Financial Planning is different from money management or asset management because a personalized financial plan provides a roadmap for all of your financial assets – not just your money. There is more to reaching your financial goals than the money you are saving. Not only do you want to reach your monetary goals, but, you’ve got to protect what you’ve earned and worked so hard for and plan to keep as much of it as possible at tax time.
Your future is not just about your investible assets, but also techniques to reduce your taxes and plans to protect your family and assets with insurance and estate planning. These areas must all work together to truly plan your future.
Anyone can call themselves a Financial Planner, but, to get a truly comprehensive financial plan, ask if your advisor is trained to give you non-biased recommendations on insurance, tax planning and estate planning. The blueprint for your future starts by discussing your goals and building a plan to reach them, including all of the financial tools available.
See the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards website for more information on how CFP® professionals are trained to help you understand where you want to be in 1, 5, 10 or 20 years and then build a comprehensive plan to reach those goals.