Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Salary

The median securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents salary in the United States is $78,660 per year ($37.82/hour). Salaries range from $48,040 at the entry level to $212,880+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 489,570 securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 3.3% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 ยท Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asStockbrokerBrokerFinancial Services Agent
Median Salary
$78,660
per year
Hourly Rate
$37.82
per hour
Employment
489,570
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$48,040
25th percentile
$56,540
Median
$78,660
75th percentile
$129,950
90th percentile
$212,880

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+3.3%
As fast as average

Annual Openings

38,100
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Training Needed

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for securities, commodities, and financial services sales agentss.

Financial services sales agents include stockbrokers + investment advisors + wealth managers + institutional sales + commodities traders. Entry $52-85k; independent advisors + wire house producers $125-280k; top wealth managers $500k-$2M+; investment banking sales $250-800k+; institutional trading top-earners $1M-$5M+. Compensation is highly variable + book-driven. Series licenses required. Top firms: Morgan Stanley, Merrill, Goldman, Fidelity, Vanguard.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Product + market knowledge
Equities + fixed income + derivatives + mutual funds + ETFs + alts + annuities + planning products.
Prospecting + business development
Cold + warm networks + referrals + community + centers of influence + digital + niche building.
Suitability + fiduciary practice
Reg BI + Advisers Act + KYC + documentation + investment policy statements + regular reviews.
Financial planning + analysis
Retirement + tax + estate + insurance + education + goal-based planning + Monte Carlo scenarios.
CRM + advisor tech stack
Salesforce Financial Services + Redtail + Envestnet + Morningstar + eMoney + MoneyGuidePro + performance reporting.
Compliance + regulatory
FINRA + SEC + state + firm supervision + electronic communication + gift/entertainment + political contributions.
Relationship management + retention
Regular reviews + market updates + high-touch service + concierge + referral facilitation + generational planning.

How to Become a Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

  1. 1
    Get Series licenses
    SIE (open) + Series 7 + 66 (or 63 + 65) + insurance if annuities. Sponsored by firm. First job = sponsorship path.
  2. 2
    Join wire house or wealth firm trainee program
    Morgan Stanley + Merrill + UBS + Wells Fargo + Ameriprise + Edward Jones. Salary + minimum production hurdles.
  3. 3
    Build book through prospecting + niche
    First 2-3 years brutal โ€” 60% attrition. Build referral pipeline + niche + digital presence.
  4. 4
    Move independent + build practice
    RIA + hybrid + LPL + Raymond James Independent + Commonwealth. Higher payouts (85-95%) + own the book.
  5. 5
    Add designations + specialize
    CFP + CFA + ChFC + CIMA + CIMA. Specialty (retirement + business owners + physicians + tech + widowed clients) drives premium fees.

Career Progression

Financial Advisor Trainee / Associate
0-3 yrs$52-95k (base + commission)
  • โ€ขComplete training + Series exams
  • โ€ขBuild initial book
  • โ€ขSupport senior advisors
  • โ€ขProspect aggressively
Next: Independent Producer at 3-5 years.
Financial Advisor / Producer
3-8 yrs$95-235k + bonus
  • โ€ขOwn book of 100-250 households
  • โ€ข$25-75M AUM
  • โ€ขFinancial planning + reviews
  • โ€ขReferral generation
Next: Senior Advisor / VP at 8-12 years.
Senior Advisor / VP
8-15 yrs$185-500k
  • โ€ขBook of $80-300M AUM
  • โ€ขComplex planning + high-net-worth
  • โ€ขTeam of 2-5 support staff
  • โ€ขSpecialty expertise
Next: Managing Director + Principal at 15+.
Managing Director / Practice Principal
15+ yrs$425k-2M+ (top wealth managers $1-5M+)
  • โ€ข$500M-$3B+ AUM
  • โ€ขTeam of 8-25
  • โ€ขFirm strategy + succession
  • โ€ขUltra-high-net-worth
Next: Firm partnership / RIA sale + retirement.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through your prospecting system.behavioral
Specific: cold calls + warm intros + LinkedIn + community + niche event + specific activity numbers + close rate.
Q2. How do you handle a market downturn conversation with a client?situational
Preemptive outreach + educate on plan + emotional support + review IPS + rebalance opportunistically + avoid selling low.
Q3. Explain fiduciary vs suitability standards.technical
Suitability = reasonable for client. Fiduciary = must act in client's best interest, disclose conflicts + minimize costs. Reg BI narrows gap for BDs.
Q4. Tell me about the biggest deal you lost.behavioral
STAR: honest + why lost (better fit + service + product) + relationship maintained + lessons learned.
Q5. Where do you see career in 5 years?closer
Senior Advisor + $150M+ AUM + team of 3-5 + specialty niche + potential independence.

