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    • 50 Things I Wish Financial Advisors Knew About Marketing
    • What's A Good Financial Advisor Marketing Budget? Here's What I've Found...
    • 5 Reasons Why Hiring A Financial Advisor Marketing Agency Is A Bad Idea...
    • 5 Elements of High-Converting Landing Pages For Financial Advisors (With Examples)
    • Why "Branding" Is A Terrible Idea For Financial Advisors
    • 9 Inbound Marketing Strategies For Financial Advisors That Are Working Right Now... (With Proof)
    • Financial Advisors: Here's How To Get 3 New Clients In The Next 30 Days...
    • I Analyzed The Websites Of Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors: Here’s What They Do Differently…
    • 4 Things I've Learned From Testing 3.2 Million Financial Advisor Emails
    • What Is The Optimal Number Of Clients For A Financial Advisor? (My Answer May Surprise You...)
    • Will Financial Advisors Become Obsolete? (Future Outlook For Financial Advisors)
    • How To Become A Virtual Financial Advisor (Plus Traits And Tools To Help You Work Remotely)
    • An Open Letter To Financial Advisors With Imposter Syndrome (Plus 4 Tips For Overcoming It)
    • How To Overcome Objections As A Financial Advisor (The Right And Wrong Way)
    • 7 Priceless Tips For Financial Advisors Who Want A "Lifestyle" Practice
    • 9 Research-Backed Stress Management Tips For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 3 Powerful Ways Financial Advisors Can Use Webinars To Get More Clients
    • 10 Catastrophic Ways Financial Advisors Sabotage Their Own Success
    • These 5 "Weird" Tips Can Help Financial Advisors Form Better Habits
    • 5 Financial Advisor Follow-Up Tips (That Won't Annoy Prospects)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Write A Book (And Use It To Get Clients)
    • 7 Ways To Make Your Financial Planning Firm More Profitable
    • 7 Actionable Goal Setting Tips For Financial Advisors
    • 10 Of My Favorite Productivity Tools For Financial Advisors
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make A Phenomenal First Impression
    • 3 Reasons Financial Advisors Should (And Shouldn't) Start A Podcast
    • Financial Advisors: 4 Reasons Why Buying Leads Is Like Burning Money
    • 11 Tips For Writing A Stellar Financial Advisor Bio (With Examples)
    • 7 Traits Successful Financial Advisors Have (From Someone Who Has Worked With Thousands Of Advisors)
    • 6 Common Financial Advisor Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them)
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Know Before Buying A Book Of Business
    • Looking For A Financial Advisor Internship? Here Are 10 Things You Should Know...
    • How Hard Is The CFP® Exam? (Plus 5 Of My Favorite Tips To Help You Pass)
    • 10 Insurance Marketing Tips, Ideas, and Strategies (That Actually Work)
    • How to Become a Financial Advisor In 5 (Not So Easy) Steps
    • How To Make Six Figures As A Financial Advisor
    • 11 Lucrative Cold Calling Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Things I Wish All Entry Level Financial Advisors Knew
    • 6 Video Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors: Why Video Marketing Is So Powerful
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Sales Training Completely Fails
    • Pros and Cons of Financial Advisor Coaching - Should Financial Advisors Hire a Coach?
    • 9 Elevator Speech Tips for Financial Advisors
    • A Day In The Life of a Financial Advisor: 7 Things You Can Expect
    • 7 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Services
    • Pros and Cons of Being a Financial Advisor: The Dirty Details Nobody Tells You
    • 8 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Financial Advisor
    • 10 Things Financial Advisors Wish They Could Do Differently
    • 10 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 12 Best Financial Planning Questions to Ask Clients
    • 5 Online Reputation Management Tips for Financial Advisors
    • Here's Why Clients Fire Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Never Do With Their Clients
    • 9 Cold Email Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Tips for Avoiding Burnout as a Financial Advisor
    • 9 Tips for Creating a Financial Advisor Business Plan
    • 7 Must-Know Google Ads Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Awesome Tech Tools for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Insurance Email Marketing Mistakes You Need to Avoid
    • 12 Facebook Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 3 Lessons From An Advisor Losing $1,000 Every Day
    • 7 Easy & Actionable Social Media Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Door-to-Door and Cold Knocking Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things People Really Want From Financial Advisors
    • 5 Client Loyalty Strategies to Help You Retain More Clients
    • 7 Client Referral Ideas to Help You Get More Referrals
    • 8 Tips for Attracting UHNW Clients (With Proof That They Work)
    • Top 10 Best Books for Insurance Agents (2020)
    • 15 Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas & Techniques That Work!
    • 11 Awesome Client Appreciation Event Ideas for Financial Advisors
    • Life Insurance Leads - Should You Buy Them?
    • 5 Ways Financial Advisors Can Improve Direct Mail Marketing Results
    • 7 Reasons You'll Fail as an Insurance Agent
    • 7 Horrible Insurance Marketing Ideas
    • 5 SEO Strategies For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • Social Media Tips for Financial Advisors: Experts Weigh In
    • The Secret Behind Awesome Financial Advisor Value Propositions (Plus Examples)
    • 5 Tips for How to Sell Insurance Over the Phone
    • 15-Step Client Onboarding Checklist: Onboarding Process for Financial Services
    • The Best CRM for Financial Advisors (CRM Software for Financial Services)
    • 10 Actionable Seminar Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 9 Effective Appointment Setting Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 19 Financial Advisor Email Marketing Tips
    • 5 Ways to Overcome Call Reluctance
    • How to Handle Rejection In Sales: Overcoming Your Fear of Rejection
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Websites Are Terrible
    • 27 Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas & Strategies That Work!
    • How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor: Your First Year
    • Top 10 Best Books for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Fatal Prospecting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make
    • 5 Ways to Generate Leads Without Cold Calling
    • 7 Ways Prospecting Is Like Dating
    • 5 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Referrals
    • 5 LinkedIn Tips for Financial Advisors (Plus 3 Things They Should Be Tracking...)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Build Client Trust
    • 11 Reasons You'll Fail as a Financial Advisor
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make More Money
    • 5 Best Niches for Financial Advisors
    • How to Sell Without Being Pushy
    • How Advisors Can Get Out of Their Comfort Zone
    • 5 Characteristics of Successful Insurance Agents
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11 Tips For Writing A Stellar Financial Advisor Bio (With Samples And Templates)

