1099 Financial Advisor Jobs in Augusta, GA

Augusta by the numbers

Start with the headcount: 160 personal financial advisors work in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC. That figure counts every employment arrangement, W-2 and 1099 alike — BLS does not split the two. Applying 1099WORK's estimate that roughly 50% of personal financial advisors work on a 1099 basis puts the independent share near 80 people. Treat that as an order of magnitude, not a census. By headcount the market ranks 144th of the 333 metro areas where BLS publishes a figure for this occupation.

The location quotient is 0.41 — personal financial advisors are 59% less concentrated here than in the average US market. That thins the employer pool, but it also thins the competition for the contracts that do exist. The metro's population is 637,000, up 4.0% since 2020.

A thin concentration cuts both ways: fewer employers and longer sales cycles, but far less competition once you have a relationship.

The pay range in Augusta

$106,960 is the midpoint in Augusta. That works out to $51.42 an hour at a standard 2,080-hour year. That is 4.7% above the national median of $102,140.

These are W-2 and 1099 earnings combined, before any contractor adjusts for self-employment tax and unfunded benefits — which is what the next section is for.

Benchmarking Augusta

Augusta pays 8.6% above the Georgia median. Against the national median of $102,140 it sits 4.7% above. The location quotient column is the one worth reading twice: it measures how concentrated the occupation is relative to the national average, and it moves independently of pay.

The rate that makes 1099 worth it

A 1099 contract that pays the same headline number as a W-2 job is a pay cut. You pick up the employer's half of payroll tax, you stop being paid for holidays and time off, and health cover and retirement come out of your own revenue. Matching a $106,960 salary in Augusta therefore takes about $142,668 in contractor gross — a multiplier of 1.33×.

Spread across a full 2,080-hour year that is $68.59 an hour. Nobody bills 2,080 hours: at a more realistic 80% utilisation, with the rest going to admin, invoicing and finding the next contract, the number you should quote is closer to $85.74.

The 1.33× multiplier assumes:

• 7.07% for the employer half of FICA, which self-employment tax shifts onto you
• 20 unpaid days a year — roughly ten holidays plus two weeks off
• 15% for health coverage and retirement you now fund yourself
• excludes business insurance, mileage, accounting fees and unbilled time

Nearby markets for personal financial advisors

Contractors are not bound by a metro line the way a commuting employee is, and the neighbouring markets often price the same work differently. Within reach of Augusta:

The tax consequence

Nothing is withheld from a 1099 payment. You pay self-employment tax at 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit, plus income tax, in four estimated payments a year. At the Augusta median that is roughly $3,778 a quarter in self-employment tax alone, before income tax. Georgia adds its own income tax and its own estimated-payment schedule on top.

The classification caveat

Labelling an engagement 1099 does not make it 1099 — the IRS weighs who controls the work, who supplies the tools and who carries the risk. For personal financial advisors the usual flashpoints are set schedules, employer-supplied equipment and exclusivity clauses. Georgia also applies its own test, which can reach a different answer than the IRS does on identical facts.

Where to look next

1099WORK is a marketplace built for 1099 engagements specifically: companies post a defined scope, personal financial advisors keep one verified profile, and agreements, onboarding and payment happen in the same place. It launched as 1099REPS for independent medical sales reps and now covers the wider 1099 economy, Augusta included.