Resume Template โ€” Financial Advisor Trainee (0-3 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Financial Advisor Trainee (0-3 yrs)
  • โ–ธPassed Series 7 + 66 + insurance licenses within first 90 days at Morgan Stanley trainee program.
  • โ–ธBuilt book from 0 to 65 households + $22M AUM in 24 months while completing 3-year training program.
  • โ–ธRanked top-10 in Series 7 cohort for both quantitative + qualitative production metrics.
  • โ–ธEarned CFPยฎ within 30 months while building book โ€” added $8M AUM from CFP referral network.

What Gets You Rejected

  • โœ—Cant handle volume of no's or long build-out period.
  • โœ—Weak prospecting or referral generation.
  • โœ—Compliance violations or regulatory issues.
  • โœ—Not passing Series exams within firm timelines.
  • โœ—Weak market + product knowledge.
  • โœ—Poor client retention + service discipline.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • โœ“Wire house payout: 30-50% grid + bonuses.
  • โœ“Independent payout: 85-95% + platform fees.
  • โœ“Signing bonuses at wire houses: 100-300% of prior trailing 12 GDC (heavily backend-loaded).
  • โœ“Book portability: RIA + LPL + Commonwealth allow book ownership.
  • โœ“Specialty (RIA + planning + business owners) commands premium fees + retention.
  • โœ“AUM growth rate matters more than title for compensation.
  • โœ“Firm succession programs = free book transfer for retiring advisors.

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Resume Review โ€” $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired securities, commodities, and financial services sales agentss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

  • โœ“ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
  • โœ“ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
  • โœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • โœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • โœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Career Kit โ€” $19

  • โœ“ All 15 interview questions with expert answers
  • โœ“ 7 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • โœ“ Interview format intel for 7 top employers
  • โœ“ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • โœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • โœ“ 30โ€“60โ€“90 day plan for your first role
  • โœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • โœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • โœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • โœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • โœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
โœ“ 7-day money-back guarantee โ€” no questions asked

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Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) โ†’

Salary Map โ€” Click a state for details

$47K
$168Kโ–  No data

Top Paying States

New York
$168K
+114%
Massachusetts
$100K
+28%
Illinois
$100K
+27%
Connecticut
$99K
+25%
Vermont
$88K
+12%
South Dakota
$87K
+10%
Delaware
$84K
+6%
Minnesota
$83K
+6%
Nebraska
$83K
+5%
New Jersey
$82K
+5%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
New York$168,340+114.0%
Massachusetts$100,310+27.5%
Illinois$99,840+26.9%
Connecticut$98,560+25.3%
Vermont$88,280+12.2%
South Dakota$86,780+10.3%
Delaware$83,750+6.5%
Minnesota$83,350+6.0%
Nebraska$82,560+5.0%
New Jersey$82,420+4.8%
1โ€“10 of 48

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$167,890+113.4%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$133,530+69.8%
Elmira, NY$116,910+48.6%
Glens Falls, NY$107,070+36.1%
Billings, MT$102,790+30.7%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$102,290+30.0%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$101,200+28.7%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$100,760+28.1%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$100,030+27.2%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$97,670+24.2%
1โ€“10 of 369
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents earning $78,660/year would need 758 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 814 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
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View Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents salary trend (2011โ€“2024) โ†’