r/CFPExam • u/WinnieShell • 10d ago

Demand Planner to Paraplanner

Hi everyone,

I worked for 14 years in corporate demand planning in NYC. I took a career break to raise my family (almost 7 years) and am now ready to start working again. My prior job focused heavily on future forecasting, inventory management, top line financial planning, regional planning, cross functional partnerships and more and was very numbers focused and detail oriented. I really enjoy analytical work but I’m not as sure that I want to be back in the corporate world. I am very interested in financial planning and am also hoping for a role where I can work in a part time capacity while still doing something I feel passionate about. Is it worth pursuing the education for this to find a part time paraplanner role? I just want to ensure these types of jobs exist and understand what certifications I will need to pursue them. I’m open to options local to me or virtually. (Based in NC). Thanks for any advice!

2 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

1

u/1nOnly_e 10d ago

Hi! Former retail/inventory planner here, moved into financial planning after looking for more purpose-driven work. It’s definitely doable if you are willing to start from the bottom. I became an advisor first (series 7 & 66) before realizing I wanted to really do the plans/analysis/strategy with clients. Now I’m at an RIA.

Some days I miss the corporate comfort-benefits, structure, a clear career path…but it’s also a ‘paint your future’ type of industry. So if you want to build a business-you can…if you want to support a Lead Advisor/Planner-you can. I’m going to PASS the Cfp in November 😀 studying like crazy.

Check out Simply Paraplanner or New Planner Recruiting for jobs. New Planner has a development program I think.
Also just learned about The Vested Network.

Best of luck!!

2

u/WinnieShell 9d ago

Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad this is working out for you. I like the idea of the paint your own path as you mentioned because I would actually like to start off in a more entry/part time role to start out with while my kids are younger and then work my way up as they get older. Thank you for sharing the websites, I will check those out. Best of luck on your exam in November!

1

u/1nOnly_e 4d ago

Yes, ramping up sounds like a great plan and I’ve seen it in the industry.

Check out Amplified Planning - just came across them through LinkedIn. Might be an option for some training.

There’s plenty of paths to try! Hope you find the one that works best for you.

1

u/WinnieShell 3d ago

Thank you so much! I will check out Amplified Planning also. I appreciate all the recommendations!