The median salary for financial planners job rankings issue was $70,000 in 2008. People that work for companies earn somewhat less and franchisees do the worst. The salary distribution in this business is highly skewed. The 90th percentile salary in financial planning is in excess of $200,000.

There are some analogies between salaries earned in this profession and those of realtors. Top producers do quite well but there are many, many persons who earn a modest living as a realtor. Similarly, there are many CFPs who earn a modest but happy living. Bear in mind, of course, that it takes a number of years to build a strong clientele so that in the early days money will not flow quickly into a practice.