How to Simplify your Long-Term Financial Plan

This post is written in partnership with CFP.

Do you have a long-term financial plan in place? If not, you definitely need to make that a priority. Looking at your finances from a long-term perspective can be seriously overwhelming, especially if finances just aren’t really your thing. Working with a Certified Financial Planner  can help relieve some of the stress and help reassure you that you are on the right financial path.

I work full-time from home. It definitely comes with some perks (like working in my pajamas, as long as I don’t mind dealing with a bit of side-eye in the school drop off line) and being in charge of my own schedule.

The downside is, I’m in charge of everything, from daily tasks to finances.

I learned early on that, in order to run my business well, I needed to outsource the things that I wasn’t good at or didn’t enjoy. Many of the things I outsourced (like web design) were things I was able to do, but they took me a long time to get things the way I wanted them. It was much more efficient for me to outsource those tasks.

My time was just better spent doing other things.

In my personal life, I’ve been more hesitant to let go and outsource things that would be more effectively done by someone else.

At the top of my list? Finances. 

I consider myself to be pretty good with money. I’m fairly frugal, I like budgeting . . . to a point, and I’m a big planner. The problem is, I don’t have time to research all the things I feel like I need to in order to make good financial decisions.

Because of that, I’m looking into working with a certified financial planner (CFP®) professional in the near future, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to simplify finances.

What is a Certified Financial Planner?

Anyone can call themselves a financial planner, but did you know that becoming a Certified Financial Planner Professional requires 4,000 or more hours of financial planning experience?

When looking for a financial planning professional, it is so important to look for someone who is a CFP® Pro. To be able to say they are certified requires passing a comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam that is so difficult that it only has about a 55 percent pass rate. The exam tests an individual’s ability to apply financial planning knowledge to real-life situations.

A Certified Financial PlannerTM Professional can do everything from help you plan for retirement to help you create a unique, flexible, and comprehensive roadmap for your financial future.

They are trained in 72 separate financial topic areas ranging from investment planning to estate planning.

I don’t know about you, but that is someone I want on my side.

How can a Certified Financial Planner Help you Simplify Finances?

I am pretty good at learning new tricks, but there is no way that I have time to dedicate 4,000 hours to financial planning. That’s why my finances are the next thing I plan on outsourcing.

A Certified Financial Planner Pro helps you make decisions that can effect the rest of your financial future. They are able to see the big picture. I know I’m often too close to the issue to see clearly and I really need that outside perspective.

Just as I’ve outsourced things in my business that could be done more effectively by someone else, working with a Certified Financial Planning Pro is going to help me create a solid plan for my family’s future and give me back the time I’ve been spending on my finances so I can use that time on something I truly want to be doing.

If you’re also looking for a financial planner, check out letsmakeaplan.org to learn more about how a CFP® pro can help you.