Financial Planner- Menlo Park

Forum Financial Management•Menlo Park, CA

6d•$80,000 - $150,000•Remote

About The Position

We’re in search of a candidate to join our team in our Menlo Park office as a Financial Planner. At Forum Financial’s Menlo Park office, we believe financial planning is a human practice rooted in trust, empathy, and meaningful connection. We’re here to walk alongside our clients through life’s major transitions — the joyful, the complex, and everything in between. This is an entrepreneurial opportunity and will be offered on an independent contractor basis. While we’re part of Forum Financial, our Menlo Park team operates like a boutique firm: personal, values-driven, and centered on long-term relationships. Our clients don’t just call us about retirement or buying a home — they call us when they’ve lost someone they love, or when their child gets into college. That level of trust means everything to us. Our process isn’t rigid or cookie-cutter. It flexes to meet our clients where they are. That means fewer clients, deeper relationships, and energizing work. We love this work, and we want someone who feels the same. Overview of the role: We’re looking for an experienced Financial Planner to join our Menlo Park team. If you’re organized, relational, and love diving into the details to support clients with care, this could be a great fit. This is a unique role for someone who wants to build a long-term career doing high-touch, personalized planning. You’ll start by supporting a lead advisor and existing client relationships and helping ensure nothing falls through the cracks. We expect you to grow quickly into direct client responsibilities, with the autonomy to shape the role based on your strengths and goals. ● This role is also intentionally designed with succession in mind. The right person will have the opportunity to progress quickly into a lead advisor role — and potentially step into a trusted leadership seat, with the support of the lead advisor’s succession planning team. This is an entrepreneurial role. The right person will want to own their own practice and value the opportunity to grow their own business rather than continuing in a staff advisor role. This position would be a great fit for a career changer, former business owner, or solo practitioner wanting to join a team. Although the role is remote, we require candidates to live in the Bay Area or have deep roots here. Many of our clients are based in this area, and familiarity with California-specific tax and estate planning and cultural context will be essential. For candidates out of the area, periodic travel to the Bay Area is required. What You Can Expect: ● Full-time with flexibility: This is a full-time role, but we could be open to starting part-time. ● Immediate client relationships: You’ll be in client meetings right away, fully involved. ● A culture of trust and autonomy: We collaborate often, but micromanagement isn’t our style. We’ll trust you to lead your work with integrity. ● Mentorship that’s personal: Learn alongside a seasoned advisor who’s invested in your success. ● Remote work: This is primarily a remote role. You’ll work from your virtual office and meet with clients virtually, with regular opportunities to meet with clients in person. ● The best of both worlds: Access top-tier technology, compliance, and investment support through Forum — without giving up the personal feel of a small, local team. ● Client ownership: For the right person with entrepreneurial drive, there’s an accelerated path toward becoming the lead advisor and taking on client ownership. That kind of opportunity doesn’t come along often.

Requirements

2+ years of experience in a client-facing planning or advisory role (RIA or fiduciary a plus)
Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP®) designation, or actively working toward it
Location: Remote, but based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with. periodic in-person meetings in the Menlo Park area
Comfort with comprehensive planning (retirement, tax, estate, investments, education, insurance)
Superb verbal and written communication skills — enjoy talking with clients, able to make complex topics feel approachable, and make emails feel human
Highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented
Tech-savvy and adaptable — ready to learn our systems and suggest improvements
Emotionally intelligent — someone who brings warmth and steadiness to their work

Nice To Haves

Experience with Schwab, Tamarac, Junxure Cloud and/or MoneyGuidePro is very helpful

Responsibilities

Support the lead advisor in delivering client-centric, comprehensive financial planning.
Demonstrate strong self-management by proactively owning tasks, managing deadlines, and staying organized without requiring close oversight.
Serve as a supportive accountability partner to the lead advisor, helping keep priorities on track and ensuring follow-through on key action items.
Assist with onboarding new clients for the lead advisor and onboard your own as well.
Join client meetings, take notes, and ensure follow-up actions are completed with care.
Prepare meeting agendas, gather and organize client data, and assist in plan creation.
Keep client records up to date in our CRM, planning software, and spreadsheets.
Collaborate with the Menlo Park Forum team to make the client experience seamless.
Learn firm tech and workflows — and help us make them even better.