Cartoon of a financial advisor writing his financial advisor bio sample template
Writing a financial advisor bio can be difficult. 

After all, you’ve probably got a lifetime of personal and professional accomplishments. How can you expect to condense how amazing you are in a few paragraphs?

Allow me to help…

Why You Need A Bio... 🤔​

Depending on the study you read, anywhere from 70-80% (or more) of people research a company online before doing business with them. 

In my own experience, an overwhelming amount of prospects will visit your website before setting an appointment with you. They may put your name in a search engine to learn more about you or they may visit your website directly.

Also, your clients may visit your website and share your bio to facilitate a referral. If your bio isn’t up to snuff, not only will you be damaging your ability to attract prospects, but you could be losing referrals as well. 

As a financial advisor, your bio (or “about us”) page is likely to be the second most visited page on your website, after your homepage. So, you better make it good. Plus, your bio is something you control. You get to decide what to include in this static document. This is an incredible advantage that you don’t have in a face-to-face or phone setting. 

Finally, you can use your bio to help you get press in the future. For example, if you’re being interviewed by a reporter or if you submit a press release to some local publications, you can include your bio to help put together the story. You’ll thank me later. 

Now, let’s get into some tips. Interested in something specific about writing a bio? Jump ahead to:


  1. Address WHAT You Do And WHO You Help
  2. Two Unforgivable Sins Are Being Arrogant And Boring
  3. Create Multiple Versions
  4. Include Photos
  5. Make It Personal
  6. Show How You Relate To Your Niche
  7. Include Your Unique Value Proposition
  8. Include Questions And Answers
  9. Make It Easy To Read
  10. Have Someone Else Read It
  11. Remember To Include Your Contact Information
Picture

1. Address WHAT You Do And WHO You Help

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see financial advisors making with their websites. It’s not uncommon for me to spend a few minutes on a financial advisor’s website  - much longer than the average visitor spends - and still have no clue what the advisor does and who he/she helps.

If you have a niche, be sure to call out that niche. And not just in your bio, either. Do it all over your site. It should be abundantly clear to anyone who visits. 

Next, don’t be afraid to talk about who you are beyond your current role. Have you had more than one role in the financial services industry? Expounding on those roles can help build credibility. 

Are you a career-changer? If so, talk about that and discuss why you decided to become a financial advisor. For example, if you were a teacher who specializes in working with teachers, you would be a fool not to include that detail in your bio (and other areas of your marketing).

2. Two Unforgivable Sins Are Being Arrogant And Boring

Nobody wants to read a bio from a know-it-all. You know the type. The person who thinks he or she is the best thing to ever walk in your life. We all hate that person.

Yet, that doesn’t stop some financial advisors from being arrogant in their bios. Here are some things I’ve seen in the past: 

  • “I do what I do and I’m great at it. That’s why people come to me for all of their financial planning needs.” 
  • “You can’t spell awesome without me.” 

