That's very true. But the credit crunch and subprime mess is not something we're currently experiencing in Canada just yet, hit wood. I've alse read on various career boards that financial planning is a hot area right now with the aging boomers. So I uess it depends where you are, who you ask, ect. Whatever the case may be, it seems ot be my only option rght now. Ideally, I'd do something similar in a bank, but they're not knocking on my door just yet. (Bastards!! I know more finance than they do!! you don't even need an mba inf finance to get in bank.)

Lyle,
the company I'm talking to (Investors Group) told me the first exam they'd have me write is for my insurance license. I guess planning and consulting encompasses all areas of the financial markets and institutions. In addition, you're right about companines and stocks going being cyclical. However, the markets will always have an upside bias, which enables you to earn greater retrns than mere deposit accounts. Even if you're only getting 5-7%, that's still better than the 2% the banks are giving, if they even give you that. The thing is... DIVERSIFY. If you choose stocks across various sectors/industries, and choose them such that their "betas" compliment each other, you can patially eliminate the broad movements of the market and earn a norma rate of return per unit of risk. This is exactly what mutual funds attempt to do.