What Financial Consultants Actually Earn - A Country-by-Country Breakdown

Salary figures checked and Last updated: 22 July 2026.

Ask how much a financial consultant earns and you will hear answers ranging from “about the same as an accountant” to “hundreds of thousands a year”.

Both answers can be true.

A salaried adviser helping bank customers may earn a fairly predictable wage. A consultant working with wealthy private clients may receive bonuses tied to revenue. An independent adviser might earn much more in a strong year, then discover that office costs, licensing, insurance and staff wages swallow a large part of it.

The job title creates another problem. “Financial consultant” can mean personal financial adviser, wealth manager, investment consultant, bank adviser, corporate finance consultant or insurance salesperson. Countries classify those occupations differently, so there is no clean global salary table covering exactly the same job everywhere.

According to my research, the fairest comparison is to use the closest published financial-advice occupation in each country, keep the figures in local currency and explain where the data came from.

That is what this breakdown does.

Salary note: These figures are benchmarks, not guaranteed offers. Some sources report medians, others publish common ranges or current job advertisements. Bonuses, commissions, self-employment income, taxes and living costs can alter the result considerably.

Financial consultant salaries by country

Country	Published pay figure	Closest occupation or source
Australia	A$2,582 a week, approximately A$134,264 annualised	Financial investment advisers and managers
United States	US$102,140 median annual wage	Personal financial advisers
Canada	C$36.06 median hourly wage, approximately C$75,005 annualised	Financial planners
United Kingdom	£27,000 starter to £67,000 experienced	Financial advisers
New Zealand	NZ$72,000 to NZ$140,000 common range	Financial advisers
Germany	€5,980 median gross monthly wage	Bank and savings-bank customer advisers
France	About €1,802 to €4,167 gross a month, depending on the advisory role	Bank customer and wealth-management advisers
Ireland	€35,000 to €100,000 annual range	Financial advisers
Singapore	Many current advertisements show S$3,000 to S$8,000 a month	Financial adviser job advertisements
India	₹3.5 lakh to ₹11.43 lakh typical reported range	Self-reported financial consultant salaries

Our data shows a wide nominal gap between countries. It does not prove that a consultant in the country with the largest number enjoys the best standard of living.

A fair comparison also needs to consider:

Local housing and living costs.
Income tax.
Health insurance and retirement benefits.
Average working hours.
Bonuses and commissions.
Licensing expenses.
The difference between an employee and a business owner.

Why the job title causes so much confusion

A financial consultant in one country may perform work that another country calls financial planning, investment advice, private banking or wealth management.

Even within one city, the title can describe very different jobs.

One consultant might:

Prepare retirement plans for households.
Recommend investments and insurance.
Advise companies on cash flow and financing.
Manage relationships for a bank.
Sell financial products.
Help wealthy clients organise investments and estates.

The pay attached to those jobs will not be identical.

A bank employee with a fixed salary and annual bonus belongs in a different comparison from a self-employed wealth adviser who owns a client book.

Our guide to financial consultants versus financial advisers explains how the titles overlap and where they begin to separate.

Australia: approximately A$134,264 annualised

Jobs and Skills Australia reports median full-time earnings of A$2,582 a week for the combined occupation of financial investment advisers and managers.

Multiplied by 52 weeks, that equals approximately:

A$2,582 × 52 = A$134,264 a year

The figure is before tax and salary sacrifice. It applies to full-time, non-managerial employees paid at adult rates. The data source is the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours from May 2025, published through the occupation profile in 2026.

There is an important limitation. The category combines financial investment advisers with investment managers. It is broader than the everyday meaning of financial consultant.

The occupation profile also reports a median hourly earning figure of A$66 and average full-time hours of roughly 45 a week.

You can review the figures in the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

What changes an Australian consultant’s earnings?

An Australian adviser’s pay may depend on:

Whether they provide personal financial advice or corporate consulting.
ASIC registration and professional qualifications.
The size and value of their client book.
Whether they work in banking, superannuation, insurance or private wealth.
Location, with Sydney and Melbourne holding much of the financial-services workforce.
Salary, bonus and revenue-sharing arrangements.

A business owner may collect more revenue than the published employee figure. That revenue must cover professional indemnity insurance, compliance, software, licensing, rent, staff and unpaid administration time.

United States: US$102,140 median annual wage

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a US$102,140 median annual wage for personal financial advisers in May 2024.

The spread is large.

The lowest 10% earned less than US$49,990.
The median was US$102,140.
The highest 10% earned more than US$239,200.

The industry also changes the result. The BLS reported higher median earnings for advisers working in securities, investment and related activities than for those working in insurance or professional services.

