Paraplanner

Paraplanner Location: Redwood City, CA (in office) | Full-time | Reports to: Director of Financial Planning Compensation: $70,000 – $94,000 base salary, depending on experience, plus annual performance bonus eligibility and benefits.

Position Overview: Pettinelli Financial Partners (PFP) is a boutique, team-based wealth management firm. The Paraplanner is the technical and preparation engine behind our client meetings: you will gather data, build and update financial plans, prepare every meeting thoroughly, document what happens, and make sure follow-up gets done. You will support all of our advisors, attend client meetings, and work closely with our client service team, serving the families PFP knows best - special needs families, business owners and the next generation of clients - and helping them “plan wisely, live fully.” This is the first step on PFP’s planning career path (Paraplanner → Associate Advisor → Service Advisor → Lead Financial Advisor → Partner), with a target of about three years in the role before moving into an Associate Advisor position.

Duties & Responsibilities Meeting Preparation & Follow-Up

• Prepare client meetings for all advisors following PFP’s case preparation process - gathering documents, updating data, and producing pre-meeting summaries and agendas thoroughly, accurately and on time.
• Complete beneficiary and contact reviews and confirm beneficiary information before pre-meeting summaries are prepared.
• Attend client meetings, take notes, and take an active role over time - such as presenting beneficiary or contact reviews.
• Log meeting notes in CRM system within 24 hours of every meeting and send post-meeting summaries and action items on time.
• Manage, delegate and complete all meeting follow-up items, and track your meetings in the team appointment tracker.

Financial Planning Support

• Support the financial planning needs of clients, including:
• Gathering data and working with clients’ other advisors (attorneys, CPAs, etc.) to obtain everything needed for planning analyses.
• Entering and maintaining client data in eMoney and preparing retirement, cash flow, education, insurance and estate analyses for advisor review.
• Special-request analyses (e.g., mortgage refinancing, early retirement, Social Security claiming).
• Obtaining documents for investment and protection policy reviews.
• Drafting financial plans and identifying planning opportunities for advisors to discuss with clients.
• Set up and support clients on the eMoney client portal, and use eMoney reports in client deliverables.
• Support estate planning engagements (document gathering, drafting support and review).
• Prepare insurance research and illustrations, and support underwriting follow-up.

Client Service & Coordination

• Initiate and field client calls on planning items, document requests and general questions, as appropriate.
• Submit complete, accurate service requests to the client service team (account changes, beneficiary and trust updates, claims and transfers) and follow them through to completion.
• Set up and maintain client, trust and entity records in CRM system according to firm standards.
• Support new-client onboarding through PFP’s process and log leads and new households accurately in CRM system.

Documentation, Process & Compliance

• Follow PFP’s CRM system task standards: log a note on every task before completing or reassigning it, keep due dates current, and avoid past-due items.
• Use the firm’s technology stack - Salesforce, eMoney, Wealth.com, Zocks meeting notes, SharePoint and Zoom Phone - as designed.
• Follow all firm, LPL Financial and Stratos Wealth Partners compliance requirements, including annual compliance training.
• Assist with special projects and process improvements as needed.

Team & Professional Development

• Actively engage in periodic planning team meetings, and contribute in open discussion.
• Learn from advisor debriefs and serve as an accountability partner to teammates.
• Participate in a professional organization such as the Financial Planning Association (firm-supported).
• Contribute ideas that strengthen PFP’s culture, client experience and processes.

What We Offer

• A defined career path with published pay ranges for each level, and raises for promotions and for licenses and designations earned.
• Firm-sponsored licensing exams and CFP® education support.
• Hands-on mentorship from experienced CFP® professionals and a collaborative team environment.
• Competitive benefits package.
• 401k with employer matching
• Generous PTO and Paid Holidays
• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage (70% of employee premium is employer paid, 50% of dependent coverage is employer paid)
• $1,300 Annual Wellness Benefit
• Tax-Advantaged Savings: Take advantage of Healthcare and Dependent Care FSAs, plus HSAs for eligible employees.

Pettinelli Financial Partners is an equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in finance, business, accounting, economics or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 1+ year of professional experience, preferably in financial services, tax, accounting or client service.
• Licenses: SIE within 6 months of hire, and Series 7, Series 66 and California Life, Accident & Health within 12 months of hire (firm-sponsored). Candidates who already hold licenses are preferred.
• Interest in pursuing the CFP® certification; tax or accounting background is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with financial planning software (eMoney preferred) and a CRM (Salesforce, Redtail, Wealthbox preferred).

Other Skills & Experience

• Continuously exhibits personal integrity and professional initiative.
• Reliable - follows through on commitments, meets deadlines and embraces new challenges.
• Organized and detail-oriented; able to manage a high volume of tasks and meetings and keep priorities current.
• Commitment to accuracy and high-quality work.
• Communicates proactively - keeps advisors and teammates informed, and raises issues early.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Coachable - seeks out and acts on feedback.
• Collaborative, flexible team player who is adaptable to change and open to new ideas.
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, small-firm environment.
• Possesses a passion for helping clients; upholds PFP’s purpose, vision and values.