The decision to work with a Financial Planner is a big one. You’ve made a decision that you need a competent professional to help figure something (or a lot of things) out. You’ve decided that you’re going to open up about your finances and share everything with someone you’re just getting to know. And trust that they can help you.
So it’s understandable that once you make that big step, you don’t want to screw it up. You want to find the right person to work with. But how do you know what you’re getting when you work with a financial planner? How do you know you’re going to get your money’s worth?
There’s one way to be more confident about the person you choose to work with – hire a Certified Financial Planner™.
You might read that sentence and say, “Well Scott, isn’t everyone who calls themselves a Financial Planner a Certified Financial Planner™?”
Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Just about anyone who gets into this industry can call themselves whatever they want – Financial Advisor, Financial Planner, Wealth Strategist, you name it. It’s kind of the wild west in terms of what financial professionals choose to call themselves.
Out of the 270,000 people who call themselves financial planners in the country, only 80,000 are CFP® Professionals.
Some of these people may have no experience, some may only focus on investments, some may only want to sell you a high commissioned product. It’s hard to tell from the outside.
However, if you work with a Certified Financial Planner™, you’ll know exactly what you’re going to get. Why? Because everyone who has earned the CFP® designation has passed their rigorous standards – including high levels of education, experience, competency and ethics.
What do CFP professionals have to do to earn the designation?
-Have three years of full time personal financial planning experience
-Obtain a bachelor’s degree
-Complete a CFP Board Education Program
-Successfully pass an exam on financial planning topics
-Agree to adhere to CFP ethical standards, including always putting their client’s interest first.
When you work with a CFP professional, you’ll know that they’ve achieved a high bar in this industry. They are competent in a wide variety of topics that can help you achieve more financial success.
These are professionals who have passed an extensive education program and exam covering topics like retirement planning, investment management, college savings, risk management (insurance), taxes, and estate planning.
And perhaps the best part of working with a CFP® Professional? They agree to always work in their client’s best interest.
I am proud to say that I am a Certified Financial Planner™. I work with my clients in a comprehensive, holistic way. And I’m happy to always give them the best advice possible for their situation.
So if you’ve decided you want to work with someone to help you make smart financial decisions, congrats. You’ve made a wise choice. But to ensure you find the absolute best person to work with, make sure you work with a Certified Financial Planner™. You only deserve the best.
Do you have any questions about working with a Certified Financial Planner™? If so I’d love to talk to you. You can email me at scott@dev-forthrightfinances.pantheonsite.io, call me at 424-258-4460, or contact me here.