Commission, production bonuses and incentive pay are included in the wage data. That helps explain why the upper end sits so far above the median.

The full figures appear in the Bureau of Labor Statistics profile for personal financial advisers.

Why US earnings can climb quickly

American advisers are often rewarded for attracting and retaining clients.

Someone with a large established client book may receive:

A base salary.
Revenue-based bonuses.
Commissions.
Profit sharing.
Equity in an advice business.

An adviser starting without clients may earn far less, especially if the job includes demanding sales targets.

This is why two people with the same title can report radically different incomes.

Canada: C$36.06 median hourly wage

Canada’s Job Bank reports national financial planner wages of:

C$23.91 an hour at the lower end.
C$36.06 an hour at the median.
C$73.08 an hour at the higher end.

At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, the median works out to approximately:

C$36.06 × 40 × 52 = C$75,005 a year

This is an annualised estimate rather than a separate official annual salary figure.

The Job Bank page was updated in November 2025 and uses Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey data for 2023–24.

Provincial results vary. Alberta’s listed median is higher than the national figure, while other provinces report lower hourly rates.

See the regional breakdown through the Government of Canada Job Bank.

What can push Canadian pay higher?

Income may rise when a consultant works with:

Business owners.
High-net-worth households.
Investment portfolios.
Complex retirement plans.
Tax-aware wealth strategies.

Credentials, province, client revenue and the employer’s compensation structure all affect the final number.

United Kingdom: £27,000 to £67,000

The UK National Careers Service gives a financial adviser salary range of:

£27,000 for a starter.
Up to £67,000 for an experienced adviser.

The profile includes related titles including financial planner, wealth manager and independent financial adviser.

Typical working hours are listed at 35 to 40 a week, although client appointments may occur during evenings or weekends.

The published range can be found through the UK National Careers Service.

London can produce a very different result

Consultants in London may receive higher salaries than those in smaller regional markets. That difference can be reduced by housing, transport and other living costs.

Pay also depends on whether the adviser works for:

A retail bank.
An independent advice firm.
A private bank.
A wealth manager.
An insurance business.
Their own practice.

Bonuses and client-based revenue can move total compensation above the National Careers Service range for some senior roles.

New Zealand: NZ$72,000 to NZ$140,000 is the common range

New Zealand’s Tahatū Career Navigator reports the following pay information for financial advisers:

A lower figure of about NZ$57,000.
A common range of NZ$72,000 to NZ$140,000.
An upper figure reaching about NZ$224,000.

The figures are before tax.

The large upper amount is a useful warning. Advice roles can include commission, business income or client-linked remuneration, so the highest earnings should not be treated as an ordinary starting salary.

The career page also states that registration and a New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services may be required.

See the full pay and training information on Tahatū Career Navigator.

Germany: €5,980 median gross monthly wage

Germany’s Federal Employment Agency Entgeltatlas reports a median gross monthly wage of €5,980 for bank and savings-bank customer advisers.

The published quartiles are:

Lower quartile: approximately €4,687 a month.
Median: approximately €5,980 a month.
Upper quartile: approximately €7,341 a month.

Annualising the median gives:

€5,980 × 12 = €71,760 a year

This occupation is a close German comparison for employed client-facing financial advice. It is not identical to every independent financial consultant or corporate finance adviser.

The official figures are available through the Bundesagentur für Arbeit Entgeltatlas.

France: the role can change the range sharply

France Travail publishes pay ranges based on job advertisements rather than one universal financial consultant salary.

For bank customer advisers, 80% of advertisements fall between approximately:

€1,802 and €2,917 gross a month

That annualises to roughly €21,624 to €35,004.

For wealth-management advisers, 80% of advertisements fall between approximately:

€1,900 and €4,167 gross a month

That annualises to roughly €22,800 to €50,004.

The difference tells you something useful. A branch-based customer adviser and a consultant managing wealthier clients may share similar language in their job titles but receive different pay.

Review the current figures through the France Travail profiles for bank customer advisers and wealth-management advisers.

Ireland: €35,000 to €100,000

Ireland’s CareersPortal lists a financial adviser salary range of approximately €35,000 to €100,000 a year.

That is a broad career range rather than a single national median.

The lower end may reflect early-career or support-heavy advice positions. The upper end is more likely to involve experience, valuable client relationships, management duties or performance-based income.

The CareersPortal profile notes that salary varies with employer, location, experience and duties.

See the career description and range on CareersPortal Ireland.

