At Fisher Investments, Investment Counselors (ICs) play a vital role. They build trusted relationships with high net worth clients, help them navigate market volatility, and help ensure they stay on track towards their long-term financial goals. It’s a role designed for financial professionals who want to deepen their market knowledge and make an impact without the pressure of selling products—and at Fisher, it’s also a role where driven individuals can grow their careers.
We sat down with two employees who share IC experience—Katie, who is currently an IC, and Kelsey, her manager—to discuss the ins and outs of the career path. Whether you want to strengthen your financial planning expertise, work with high net worth clients, or pursue leadership opportunities, Fisher provides the resources, mentorship, and culture to help you succeed.
A career with impact
For Katie (pictured left), the IC role offered exactly what she was looking for in the next phase of her career:
“I wanted to work individually with clients, deepen my stock market knowledge, and help clients with their overall financial plan,” she says. “Over time, I have learned to work with clients of all different backgrounds and personalities. Through these interactions, I’ve been able to personally know and share stories with some truly great people.”
That client-first focus is at the heart of the IC role. Success depends on listening deeply, staying disciplined, and leveraging Fisher’s robust resources to deliver the best experience possible. “Our research team is amazing, and I’ve been able to learn so much more about markets.” Katie adds. “Using this knowledge on an ongoing basis to help clients stay disciplined in uncertain times has been rewarding.”
Not to mention important. Kelsey echoes Katie’s sentiment, adding: “Since becoming a leader, it has become clear to me just how impactful the IC role is for clients. An IC who cares about what they do and cares about their clients can be the difference between a client making life-altering financial decisions.”
A culture of support
Katie says her team’s culture throughout her time at Fisher has been invaluable. “My team is very focused on supporting one another so that we can all do well in our role. Any time one of us has questions or needs something, someone on our team is ready to volunteer. It makes me feel supported in the day-to-day because we are all in this together.”
That collaborative spirit is reinforced through Kelsey’s (pictured right) leadership style. After about four years at Fisher—including several years as an IC—Kelsey now guides a group of ICs through the challenges and opportunities of the role, serving as both mentor and teammate.
“I define success in the IC role as always putting the client first, making sure we are doing everything in our power to provide them with the best client experience we can,” Kelsey says. “I define success in my role as supporting my ICs in their daily pursuit of putting clients first. I provide them with this support in a variety of ways—including getting on the phone in difficult client situations, providing regular feedback on their communication, and helping them prioritize and manage higher importance items.
On a day-to-day level, Kelsey makes efficiency a priority so she can devote more time to personalized coaching. She listens to calls with her ICs, workshops client challenges, and brainstorms strategies alongside her team.
Katie says that feedback and support have been key. “Coaching on how to be more direct when addressing client needs, asking more open-ended questions, and active listening has been extremely helpful,” Katie says. “My leader is always asking what’s next and trying to help me get there. We have one-on-one meetings where we discuss how I can improve in my current role and how I can get to the next one.”
Growing into leadership
Like many ICs, Kelsey started her career at Fisher counseling clients through market cycles and helping them make confident financial decisions. “It is a rewarding feeling when you are able to successfully counsel a client through a period of volatility,” she says.
But in 2023, she decided she wanted to pivot. After exploring internal options and programs, her own manager helped her find the right path: leadership. “He asked me what I enjoy about my job as an IC. I enjoy helping people, coaching new ICs who join the team and solving complicated situations,” Kelsey says. “We discussed different career paths that fit that description and ultimately the manager role was a good match. From there, he supported me in moving to a mentoring role, helping train new hires and eight months later, I applied to the manager position.”
Now, Kelsey mirrors that same coaching style with her own team: “I prioritize what their ‘why’ is. Where do they want to go next? What’s important to them? From there, I can provide them with coaching that not only benefits their client relationships but also helps guide them down the path they want to follow.”
That includes leadership preparation. “For ICs interested in leadership, I try to give them some real experience taking on tasks that they will have to take on as manager. For example, I ask them to review reports or advise on challenging client situations This way, they can get some real-time experience while identifying whether they want to pursue the role.”
A role with a future
For both Katie and Kelsey, the Investment Counselor role has helped them progress in their own career journeys. Katie hopes to continue to grow her planning expertise to better support clients with more complex needs, while Kelsey is passionate about coaching the next generation of counselors.
“I have a wonderful team that works hard and cares about what they do for their clients,” Kelsey says. “They also go out of their way to help each other. I tell my team that I want them to care about themselves, their clients, and each other. They do a great job of this.”
They’re high performing, too. As Katie puts it: “This role can be a lot of work at times. Ask yourself what you’re passionate about and hone in on those passions when helping clients. Whether it’s market knowledge, financial planning, or relationship building, giving clients extra dedication in areas that align with your interests will shine through to the clients and will make the work more meaningful to you.”
At Fisher Investments, your career path is yours to shape with support at every step.
Financial services company Fisher Investments is building a welcoming workplace where employees can grow, thrive, and do their best work. They offer holistic support during all stages of your career including flexible work hours, training and development programs, employee resource groups, mentorship, parental leave, fertility benefits, and time off to use when you need it. If that sounds enticing to you, explore their ratings, benefits, and open jobs now!
