1099 Financial Advisor Jobs in Fort Collins, CO
Pay, market size and contractor rates for independent personal financial advisors across the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO area.
- Financial Advisors employed
- 260
- Median annual pay
- $66,630
- 1099 equivalent
- $88,874
- Suggested hourly
- $53.41
- Metro population
- 375,000
BLS OEWS, May 2024
all employment types
1.33× — estimate
at 80% utilisation
Census, 2024
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO has 260 personal financial advisors and a median wage of $66,630. This page works through what that means for an independent contractor: the pay spread, the rate you need to quote to come out ahead of payroll, and the tax and classification rules that apply in Colorado.
Every figure is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme (May 2024) or the Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates. Where BLS suppressed a number for this market, the sentence that would have used it is simply absent — nothing here is filled in with an estimate unless it is labelled as one.
What Fort Collins looks like for personal financial advisors
BLS counts 260 personal financial advisors across Fort Collins-Loveland, CO. 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 130 people. Treat that as an order of magnitude, not a census. By headcount the market ranks 108th of the 333 metro areas where BLS publishes a figure for this occupation.
The location quotient is 0.85 — personal financial advisors are 15% 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 375,000, up 4.1% since 2020.
Pricing off a national average will read as expensive in this market, whatever the work is worth.
What personal financial advisors earn in Fort Collins
BLS puts median annual pay in Fort Collins at $66,630. That works out to $32.04 an hour at a standard 2,080-hour year. That is 34.8% below 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.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,190 | $21.25 |
| Median | $66,630 | $32.04 |
| Mean | $104,620 | $50.30 |
Fort Collins against the wider market
Fort Collins pays 22.1% below the Colorado median. Against the national median of $102,140 it sits 34.8% below. 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.
| Area | Employed | Median annual | 90th percentile | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Collins | 260 | $66,630 | — | 0.85 |
| Colorado | 5,930 | $85,580 | $181,000 | 1.17 |
| United States | 270,480 | $102,140 | — | — |
Setting your 1099 rate in Fort Collins
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 $66,630 salary in Fort Collins therefore takes about $88,874 in contractor gross — a multiplier of 1.33×.
Spread across a full 2,080-hour year that is $42.73 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 $53.41.
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 Fort Collins:
| Metro | Employed | Median annual |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | 4,370 | $94,630 |
| Colorado Springs | 300 | $85,360 |
| Greeley | 60 | $81,210 |
| Boulder | 470 | $76,160 |
What you owe in Fort Collins
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 Fort Collins median that is roughly $2,354 a quarter in self-employment tax alone, before income tax. Colorado adds its own income tax and its own estimated-payment schedule on top.
One thing to get right first
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. Colorado also applies its own test, which can reach a different answer than the IRS does on identical facts.
1099WORK, briefly
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, Fort Collins included.
Frequently asked questions
What hourly rate should a 1099 financial advisor charge in Fort Collins?
About $53.41 an hour at 80% utilisation, derived from the $66,630 local median. That builds in the employer half of payroll tax, twenty unpaid days a year and a 15% allowance for self-funded health cover and retirement. It excludes business insurance, mileage and unbilled sales time.
Is 1099 work better than a W-2 job in Fort Collins?
It depends entirely on rate and stability. 1099 wins on control, deductibility and upside; W-2 wins on predictability, benefits and unemployment cover. As a rule of thumb, a 1099 engagement needs to pay about 1.33× the equivalent salary before it is genuinely better money.
How often do 1099 contractors pay taxes in Fort Collins?
Quarterly. The IRS expects estimated payments in mid-April, mid-June, mid-September and mid-January, and charges an underpayment penalty for missing them even if you pay in full at filing. Colorado runs its own estimated-payment schedule alongside the federal one.
How many personal financial advisors work in Fort Collins?
BLS counts 260 personal financial advisors in Fort Collins. 1099WORK estimates roughly 130 of them work on a 1099 basis, though BLS does not publish that split. That is 108th of 333 US metro areas.
Do I need an LLC to work 1099 in Fort Collins?
No. A sole proprietor can accept 1099 work under their own name and Social Security number, and many contractors start that way. An LLC adds liability separation and lets you elect S-corp taxation once profit is high enough for the payroll-tax saving to beat the extra filing cost. Colorado sets its own formation fee and annual report requirements.
How much does a 1099 financial advisor make in Fort Collins?
The median financial advisor in Fort Collins earns $66,630 a year according to BLS OEWS data for May 2024, covering W-2 and 1099 workers together. Working 1099, you would need roughly $88,874 in gross billings to match that median after self-employment tax and unfunded benefits.