Singapore: many listings show S$3,000 to S$8,000 a month

Singapore does not present one simple government median for every job carrying the title “financial consultant”. Current advertisements on MyCareersFuture commonly show monthly figures around S$3,000 to S$8,000.

That equals approximately:

S$36,000 a year at S$3,000 a month.
S$96,000 a year at S$8,000 a month.

Some listings advertise much higher possible earnings. Read those figures carefully.

Financial-advice jobs in Singapore can include:

A basic salary.
Sales commission.
Performance bonuses.
Team incentives.
Allowances.

A job advertising “up to S$15,000 a month” may not guarantee anything close to that amount.

Check the base salary separately from the projected commission. Current advertisements can be reviewed on the Singapore Government’s MyCareersFuture portal.

India: about ₹6.7 lakh average reported pay

Glassdoor’s financial consultant salary page reports:

Average base pay of around ₹6 lakh a year.
Average additional pay of around ₹1 lakh.
An overall average estimate of about ₹6.7 lakh a year.
A typical reported range of approximately ₹3.5 lakh to ₹11.43 lakh.

The estimate is based on 138 salaries submitted by users. The page also displays recent individual reports ranging from lower-paid insurance roles to much better-paid consulting positions.

This source needs more caution than a government labour survey. Self-reported salary platforms can contain small samples, old entries, inconsistent titles and reporting errors.

It is still useful for showing how widely Indian financial consultant pay can vary between employers and cities.

See the current self-reported figures on Glassdoor India.

Which country pays financial consultants the most?

On the published nominal figures in this comparison, senior advisers in the United States, Australia and New Zealand can report high earnings.

That answer needs several qualifications.

The Australian figure combines advisers and investment managers. The New Zealand upper figure is not an ordinary median. The US salary data include commission and production bonuses. Singapore advertisements may include ambitious performance-based amounts.

Currency conversion also changes daily.

A larger salary can be reduced by:

Higher rent or mortgage costs.
Health insurance.
Licensing and professional expenses.
Longer hours.
Unpaid client-development work.
Income tax.

The country with the largest headline salary will not necessarily leave the consultant with the most disposable income.

Base salary is only part of the answer

From my experience comparing salary datasets for articles like this, the biggest source of confusion is mixing base salary with total compensation.

Consider two consultants:

Consultant	Base salary	Variable pay	Total before tax
Consultant A	$110,000	$10,000 bonus	$120,000
Consultant B	$75,000	$70,000 commission	$145,000

Consultant B earns more in this example. Their income may also be less predictable.

A slow sales year could reduce the commission sharply. Consultant A has a smaller upside but a more stable monthly wage.

Employee salary and business revenue are different numbers

An independent consultant might say their practice earns $300,000 a year.

That does not mean they personally keep $300,000.

The practice may need to pay for:

Staff.
Office space.
Professional indemnity insurance.
Licensing.
Compliance support.
Software.
Cybersecurity.
Marketing.
Accounting and legal work.
Taxes.

Suppose a practice generates $300,000 in revenue and incurs $135,000 in operating costs.

$300,000 revenue − $135,000 expenses = $165,000 before personal tax

The owner’s economic return is closer to $165,000 than $300,000, before allowing for tax, retirement contributions or money retained in the business.

Commission can create unusually high and unusually low incomes

Commission-based roles widen the salary spread.

A successful consultant with a strong referral network may earn far above an employee median. A new consultant without established clients may struggle to produce a dependable income.

The compensation model can include:

A commission on insurance premiums.
A percentage of revenue.
A bonus for reaching sales targets.
Ongoing payments linked with retained clients.
A share of firm profits.

Our guide to fee-only and commission-based financial consultants explains how these arrangements affect both advisers and clients.

Experience can change the type of work, not merely the salary

An entry-level consultant may spend much of the day:

Preparing reports.
Researching products.
Updating client records.
Assisting senior advisers.
Completing training.

A senior consultant may:

Own client relationships.
Bring new business into the firm.
Advise on more complicated cases.
Supervise other consultants.
Carry responsibility for revenue targets.

The senior consultant is paid for commercial value and responsibility as well as technical knowledge.

Read what it takes to become a financial consultant for a clearer picture of the work behind the salary.

Qualifications can raise pay, but letters after a name are not enough

Professional qualifications may open access to regulated work, senior positions or wealthier clients.

Depending on the country and role, employers may value:

Financial planning qualifications.
Accounting credentials.
Investment qualifications.
Tax knowledge.
Postgraduate study.
Regulatory registration.
Insurance or credit licensing.

A qualification does not guarantee a higher salary. It can help someone qualify for work that pays more.

The consultant still needs communication, judgement, client management and commercial skills.