The other unforgivable sin is being boring. Financial advisors typically bore their prospects by including a bunch of buzzwords in their bios. Here’s an example: 

  • “Complimenting his extraordinary capacities as a prodigy in finance, John Smith’s collaborative entrepreneurial networks allows him to serve the unique needs of small business owners.” 

Talk like a human being. Get rid of the jargon and buzzwords. If these people were historians, they would label William Shakespeare as a “creative forward-thinker with excellent written communication skills”. It’s dry and boring.

ALSO READ: 7 Traits Successful Financial Advisors Have (That Others Don't)

Woman shaking head after reading a financial advisor bio sample template
"Sorry, this financial advisor is too boring..."

3. Create Multiple Versions

Create a full-length bio for your website, a medium one for your LinkedIn summary, and a paragraph for any guest posts you submit or press appearances you have. 

This is a little tip that can come in handy when you need it. You’re welcome. :-) 

Plus, this allows you to repurpose your bio by putting it on your LinkedIn profile. Of course, you’d want to change the call-to-action (if necessary) but most of your bio should stay the same.

4. Include Photos

And I don’t mean that awkward photo of you and your team, standing in someplace you’d never stand, dressed as you’d never really dress, and pose as you’d never really pose. 

I mean REAL photos. Yes, you want to include a classy headshot, but why not spice it up even more? 

Do you have a photo of when you got your CFP? Include that. Do you have a photo of when you finally paid off your student loan debt? Include that. Imagine specializing in helping recent medical school graduates, who usually have a ton of student loan debt, and you include proof that you paid yours off in X amount of years. It would illustrate the idea that you take your own advice.

5. Make It Personal

Your financial advisor bio is your chance to humanize yourself and make a personal connection with your prospect. The tip above about posting photos isn’t just for the sake of posting photos. It’s so your prospects can get a glimpse into who you are. 

One of the reasons my email marketing system, Appointments On Autopilot, works so well is because it helps you create an email follow-up sequence which includes personal stories and entertainment. You can do the same in your bio. 

The easiest way to do this is to talk about your family, your hobbies, and your interests. Here’s an example: 

“When he’s not spending time helping his clients protect and grow their wealth, John is spending time with his wife, Wendy, and their two children, Lil’ John and Lil’ Wendy. John also enjoys fishing on the weekends and volunteering at ABC Charity.” 

My assistant actually does something similar in her LinkedIn bio...

A sample of my assistant's bio about helping financial advisors
One thing I’ve seen that’s pretty cool is to include one “professional” bio and “personal” bio side-by-side. That way you can include more information and prospects can see them both at the same time. 

Here is a sample of how your bio should flow: 

Joe has X years of experience working with NICHE as a financial advisor. 

Prior to starting in YEAR, he was a NICHE who did Y. He obtained his MBA from SCHOOL, etc. 

He’s a member of GROUP and a regular contributor to NICHE PUBLICATION. 

When he’s not serving his clients, he can be found spending time with his family and HOBBY. 

6. Show How You Relate To Your Niche

I’ve already hinted at this in the other tips, but I wanted to say it explicitly: your bio is a fantastic opportunity for you to foster a connection with your niche market. 

The more you can show how you’re involved in your niche, the better. If you work exclusively with dentists, don’t be afraid to mention how you’ve been featured in dental publications (and maybe include a photo of the publication) and how you’re a member of their trade organization. 

Maybe you work with divorced women and you’ve personally gone through a divorce. Perhaps you struggled with student loan debt and want to help other recent grads. Share any information you can that will call out your niche.

ALSO READ: 5 Best Niches For Financial Advisors

7. Include Your Unique Value Proposition

Your bio is also your chance to highlight the value you bring and what makes you different. You’ve got your prospect’s eyes on the page, so don’t take it for granted. 

The secret to developing a unique value proposition lies in the name, which means you must answer the following questions: 


  • What makes you UNIQUE? 
  • What VALUE do you provide? 

A lot of times, a financial advisor’s value proposition has something to do with the target market he/she serves. It should answer the all-important question: “Why should I work with YOU above everyone else?”. If you specialize in a certain market, this is an easy answer. 

But never forget that the value you provide is in the eyes of the client, so you need to clearly define what’s it in it for your clients if they choose to do business with you. 

ALSO READ: The Secret Behind Awesome Financial Advisor Value Propositions

8. Include Questions And Answers

I thought this was a really cool idea. I can’t remember where I first saw it, so I can’t give credit. The financial planner had his regular bio and, after that, he had a list of questions like: 

  • What’s your favorite book?
  • Why did you get into financial planning? 
  • What’s your proudest moment? 
  • What’s your biggest money pet peeve? 

