Who is a Financial Planner?

Why is this question asked often? Are there too many myths around it that people are not aware of? Are we ignorant about it?

We have tried to bring out a few points that can clear the clouds related to this thought.

Some Not’s and some Is of knowing who is a financial planner:

• Not a product agent

We are often misrepresented as the product agent, the one who wants to sell products to complete their target. We are here for clients benefit and to know what they actually need. Products selection comes much later in the process and a fee-based planner will never suggest one product, he needs to give the client a list of option to choose and suggest the best that aligns with clients financial goals.

• Not full of fact sheet

You meet such kind of agents where they are full of fact sheet in their folder and they just recite the same for their client. The is a thin line to be drawn between knowing about the product in brief in accordance with the client requirement rather than having a bundle of papers with only numbers.

• is your guide

He will always be the guiding light towards achieving your goals. If you are worried about losing your job or inflation or market conditions then he is there to help you understand the pros and cons of the situation and how to mitigate risk.

• is your secret keeper

many times a situation arises where you cannot share your finance related goals or fear to your close one’s but you can always trust your financial planner to guide and advice you on your decisions. Like planning your will or retirement.

• is lika a Financial Doctor

For your health-related worries you look for a certified professional doctor eg: for eye-related problems: an ophthalmologist, for brain or spine related: Neurosurgeon. Sometimes we opt for the second opinion too for our health doubts but when it is about financial worries or doubts, we tend to be okay with half-known facts based advice from our self or friends or family. We don’t go for the second opinion on finance from a Certified Professional Planner(CFP). A financial planner is like a doctor who understands your symptoms and worries and then suggests a right plan for you.

For everything else, we are just a click away…