 TITLE: Do I Need a Financial Planner? CONTENT: What Is a Financial Planner?\n----------------------------\nFinancial planners can help you create a plan to reach short-term and long-term financial goals. They can help you manage your budget and provide guidance in terms of your overall financial health and your progress toward specific goals.\nA financial planner is a type of financial advisor whose role is specifically to help people plan for the future. \"Financial advisor\" is the umbrella term for all professionals who perform tasks like wealth management, estate planning and investment guidance.\nUnlike certain similar professions, financial planners are not specifically regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (Investment advisors, for example, must register with the government in order to do their job.) However, financial planners often obtain professional credentials and adhere to regulations that apply in their line of business—your financial planner may be an accountant, for instance. Many financial planners are also certified through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. and are qualified to offer these services:\n*   Financial planning basics (such as cash flow and debt management)\n*   Investment planning\n*   Retirement savings and income planning\n*   Tax and estate planning\n*   Risk management and insurance planning\n*   Education planning\nIf you decide to work with a certified financial planner (CFP), they will review your financial information and work with you to set goals and viable timeframes. Once the plan is in motion, either you or the financial planner (depending on your preference) will monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure you stay on track. END