Answers to these questions give prospective clients a glimpse into who the financial advisor really is and it feels more personal when read.

Picture

9. Make It Easy To Read

Don’t make the mistake of having your financial advisor bio be one long chunk of text.  If it’s too long, try breaking up the copy with subheads, similar to what I’ve done in this post. It will help organize your bio and make it scannable, which is how many people read online. 

The truth is, a digital paragraph is different from an analog paragraph because the way we consume media online is different than how we do it offline. Online, short paragraphs are king. 

You can even make them really short. Like this. 

Bullet points are also great for breaking up your text and making it easier to read, because: 

  • They break up information and offer more white space on the page. 
  • They catch your attention as you’re scrolling through the page.
  • They help you chunk or categorize information.

Need I say more?

10. Have Someone Else Read It

This should be required for all financial advisor bios. Get someone who doesn’t know you to read it. Then, give that person a quick pop quiz. Ask questions about what you do, who you help, and your background. If you’ve created a good bio, that person should be able to answer with ease. 

Proofreading using an online service such as Grammarly is a good start, but you probably want to get an English major friend to look over it to make sure it’s good to go. Online proofreading services aren’t perfect, so having a human take a look can make all the difference. 

Also, read your bio out loud. Because when you read your writing silently to yourself, it sounds different in your head than it does to someone else. That’s why reading your copy aloud to yourself is by far the best way to discover how your writing actually sounds to other people. 

Reading your bio aloud forces your mind to slow down along with your mouth (since you speak more slowly than you can silently read) and increases the chance you’ll catch stumbling blocks, such as: 

  • Incomplete points.
  • Flaws in your logic/transitions. 
  • Poor word choice. 
  • Offbeat rhythm and pacing. (This is when you have to re-read a sentence two or three times to fully understand it. Reading your bio out loud can help you flesh this out.) ​
Editing a paper - similar to editing a financial advisor bio template
Having someone proofread your financial advisor bio is a must. (I know I need help with proofreading, I make mistakes all the time...)

11. Remember To Include Your Contact Information

I’ve done a ton of heatmap tests and website reviews LINK and I’ve found that prospects are significantly more likely to contact an advisor when the information is right there on the page. And if someone reads your bio all the way through it means that the person is at least somewhat interested, so don’t lose the opportunity. Make sure you include: 

  • Your email address.
  • Your phone number.
  • A link to your online scheduler. (If the person wants to schedule right away.) 

If you have any examples of awesome financial advisor bios, feel free to send them my way. I’m always looking to learn new things. 😎

