How to write a financial advisor bio that earns trust and generates leads

Your bio is often the first impression a prospective client has of you, and it shows up in more places than you might think: your firm's website, LinkedIn, conference programmes, referral introductions, and every piece of collateral that carries your name. Yet most advisor bios read like a resume pasted into a paragraph. They list credentials, years of experience, and maybe a line about a golden retriever. That is a missed opportunity.

A strong bio does not just describe who you are. It tells a prospective client why you are the right advisor for them. It builds credibility, signals your specialization, and makes it easy for someone to take the next step.

The good news: writing one is simpler than you think, once you know what to focus on.

Why most advisor bios fall flat

The typical advisor bio follows a predictable pattern: a title, a list of designations, a summary of career history, and perhaps a personal aside about hobbies. The problem is not that any of this information is wrong. It is that none of it answers the question a prospect is actually asking: "What will working with you do for me?"

Prospects scanning your bio are trying to figure out whether you understand their situation. A retired executive with $3 million in assets has different concerns than a young physician building wealth for the first time. If your bio speaks to everyone, it connects with no one.

Start with your client, not your credentials

The single most effective shift you can make is to lead with the people you serve, not with yourself.

Instead of opening with "John Smith is a Senior Wealth Advisor with 15 years of experience," try something closer to:

"Business owners approaching a transition often face a tangle of competing priorities: protecting what they have built, optimizing the tax outcome, and ensuring their family is taken care of. John Smith specializes in guiding owners through that process."

Notice the difference. The second version immediately tells a business owner: this person understands my world. The credentials still matter (and they come next), but the opening line earns the reader's attention by reflecting their situation back to them.

The four elements of a high-performing advisor bio

A bio that works hard for your practice covers four areas, roughly in this order.

First, your ideal client and what you help them accomplish. Open with who you serve and the outcomes you deliver. Be specific. "High-net-worth families navigating generational wealth transfer" is stronger than "individuals and families at all stages of life."

Second, your relevant experience and credentials. After you have established relevance, your designations (CFA, CFP, CIM) and career history reinforce your authority. Spell out each designation at least once. If you have held roles at well-known institutions, mention them briefly. If you are newer in your career, focus on the training and mentorship that shapes your approach.

Third, your approach or philosophy. This is what makes you different from the advisor on the next floor. Maybe you take a planning-first approach, or you are known for being direct and transparent about fees. Whatever it is, name it. Clients choose advisors as much for how they work as for what they know.

Fourth, a clear next step. End with a simple call to action. A phone number, QR code, email address, or a link to book a conversation. Do not make the reader hunt for how to reach you.

A few practical tips for writing a financial advisor bio

Write in the first person if your firm allows it. "I work with..." feels more personal than "John works with..." and research consistently shows that first-person bios generate higher engagement. If firm policy requires third person, you can still inject warmth by keeping the language conversational.

Keep it under 250 words for a website bio. LinkedIn gives you more room, but even there, the first two lines (visible before the "see more" click) need to hook the reader. Use those lines to state who you serve and what you help them achieve.

If you have a professional headshot, use it. If you do not, get one. It doesn't need to be expensive (try Portrait Mode on your iPhone, using the contour setting for a great photo), but it does need to look current and approachable. We covered the importance of visual consistency in our earlier post on strengthening your digital presence, and your bio photo is the foundation of that.

Finally, review your bio every year. Your practice evolves, your client base shifts, and what was accurate two years ago may no longer reflect your best work today.

Where to start

If you're staring at a blinking cursor, start by answering these five questions on paper:

1. Who is my ideal client?

2. What challenge do I help them solve?

3. What is different about how I work?

4. What credentials support my expertise?

5. How should someone reach me?

We've developed a guided questionnaire that walks you through the process of writing a financial advisor bio step by step. To get a copy, reach out to us and we'll send it your way.

If your current bio hasn't been updated in a while (or has never quite felt right), we can help.