently shared their value. That’s what turned their good work into visible, memorable personal brands.
Identifying Your Unique Value
Your brand must be rooted in authenticity—and authenticity begins with self-awareness.
Start by asking:
- What do I do exceptionally well?
- What parts of my work feel energizing?
- What kinds of problems am I most drawn to solving?
- What feedback do I get consistently from others?
If you’re unsure, ask a few trusted clients or colleagues for feedback. Let them know you’re working on your brand and would value their perspective.
Another tool: personality assessments like Gallup’s CliftonStrengths. These assessments help you identify not only what you’re good at, but how you naturally approach challenges, build relationships, and make decisions.
If you’re a career changer, embrace your past experience. Maybe you’ve led teams, navigated complex negotiations, or built a strong communication style. All of that is relevant—and potentially valuable—to your future clients. Don’t downplay your background. Weave it into your brand story in a way that adds depth and relatability.
You Are the Product: The Experience Is the Brand
When you sell a service like financial planning, you’re not selling a physical product. You’re selling an experience. You are the product.
That means everything from how you return phone calls to how you explain investment concepts is part of your brand. Clients remember how you made them feel—not your credentials or charts.
Ask yourself:
- Do clients feel heard and understood in meetings?
- Do I follow through consistently?
- Are my communications clear, timely, and helpful?
These seemingly small details are the trust-building touchpoints that form the emotional glue of your brand. And they’re all within your control.
When your personal brand is authentic and consistent, clients become your best advocates. They will refer others because they trust not just your services—but you.
Crafting and Communicating Your Message
Once you know your value and niche, you need a clear way to share it. A strong elevator speech is essential, whether you’re networking, meeting new clients, or updating your website.
Try this structure as you are creating your elevator speech:
- Your name and firm
- Who you serve
- What you help them achieve
- How clients feel after working with you
Example:“Hi, I’m a financial planner with Financial Freedom Advisers in St. Paul, Minnesota. I help individuals and families achieve clarity and confidence around their financial lives. Clients often tell me they feel more relaxed and in control once we’ve built a personalized plan and set up regular accountability check-ins.”
Make sure your messaging feels natural, not scripted. Practice it until you can deliver it conversationally in different settings such as:
- At a networking event
- In a LinkedIn headline
- In a brief bio
- On your firm’s website
Your message should feel like you—and it should communicate confidence. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it needs to be authentic and natural. This will only come after you have done your homework and practiced.
Your Next Steps
Personal branding isn’t a one-and-done project. It’s a living, evolving part of your professional identity. As you grow in your career, your brand will too.
Here’s how to get started:
- Reflect on your strengths and core values
- Identify your target audience and the problems you love solving
- Explore a niche that feels natural and energizing
- Create a personal brand statement or elevator pitch
- Share your message across platforms (online and in person)
- Seek feedback and mentorship to stay aligned
- Revisit and refine as you grow
Most importantly: show up consistently. Clients and colleagues should experience the same “you” across every interaction.
Conclusion
In financial planning, technical skill is just one piece of the puzzle. Trust, relatability, and personal connection are what build lasting relationships. That’s why your personal brand is one of your most important tools.
A strong brand doesn’t mean being loud or self-promotional—it means being clear, consistent, and authentic. It means defining your value, so others don’t have to guess.
Remember, you’re not only selling a financial plan, you’re selling peace of mind, clarity, and partnership. And to do that, you need to sell yourself—credibly, confidently, and consistently.
Your brand already exists. Now it’s time to define it, refine it, and share it with purpose.