Our article on financial consultant certifications explains what different credentials may indicate.

Specialisation can matter more than the general job title

Consultants working in areas with complicated rules or wealthy clients may receive higher pay.

Examples include:

Private wealth.
Corporate finance.
Investment consulting.
Retirement planning.
Tax-aware financial planning.
Business succession.
Risk and insurance.
Mergers and acquisitions.

A general bank adviser and a consultant advising on multimillion-dollar company transactions do not belong in the same salary category, even when both describe themselves as financial consultants.

Industry matters

Consultants can work for:

Banks.
Insurance companies.
Investment firms.
Accounting practices.
Advice businesses.
Superannuation or pension providers.
Technology companies.
Government agencies.
Large consulting firms.

Investment and private-wealth roles may offer greater bonus potential. Government and institutional positions may provide steadier hours and benefits.

See which industries hire financial consultants for a wider breakdown of career paths.

Location within the country still matters

A national figure can hide large regional differences.

Major financial centres often pay more:

Sydney and Melbourne.
New York and San Francisco.
Toronto and Vancouver.
London.
Auckland.
Frankfurt.
Paris.
Singapore.
Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The higher salary may be partly compensation for expensive housing and commuting.

Remote work has softened some geographic differences, although client-facing and regulated roles may still require office attendance or local registration.

How to compare two financial consultant job offers

Do not compare base salary alone.

Write down:

Pay or benefit	Offer one	Offer two
Base salary
Guaranteed bonus
Commission
Employer retirement contribution
Health or insurance benefits
Paid leave
Licensing costs paid by employer
Training support
Expected weekly hours
Client ownership
Restraint or non-compete terms

A lower salary may become the better offer when it includes reliable bonuses, licensing support, shorter hours and valuable retirement benefits.

Questions to ask about a commission-heavy role

Ask the employer:

How much of the advertised income is guaranteed?
What percentage of employees earned the quoted amount last year?
Is there a recoverable salary draw?
Can commissions be clawed back?
Who owns the client relationship?
Are leads provided?
What happens when a client cancels?
Does the target rise after the first year?
Which expenses must the consultant pay personally?
How long does a new employee usually take to reach target?

“Uncapped earnings” sounds exciting. It does not tell you what the typical employee takes home.

Common salary comparison mistakes

Converting every figure into US dollars

Exchange rates change. They also say nothing about local rent, tax or purchasing power.

Comparing a median with a top-performer figure

A national median and “earn up to” advertisement are not comparable numbers.

Ignoring commissions

A low base salary may sit beneath substantial variable pay. It may also sit beneath disappointing variable pay.

Treating business revenue as personal income

Independent consultants pay operating expenses before keeping the remainder.

Assuming the title means the same job everywhere

Financial consultant, financial adviser, planner and wealth manager can carry different duties and licensing requirements.

Ignoring working hours

A role paying 20% more may demand evenings, weekends and constant client prospecting.

Using an old salary article

Wages, currencies and job markets change. Check the date and source methodology.

Does a high consultant salary mean clients are being overcharged?

Not necessarily.

A consultant may earn well because they manage demanding cases, carry professional risk or generate substantial value for a firm.

Problems arise when clients cannot see what they are paying or when recommendations are shaped by hidden incentives.

The fee a client pays and the salary an employee receives are not the same amount. Advice businesses also carry staffing, technology, licensing and compliance costs.

Our guide to financial consultant costs explains what clients may pay and what they should receive in return.

What the salary tables cannot tell you

No salary table can measure:

How hard it is to win clients.
The stress of sales targets.
The cost of maintaining a licence.
The risk of complaints.
The quality of management.
The value of workplace flexibility.
The stability of commission income.
Whether the work suits you.

A well-paid consultant may spend much of the week finding business rather than preparing financial strategies.

Someone earning less in a salaried role may have predictable hours, paid leave and no personal responsibility for business expenses.

So, what do financial consultants actually earn?

A realistic answer is a range, not one global number.

Published benchmarks in the countries reviewed here stretch from relatively modest bank-advice salaries to six-figure earnings in Australia, the United States, Ireland and New Zealand.

Senior consultants, business owners and advisers with valuable client books can earn more. New entrants, commission-only workers and people in support-heavy roles may earn much less.

Start with the local occupation data. Then check whether the figure includes bonuses, commission, management roles or self-employment income.

After that, look at living costs and the hours required to earn it.

The largest number on a salary page is rarely the most useful one. The better figure is the amount an ordinary person in that role can reasonably expect to keep after the real costs of doing the job.

What Financial Consultants Actually Earn – A Country-by-Country Breakdown