by Laura Houston

Created on: March 12, 2009   Last Updated: March 22, 2009

What is a Registered Financial Planner, or RFP.

With the ups and more prominent downs of today's financial economy, it is more important then ever to monitor your financial planning to insure you have dollars available in the future.

Wikepedia defines a Registered Financial Planner as "a practicing professional who helps people deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning" This can be anything from daily cash flow, to planning for the future of your unborn children.

The major areas of financial planning are basic cash flow management, educational planning, estate planning for the house you would like to own someday, or if you would like to invest to make the dollars you have today grow. There is retirement planning which crosses all of our minds most likely every day when you show up at work. Tax planning to help you determine and be prepared for each year's tax payments.

There is planning for a relationship, wife, kids, home, future- I would consider this the most complex of major planning areas. Too many people step into a relationship for love only to find it broken by the stress of financial burdens. There is also education planning so that you can obtain the education to make all those future financial goals possible.

A Registered Financial Planner must pass a state provided exam to become registered.

There base of knowledge must extend into a great number of aspects about insurances, stocks and investments, taxes, real Estates, Multi family appraisal courses, and many other fundamentals of financial planning.

A Registered financial planner will help you with setting your future goals, collecting information to help determine what is necessary to make those goals. They will analyze you current financial situation, to construct a plan to help you meet and maintain the means to carry out the financial plan that is set into action. Along the way they will help you watch the results of your actions, and analyze the growth toward your goal.

If you are in search of a Registered Financial Planner a couple of on-line sources are available to you, such as AARP offers financial planning aid, by registered financial planners. There is Paladinregistry.com where you can search your community for a financial planner, or Wiseradvisor.com. These are all great sources to find the registered financial planner that is right for your needs.

However, before you call or check into finding the assistance of a financial planner. Sit down and clearly determine what financial goal you want to make, and what type of help you are looking for. These will questions any financial planner will ask, and knowing what you want out of it from the get go will be a great first step to meeting your needs.

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