Every year, a predictable hiring pattern unfolds across the financial planning profession. You made it through tax season and the spring surge, then summer sneaks up and flies by because clients don't want to meet, and you take a vacation. Sound familiar? 

Once summer is over, school starts, and clients want to start meeting again, you realize the workload from before summer was already stretching your team. So now you plan to launch a search for a new associate planner… precisely when everyone else does. 

This is difficult, because supply and demand for advisor talent work the same as supply and demand that you explain to your clients. When hundreds of firms begin hiring at the same time, demand for talent increases dramatically. Candidates receive more calls, more interviews, and more offers, making it tougher because employers have fewer options and less leverage.

Which means that some of the best hiring opportunities occur when fewer firms are actively recruiting, which is in the summer, leading up to right before school starts again. Understandably, hiring is often not a priority during the summer months, but for firms looking to attract young talent, hiring when many other firms are not can provide a unique opportunity.

Timing is Everything

Many firm owners assume that top candidates wait until the end of the year to make career changes. In reality, talented planners often begin exploring opportunities months before the broader market becomes hyperactive.

Some have recently completed their second quarter performance reviews and are disappointed. While others have realized promised career paths are not materializing, and some are simply ready for a new challenge. 

These individuals frequently begin confidential conversations during the summer months while other firms remain distracted. By the time fall arrives, many of the strongest candidates have already accepted positions elsewhere. The firms that moved earlier are onboarding talent while everyone else is just beginning their search.

Hiring Can Take Longer Than Most Owners Expect

Many owners believe they can identify a need in September and have someone fully integrated by October. Unfortunately, recruiting rarely works that way. Sure, sometimes firms get lucky, and someone drops in their lap, but hiring rarely happens as quickly as expected. Our average time to fill (time from when engagement starts to new hire sitting in the seat) recently in most markets has been between 70-90 days from when the decision is made to start a hiring process, until the new candidate has accepted the offer and actually started work.

A typical timeline often includes:

• Defining the role - hint: spend a healthy amount of time here. The clearer you are about this, the easier all the other steps will be. 
• Updating compensation structures - hint: you should reevaluate new-hire compensation each year to make sure you’re still offering the market rate for new hires. Be sure to check out our 2026 Salary Report to be released in September. 
• Sourcing candidates - hint: Send an announcement out now saying you are hiring, who knows, maybe the right candidate is coming back from a refreshing beach vacation and ready to make a move. 
• Multiple interview rounds - hint: your interview process should require the candidate to demonstrate their ability and skills with some kind of aptitude tests or work assessments. 
• Reference checks - hint: these are less common due to litigation fears, but you could always frame the question as ‘what tips do you have for me in managing ____?’
• Offer negotiations - hint: experienced planners have the leverage right now, but they will have less if fewer firms are hiring when you make them an offer. 
• Notice periods - hint: 2 weeks is standard, but strive to start onboarding a new hire virtually, even if it is only getting all of their equipment, licenses, etc., going so they can hit the ground running and not wait around for several days on the payroll waiting for all of their access. 
• Onboarding and training - hint: consider having them watch all of the Loom videos for internal trainings and your client meetings, as soon as they start the job. They can also review any non-client/sensitive info, such as training materials/videos prior to even starting. I did this a long time ago when I started (read through the full Schwab Institutional Platform Handbook), but I viewed it as a learning opportunity. 

Even efficient hiring processes can take a few months from start to finish. A search project launched today may result in a new employee beginning work in the fall. A search launched in the fall may not result in someone starting until after the new year, pushing back meaningful productivity until even further in 2027.

The Bottom Line

If your firm already knows another planner, advisor, or support professional will be needed within the next six months, the best time to start may be now. Waiting until the fall means competing against a larger number of firms for the same limited pool of talent. Acting sooner allows you to access candidates before the market becomes crowded, create a more deliberate hiring process so you don't have to rush a crucial hiring decision, and position your firm for stronger growth heading into the next year.

Contact us at info@newplannerrecruiting.com if you have any questions or don't hire very often and would like us to help with your next financial planner hire.  

 

Caleb and the New Planner Recruiting Team*

*AI-assisted