  • Home
  • Get Clients With LinkedIn
  • Webinar
  • For New Advisors
  • Products
  • Inner Circle
  • Blog
    • 50 Things I Wish Financial Advisors Knew About Marketing
    • What's A Good Financial Advisor Marketing Budget? Here's What I've Found...
    • 5 Reasons Why Hiring A Financial Advisor Marketing Agency Is A Bad Idea...
    • 5 Elements of High-Converting Landing Pages For Financial Advisors (With Examples)
    • Why "Branding" Is A Terrible Idea For Financial Advisors
    • 9 Inbound Marketing Strategies For Financial Advisors That Are Working Right Now... (With Proof)
    • Financial Advisors: Here's How To Get 3 New Clients In The Next 30 Days...
    • I Analyzed The Websites Of Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors: Here’s What They Do Differently…
    • 4 Things I've Learned From Testing 3.2 Million Financial Advisor Emails
    • What Is The Optimal Number Of Clients For A Financial Advisor? (My Answer May Surprise You...)
    • Will Financial Advisors Become Obsolete? (Future Outlook For Financial Advisors)
    • How To Become A Virtual Financial Advisor (Plus Traits And Tools To Help You Work Remotely)
    • An Open Letter To Financial Advisors With Imposter Syndrome (Plus 4 Tips For Overcoming It)
    • How To Overcome Objections As A Financial Advisor (The Right And Wrong Way)
    • 7 Priceless Tips For Financial Advisors Who Want A "Lifestyle" Practice
    • 9 Research-Backed Stress Management Tips For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 3 Powerful Ways Financial Advisors Can Use Webinars To Get More Clients
    • 10 Catastrophic Ways Financial Advisors Sabotage Their Own Success
    • These 5 "Weird" Tips Can Help Financial Advisors Form Better Habits
    • 5 Financial Advisor Follow-Up Tips (That Won't Annoy Prospects)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Write A Book (And Use It To Get Clients)
    • 7 Ways To Make Your Financial Planning Firm More Profitable
    • 7 Actionable Goal Setting Tips For Financial Advisors
    • 10 Of My Favorite Productivity Tools For Financial Advisors
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make A Phenomenal First Impression
    • 3 Reasons Financial Advisors Should (And Shouldn't) Start A Podcast
    • Financial Advisors: 4 Reasons Why Buying Leads Is Like Burning Money
    • 11 Tips For Writing A Stellar Financial Advisor Bio (With Examples)
    • 7 Traits Successful Financial Advisors Have (From Someone Who Has Worked With Thousands Of Advisors)
    • 6 Common Financial Advisor Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them)
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Know Before Buying A Book Of Business
    • Looking For A Financial Advisor Internship? Here Are 10 Things You Should Know...
    • How Hard Is The CFP® Exam? (Plus 5 Of My Favorite Tips To Help You Pass)
    • 10 Insurance Marketing Tips, Ideas, and Strategies (That Actually Work)
    • How to Become a Financial Advisor In 5 (Not So Easy) Steps
    • How To Make Six Figures As A Financial Advisor
    • 11 Lucrative Cold Calling Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Things I Wish All Entry Level Financial Advisors Knew
    • 6 Video Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors: Why Video Marketing Is So Powerful
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Sales Training Completely Fails
    • Pros and Cons of Financial Advisor Coaching - Should Financial Advisors Hire a Coach?
    • 9 Elevator Speech Tips for Financial Advisors
    • A Day In The Life of a Financial Advisor: 7 Things You Can Expect
    • 7 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Services
    • Pros and Cons of Being a Financial Advisor: The Dirty Details Nobody Tells You
    • 8 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Financial Advisor
    • 10 Things Financial Advisors Wish They Could Do Differently
    • 10 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 12 Best Financial Planning Questions to Ask Clients
    • 5 Online Reputation Management Tips for Financial Advisors
    • Here's Why Clients Fire Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Never Do With Their Clients
    • 9 Cold Email Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Tips for Avoiding Burnout as a Financial Advisor
    • 9 Tips for Creating a Financial Advisor Business Plan
    • 7 Must-Know Google Ads Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Awesome Tech Tools for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Insurance Email Marketing Mistakes You Need to Avoid
    • 12 Facebook Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 3 Lessons From An Advisor Losing $1,000 Every Day
    • 7 Easy & Actionable Social Media Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Door-to-Door and Cold Knocking Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things People Really Want From Financial Advisors
    • 5 Client Loyalty Strategies to Help You Retain More Clients
    • 7 Client Referral Ideas to Help You Get More Referrals
    • 8 Tips for Attracting UHNW Clients (With Proof That They Work)
    • Top 10 Best Books for Insurance Agents (2020)
    • 15 Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas & Techniques That Work!
    • 11 Awesome Client Appreciation Event Ideas for Financial Advisors
    • Life Insurance Leads - Should You Buy Them?
    • 5 Ways Financial Advisors Can Improve Direct Mail Marketing Results
    • 7 Reasons You'll Fail as an Insurance Agent
    • 7 Horrible Insurance Marketing Ideas
    • 5 SEO Strategies For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • Social Media Tips for Financial Advisors: Experts Weigh In
    • The Secret Behind Awesome Financial Advisor Value Propositions (Plus Examples)
    • 5 Tips for How to Sell Insurance Over the Phone
    • 15-Step Client Onboarding Checklist: Onboarding Process for Financial Services
    • The Best CRM for Financial Advisors (CRM Software for Financial Services)
    • 10 Actionable Seminar Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 9 Effective Appointment Setting Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 19 Financial Advisor Email Marketing Tips
    • 5 Ways to Overcome Call Reluctance
    • How to Handle Rejection In Sales: Overcoming Your Fear of Rejection
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Websites Are Terrible
    • 27 Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas & Strategies That Work!
    • How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor: Your First Year
    • Top 10 Best Books for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Fatal Prospecting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make
    • 5 Ways to Generate Leads Without Cold Calling
    • 7 Ways Prospecting Is Like Dating
    • 5 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Referrals
    • 5 LinkedIn Tips for Financial Advisors (Plus 3 Things They Should Be Tracking...)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Build Client Trust
    • 11 Reasons You'll Fail as a Financial Advisor
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make More Money
    • 5 Best Niches for Financial Advisors
    • How to Sell Without Being Pushy
    • How Advisors Can Get Out of Their Comfort Zone
    • 5 Characteristics of Successful Insurance Agents
  • Contact