Los Angeles, Feb. 24, 2026 – Internships are a critical stepping stone for aspiring financial advisors, but not all programs live up to expectations, according to industry insiders and recent experiences shared by Patrick Yaghoobians, founder of Noor Financial Services.

Yaghoobians, 29, recalled spending much of his college internship sitting idle or performing mundane tasks such as stapling documents and scheduling appointments. “The advisor didn’t give me the guidance that someone doing an internship would be looking for,” he said. In one instance, he mistakenly sent sensitive client information due to a lack of instructions, leading to the abrupt end of the internship.

Experts say his experience is not unique. Advisors warn that internships without structure, mentorship, or meaningful work can leave students unprepared for the demands of the financial advisory business.

“Having structure makes an internship significantly more productive for both the intern and the company,” Yaghoobians said, describing a later, more structured internship where responsibilities were clearly defined and accountability enforced.

Financial advisors recommend programs that expose interns to actual client work, rather than limiting them to cold-calling or busywork. Robert S. Jeter II of Back Bay Financial Planning in Delaware said interns should learn the type of clients they want to serve and the practices they want to follow. Similarly, Bill Shafransky of Moneco Advisors in Connecticut highlighted hands-on projects, such as mock client meetings and financial plan construction, as critical for skill development.

Mentorship is another key factor. Sydney Woodward of YeskeBuie in San Francisco said interns thrive when they have a dedicated mentor and a forum to ask questions daily. “Unless interns are told it’s important to ask questions and have an environment to do so freely, they may not,” she said.

With retail investor participation growing in India, the U.S., and globally, experts say well-designed internship programs could be essential to nurturing the next generation of competent financial advisors.