October is National Financial Planning Month, an observance designated by the Financial Planning Association that highlights the importance of having a financial plan to helpmaximize the potential of meeting your lifegoals.It’s also intended to promote the role CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals play in helping clients make informed decisionsthroughout every season of life.
Not every financial advisor is a CFP® professional. This credential is reserved for individuals who have met rigorous qualifications for financial planning as determined by the CFP® Board. I earned this designation in 2022, and most advisors at Stewards Planning Group are actively working toward their CFP® credentials as well.Continuing education in pursuit of excellence is one of our core values as a firm—because we believe clients always deserve our best effort.
We are often asked, “What is the difference between a financial plan and a StewardsPlan™?” And the answer is simple: A StewardsPlan™ is a financial plan with stewardship at its heart.
All CFP® professionals, as part of their certification, commit to act as a fiduciary when providing financial advice to clients, which means the advisor will recommendfinancial products that are best for your situation andavoid any conflicts of interest. However, stewardship is the long-term, responsible care of your resources in a way that alsoaccounts for your personal ethics and the broader impact of your financial decisions.
That’s why the three essential questions of a StewardsPlan™ help you think through how toappropriately use and protect the assets you have, how to leverage them to maximize the impact and experiences of your life, and how to transfer wealth in a way that aligns with your values, legacy goals, and Kingdom purposes. Proper stewardships begins by taking these steps:
Organize: What am I stewarding today?
Allocate: How much is enough for me to live on—today and in the future?
Transfer: What should I do with the rest?
This October, celebrate National Financial Planning Month by ensuring you have a StewardsPlan™ guiding your financial decisions.