Finding a financial planner is easy. Finding one who is qualified can make you crazy. A business card is all that it takes to make a stock broker or an insurance agent a financial planner, investment consultant, or wealth manager. These are job descriptions, not qualifications.

With today’s competitive market, more and more people are trying to become financial experts. Many go through some program to get credentials to set themselves apart. That turns out not to be a clear indicator either–there are more than 70 titles that financial pros can use to lend authority to whatever they are telling and selling investors.

Studies have shown that most people don’t care or know little about most of these designations. So if you’re in the financial profession, how do you really set yourself apart? There are five titles that do stand out, because they are difficult to get. But if you want to grow your business, they might worth pursuing:

• CFP–Certified financial planner
• CHFC–Chartered financial consultant
• PFS–Personal financial specialist
• CFA–Chartered financial analyst
• CIC–Chartered investment counselor

As the baby boomers get older, and generation Xers get smarter, it becomes more important to establish yourself as the “go to” knowledge expert in all areas of financial planning and wealth management. Getting the right credentials goes a long way to helping you build a successful practice.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at 10:59 am and is filed under Professionals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.