Financial Planning for Today's Consumer

The course is designed for insurance agents, advisors, CPAs, and other financial professionals who serve in the role of financial planner. As a financial planner, you know just how invaluable personal financial planning is as a tool to help people acquire, use, manage, and control financial resources more efficiently. Financial planning is a process for: • identifying assets • determining the classification of those assets in regard to both current and future needs • analyzing debt, expense experience, and consumption patterns • reviewing tax status • addressing client-centered concerns and a host of other issues The goal of this course is to provide an overview of the financial planning process and to identify items that you should consider when helping clients develop a sound financial plan. The course is structured to reflect in each chapter the major phases of the financial planning process. Chapter 1 introduces you to the components of financial planning. Chapters 2 through 5 address these activities as they fit within each phase of the financial planning process. These phases are: • conducting the fact-gathering interview • analyzing the data • creating impact scenarios • projecting values of current assets Chapters 6 through 9 address in fuller detail the planning processes for college, retirement, and the client’s estate.