Start your financial advisor career on the right track
If you’re a successful professional looking to maximize your potential, consider joining Merrill as a financial advisor. You don’t necessarily need a financial background. Merrill has a long history of hiring, training, developing and successfully graduating some of the most talented financial advisors in the world.
How to become a Merrill financial advisor
Our Financial Advisor Development Program (FADP) is designed to develop the critical skills and knowledge necessary for building a successful wealth management business—acquiring clients, enhancing relationships, providing tailored strategies and more. The 43-month program consists of five stages.
Financial Advisor Development Program |
Training |
Development |
Stage 1 |
Stage 2 |
Stage 3 |
First 4 months |
Next 3 months |
Next 12 months |
Second 12 months |
Third 12 months |
Orientation and licensing
Business and marketing plans |
Sales skills
Goals-based wealth management
Prospecting
Conducting meetings |
Expansion on training in previous stages |
Mastery of roles, tasks, and activities
Advanced training on systems and tools |
Advanced training on client service, systems and tools |
Financial Advisor Development Program |
Training Stage |
First 4 months |
Orientation and licensing
Business and marketing plans |
Development Stage |
Next 3 months |
Sales skills
Goals-based wealth management
Prospecting
Conducting meetings |
Stage 11 |
Next 12 months |
Expansion on training in previous stages |
Stage 2 |
Second 12 months |
Mastery of roles, tasks, and activities
Advanced training on systems and tools |
Stage 3 |
Third 12 months |
Advanced training on client service, systems and tools |
1Additional awards are based on meeting the performance hurdle and actual production numbers.
2Source: In 2020, Merrill’s Accelerated Growth Program (AGP) won a Gold Award for “Best Sales Onboarding Program” in the 2020 Brandon Hall Group Sales Performance Awards. The Brandon Hall Excellence Awards recognize companies that have successfully developed and deployed programs, strategies, processes, systems and tools achieving measurable results. The award entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based upon the following criteria: fit the need, design of the program, functionality, innovation and overall measurable benefits. For more information, please visit brandonhall.com/excellenceawards. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.