Certified Financial Planner

If you are about to make a career decision, but are bit confused about what to choose, you must consider Certified Financial Planner as an option. This is, in my opinion, one of the best jobs available in the world today.

Certified Financial Planner

Job of a CFP is very similar to a family doctor. However, instead of physical problems, a CFP diagnoses and eliminates your financial problems. Being a certified professional, this guy will help you get you finances back on track, by providing you necessary tools and advices.

CFP is an expert, similar to a doctor, lawyer, and accountant, who specializes in a particular area. People come to them to seek professional advice, owing to the vast experience and expertise in the field.

They help you achieve your financial goals, which include designing your investment portfolio, planning retirement investment, debt repayment strategy, and so on. Hence, consulting a Certified Financial Planner is kind of a one stop shop for all your financial requirements.

This is like any other professional job. Why is it better then other jobs?

There are several reasons why CFP is preferred over other jobs. Here are some of them:

You Earn Good Money

CFP’s, all over the world, are paid pretty well. Most of them are depended solely on commission, i.e. they have to sell their product or service to earn money. Some CFPs, however, are hired by corporate bodies or other clients on salary. Many are even hybrid, where part of their income is fixed, and part comes from selling financial products. So, a good Certified Financial Planner can easily earn $100,000 per year. However, average salary would be somewhere around $70,000.

This Job is in Demand

Jobs that requires specialized are always in demand globally. With the increase in financial institutions, demand for CFPs will rise further, and it will continue to be a hot choice for at least another decade. So, you certainly wouldn’t lose your job for another 10 years, if you plan to become a financial planner.

Flexible Schedule

If you are a Certified Financial Planner, you don’t have a fixed schedule, or many deadlines to adhere to. You will have to work according to your client’s needs. This means you may sometimes work out their plans over a dinner together, or sometimes even early morning before office hours. If you feel like discussing work with your clients over a round of golf, do it. You can also take a mini vacation every month, without any hindrances from your employer or clients. However, before you reach this level of freedom, you will have to work hard for few initial years.

You Actually Help People

Financial problem is one of the biggest problems faced by people in the US. By taking up CFP as your career, you actually help those people while earning money. You feel good when you help someone get out of debt, or plan retirement portfolio, or children’s education fund.

What Are The Requirements To Become a Certified Financial Planner?

Different places have different requirements. However, a common way to become a CFP is complete you bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance, and take up Certified Financial Planning course after graduation.

Besides, having other additional skills would be an added advantage. A CFP should:

  • Love talking to people
  • Not be afraid to put forth his ideas and suggestions
  • Have social abilities
  • Have tremendous love for finance and investments
  • Be very logical and rational

Being a Certified Financial Planner is not too difficult, but it’s simply a waste if you don’t love personal finance. (Prime-targeting)


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Posted by on Jul 29 2010. Filed under Careers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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