Many people are under the impression that certified financial planner are people who help with business planning, stretegy and management at multinational companies. But the truth us, certified financial planners are essential for lay people to get over everyday financial problems. The most common types of assistance given by a certified financial planner is at returement planning and general financial planning for households and home businesses.
So what is the difference between a certified financial planner and any normal financial planner? There is indeed a big difference. It’s easy for anyone to claim that he/she is a financial planner but not everyone can claim to be a certified financial planner unless they are certified from the Certified Planner Board of Standards.
The first step towards becoming a certified financial planner is getting a minimum of a bachelor s degree from a reputed college in the country. Many people might not know that you have to study and master integrated financial planning; you actually have to study 100 topics on this. So obviously the path is not all flowery and easy. The exam that you need to pass in order to qualify as a certified financial planner is a tough ride too. It has 10 hours worth of multiple choice questions. The case problems in the exam will test on your ability and talent to use your knowledge in a situation that calls for use of financial planning. So to get through the exam and become a certified financial planner you should have both the necessary academic knowledge and also practical skills.
A good certified financial planner must have the ability to understand the needs of the client, should be able to come up with creative solutions and must have the foresight needed in order to ensure that the needs of the client are fulfilled. A certified financial planner in short should be a real expert on the subject of finance in general.
These times are tough times for any certified financial planner as the recession is hitting so hard in unpredictable ways. This might not be very good news to all financial planners, certified financial planners included. So maybe there ought to be more foresight and transparency in financial functions and as experts on this field certified financial planner board should be very much asked in this endeavor to create a greater, more secure financial system.
