Financial Planner

• Minimum 10 years in the financial services industry
• Minimum 5 years creating financial plans for individuals who meet your Ideal Client Profile
• Could be a former financial advisor, insurance agent, analyst, client service specialist or other employee at an investment company, wire house or discount trading firm
• Can easily provide references from:
• Clients, about the outstanding results from the planning provided over the past 5 - 10 years
• Skilled and experienced peers or other professionals (accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, insurance agents) who recommend the individual and can provide specifics regarding the candidate's value to clients

While experience and demonstrated skill are more important than credentials, if absent, you should simply seek to understand why credentials or certifications were never sought. In the end, you are seeking someone to offer Best-in-Class financial planning advice and their credentials, while giving a clue to their abilities, will not be your deciding factor in selecting the best candidate.

• Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• CPAs often make exceptional Financial Planning experts if their interests and skills favor the "planning" aspects of dealing with their best tax clients
• Enrolled Agent (EA)
• An Enrolled Agent is a tax professional recognized by the United States Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers in dealings with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The profession has been regulated by since 1884, and EAs often prepare taxes, provide bookkeeping services and may also render financial planning services, as well

• Update each Ideal Client's lifetime capital projections at least annually in coordination with each Subject Matter Expert. For example:
• Coordinate with Money Management SME to establish and update each client's asset allocation at least annually
• Coordinate with the Tax SME just after the annual tax projection and just prior to filing any tax returns to anticipate and earmark any tax refunds, or to coordinate funding options for any additional taxes due
• Regular "do the math" exercises whenever financial planning questions arise, such as vehicle or real estate purchases (e.g. "Should I pay cash, finance, or lease?" "Should I refinance or pay-off?")
• Creation of a funding plan (strategies and tactics) for every client goal requiring money and planning to achieve
• Client progress report creation and updating
• All liabilities pay-off strategies reviewed at least annually with resulting recommendations
• Cash reserve targets established at least annually, with recommendations regarding how to fund this contingency account and keep it fully funded
• Obtain updated values for all real estate at least annually

• Annual update of each Ideal Client's comprehensive written lifetime financial plan
• Review of overall strategy for each Ideal Client, with an eye for improvement
• Review and comment on all recommendations from each Subject Matter Expert
• Credit reports reviewed routinely
• All infrequent but recurring expenses projected at least annually
• e.g. future vehicle purchases, roof replacements, home maintenance, etc.