While everyone should become educated about money, wealth generation, investing and the best ways to expand his or her life, not everyone has the education and experience of a financial planner.

A good financial planner can help you create a personal roadmap to achieve your wealth goals.

Here are some of the things a solid financial planner should be able to do for you:

1. Help you make a plan to get out of credit debt.
2. Assist you in setting up a working budget and establishing beginning financial goals for the short-term, such as establishing an emergency fund, college fund and short-term savings.
3. Work with you to develop an overall financial strategy, if desired, that can include education, taxes, retirement, estate planning, investments and more.

While you may not desire a financial planner to advise you in all areas of your finances, you may be able to glean valuable information, advice, and knowledge from a reputable, certified, experienced planner.

So how do you find a financial planner you can trust? Here are some organizations that can help you in the vetting process:

• NAPFA, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. This site offers information on fee-only comprehensive financial planners. NAPFA also offers a ”fiduciary oath” on its site that consumers can download and ask their planner to sign. Email: info@napfa.org
• Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, This organization offers planners the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. Consumers can find out if a planner is a CFP by visiting this site. Phone: 800-487-1497.
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The AICPA’s Personal Financial Planning Division offers a list of CPAs who have earned the designation “Personal Financial Specialist.”
• Financial Planning Association, The Financial Planning Association offers information on CFPs in specified locations. Phone: 800-322-4237.

In Part Two of “Finding a Good Financial Planner,” WEALTH magazine will reveal the right questions to ask as you interview your potential financial planner.

Tags: budget, debt, financial planning, wealth generation

This entry was posted on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 12:58 pm and is filed under ARCHIVES, PERSONAL FINANCE . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.