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 Do of knowing who is a financial planner/financial advisor:

• 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. Product 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 options to choose and suggest the best that aligns with the client’s financial goals.

• Not full of fact sheet

You meet such kinds of agents where they are full of fact sheet in their folders and they just recite the same for their clients. The is a thin line to be drawn between knowing about the product in brief in accordance with the client’s 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 your close one’s but you can always trust your financial planner to guide and advise you on your decisions. Like planning your will or retirement.

• is like 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: a Neurosurgeon. Sometimes we opt for a 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 on advice from ourselves or friends or family. We don’t go for a 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 the right plan for you.

For everything else, we are just a click away…