What is a financial planner?

 A financial planner or personal financial planner, is a type of professional planner who designs individually unique financial plans based on an individuals needs and goals.

Financial plans can cover Retirement, investments, risk management, life insurance, disability insurance, taxes, estates, cash flow, Roth IRA, and annuities.

A financial planner can obtain certification through a bachelor degree from an accredited college. For some of the prestigious firms, this is required as a prerequisite for new hires. However, this does not give an individual the right to claim themselves as a "Certified Financial Planner®."

Obtaining a bachelor degree isn't required to operate as a financial planner.  A financial planner only needs the proper licenses and registration with FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. FINRA is a 501(c)(6) non-for-profit, independent, nongovernmental organization backed by the SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission.