Then you can choose whether to implement the plan yourself or ask your financial planner to help you by coordinating the efforts of other professional advisors in putting your plan into action. Your financial planner can help you to select qualified professionals who can assist you in selecting mutual funds or annuities, buying stocks and bonds, or implementing other savings and investment choices. Various financial planning associations can also provide you with the names of financial planners in your area. You'll find a list of these organizations at the end of this pamphlet. Don't be overly concerned if a financial advisor has a degree in something other than finance or accounting, as long as the candidate has additional training in financial planning.
Many states also require that financial planners be registered and have passed exams.
State insurance or securities licensing will also be needed if your advisor is going to sell those products. Your state securities office can tell you if a financial professional is licensed to trade securities and whether any complaints have been filed against any securities trader. This designation is awarded to people with at least three years of work experience in the financial planning field, who have completed an approved course of study, passed a rigorous exam on financial planning and met certain other educational and ethical requirements. It is offered by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. A ChFC certificate is awarded to people who have completed a designated course of study and passed the exams on personal finance offered by The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.