Financial market specializations
Financial advisor
A financial advisor helps clients manage their money, achieve financial goals and make informed decisions. His work focuses on individual financial planning for the client, often over the long term. The advisor analyzes the client’s financial situation (income, expenses, savings, debt), determines the client’s goals (e.g., buying a home, saving for retirement) and creates a personalized plan based on this. A financial advisor is not bound by a contract with a particular bank or insurance company, so his advice should be objective.
How they are funded:
Financial advisors can be compensated in two main ways:
Commission (often hidden):
This is the most common model in Poland. The advisor gets a commission from a financial institution (e.g., a bank, an investment fund) for selling its product, such as a loan, insurance policy or investment product. In this model, the client often pays nothing directly to the advisor, but the commission is included in the cost of the product. This can lead to a conflict of interest, as the advisor may be inclined to recommend a product that earns him more profit, rather than one that is best for the client.
Fee-only:
In this model, the client pays the advisor for a specific service, such as preparing a financial plan. The remuneration can be a fixed amount, an hourly rate or a percentage of the value of the assets the advisor manages. This model is more transparent and eliminates conflicts of interest, as the advisor is paid for objective advice, not for selling a specific product. In Poland, this model is less popular.
Financial intermediary
A financial intermediary is a person or company that connects a customer with financial institutions. His main goal is to sell specific products, such as mortgages, cash loans, insurance or deposits. Intermediaries often work with a number of banks and institutions, so they can present different offers to the customer. However, unlike an advisor, their role is more transactional – they focus on finalizing the deal rather than comprehensive financial planning.
How they are funded:
Intermediaries are remunerated almost exclusively on the basis of commissions on the product sold. This is similar to the model in which financial advisors operate. The bank or insurance company pays the intermediary a commission for each customer who enters into a contract through them. In the case of mortgages, this commission can be significant, so the intermediary has a strong incentive to complete the deal.
Financial educator
A financial educator does not sell products, but provides financial knowledge. His goal is to increase the public’s financial awareness so that people can better manage their money, save and avoid pitfalls. Educators can work in a variety of places – in government institutions, foundations, non-profit organizations, the media or as independent experts. They are not authorized to give individual financial advice or recommend specific products, as this is not their role.
How they are funded:
Sources of funding for financial educators are diverse:
Grants and subsidies:
Many nonprofit organizations and foundations that conduct educational activities are funded by public funds (e.g., the European Union), state grants (e.g., from the Ministry of Finance) or private donations.
Remuneration from public institutions:
Educators may be employed by state institutions such as the National Bank of Poland (NBP), the OCCP or the Supervisory Commission
Book and course sales:
Independent educators often earn money by selling their own publications, books, online courses or conducting paid workshops and trainings.
Sponsorship:
Sometimes educators collaborate with companies that sponsor their activities, such as publishing articles or hosting podcasts. In such cases, it is important to remain independent and make it clear that this is a commercial collaboration.