First Command Launches Recruiting Effort for Next-Generation Financial Advisors

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Encouraged by reports portraying a new wave of consumer trust in financial planners, First Command Financial Services, Inc., is launching a national recruiting effort designed to significantly grow the company’s Advisor force and bring face-to-face financial planning services to the traditionally neglected market of middle-class American families.

“One of the positive developments coming out of the recent period of economic turmoil has been the high level of trust that Financial Advisors are earning among middle-income consumers”

“One of the positive developments coming out of the recent period of economic turmoil has been the high level of trust that Financial Advisors are earning among middle-income consumers,” said Scott Spiker, CEO at First Command. “Average Americans are recognizing the real benefits of working with a trustworthy and knowledgeable financial coach, someone who is patient, willing to listen and offers a sense of security and hope. We are dedicated to meeting this important need for personally-delivered coaching and planning by recruiting the next generation of First Command Financial Advisors. We are looking for ethical individuals who are committed to providing honest guidance and share our unique focus on values, relationships and professionalism.”

First Command’s recruiting push comes at a time when financial planners are earning high praise from the clients they have helped during the recent economic turmoil. The First Command Financial Behaviors Index™ recently revealed that 76 percent of middle-class Americans who work with a financial planner said they are trustful of planners in general and 90 percent trust their own personal financial planner.

First Command recently kicked off its recruiting program with the launch of FirstCommand.com/advisorcareers. This new web site is designed to showcase the professional and financial opportunities available to new and experienced Financial Advisors. FirstCommand.com/advisorcareers explores career opportunities for various groups, including military veterans, career-changers and experienced financial industry professionals. It includes wide-ranging information on First Command’s business proposition for Advisors, including specifics on professional growth, career progression and long-term financial rewards.

First Command began planning its recruiting program in the fall, when the company hired Terri Kallsen, CFP©, as its first executive vice president of strategic development. Her responsibilities include helping First Command capitalize on new recruiting opportunities in the changing financial planning industry, specifically among those who share the company’s commitment to ethical business practices.

"First Command is a trail blazer in fostering the value of financial planning and advancing the profession," said Kallsen, who previously worked on recruiting as head of USAA Wealth Management. "Many financial planning professionals took notice in 2009 when First Command was recognized by the Financial Planning Association® as an FPA Alliance firm, only the second firm ever to receive this high honor.”

FPA Alliance firms demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the financial planning process and to their clients, delivering all financial planning services in accordance with the FPA Standard of Care. This standard requires Financial Advisors to put their clients’ best interests first, act with due care and in utmost good faith, provide full and fair disclosure of all material facts, and disclose and fairly manage all material conflicts of interest.

“We pledge to continue to uphold the FPA Standard of Care as we assist our clients in the pursuit of their financial goals and lifetime dreams,” Kallsen said. “Our industry-recognized commitment to these ethical business practices will be a great advantage in recruiting top Advisors.”

While First Command has the capacity to hire hundreds of new Financial Advisors, the company is pursuing a more measured growth strategy. Spiker said the firm is looking to grow its current 450-member field force by an annual rate of 10 percent.

“We are looking for individuals who are tired of the Wall Street mentality and want to commit to the highest level of client-centered service,” Spiker said. “We are an ideal fit for industry newcomers as well as established professionals who want to grow their business through holistic financial planning, not simply by accumulating existing assets. At First Command we don’t chase wealth, we create it.”

About First Command

First Command Financial Services and its subsidiaries, including First Command Bank and First Command Financial Planning, assist American families in their efforts to build wealth, reduce debt and pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams—focusing on consumer behavior as the first and most powerful determinant of results. Through personalized financial plans that emphasize accumulating wealth while reducing risk, First Command Financial Advisors have established lasting relationships with hundreds of thousands of client families since 1958.

First Command Financial Services, Inc. is the parent company of First Command Financial Planning, Inc. (Member SIPC, FINRA) and First Command Bank (Member FDIC). Financial planning services and investment products, including securities products are offered by First Command Financial Planning, Inc. Insurance products and services are offered by First Command Financial Services, Inc. Banking products and services are offered by First Command Bank. Securities products are not FDIC insured, have no bank guarantee and may lose value. In certain states, First Command Financial Services, Inc. is a separately registered domestic corporation and does business in California as “First Command Insurance Services.” A financial plan, by itself, cannot assure that retirement or other financial goals will be met. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP^®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP (with flame logo)^® in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.