FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Financial Advisors is a Clark County based group of financial planning practitioners serving individuals, families and small businesses.

Our goal is to help you clearly identify your financial goals and to help chart a course toward your financial well being.  Some of you are making your first investment, while others are planning for retirement.  We look forward to the opportunity to work with you as you progress through your life.

The CFP^(R) mark represent a Certified Financial Planner^TM professional designation. An individual who has earned these marks has met the education, examination, experience and ethics standards established by the Certified Financial Planners Board of Standards (CFP^(R) Board). Therefore, a financial planner who has earned the CFP^(R) mark should be distinguished from a financial planner who has not. Consumers need to be aware that there is nothing preventing a person from declaring themselves a "Financial Planner", and it is therefore incumbent upon the consumer to differentiate between a planner who has earned the marks and one who hasn’t.

If a financial planner has earned the right to use the CFP^(R) mark, this means that he or she has met the following requirements:

• Education: There are three ways to meet the CFP^(R) certification education requirement: 1) completing an education program at a college or university whose curriculum is registered with the CFP^(R) Board; or 2) submitting a transcript of previous financial planning-related course work to the CFP^(R) Board for review and credit; or 3) showing the attainment of certain professional designations or academic degrees.
• Examination: Candidates for the CFP^(R) certification must pass a rigorous two-day, 10-hour CFP^(R) Certification Examination administered by the CFP^(R) Board that covers the financial planning process and includes such topics as tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance
• Experience: Candidates for CFP^(R) certification must prove they have experience in the financial planning process before being authorized to use the CFP^(R) marks.
• Ethics: Candidates for CFP^(R) certification have their backgrounds checked by the CFP^(R) Board, and must also disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct. The CFP^(R) Board reviews all such disclosures and investigates those statements that indicate areas of concern.

Candidates must also adhere to the CFP^(R) Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards.

Additionally, once certified, CFP^(R) certificants must fulfill a biennial continuing education requirement to stay up-to-date on planning strategies and financial trends affecting their clients.

The financial planning process involves several steps that address the complex nature of financial affairs.

• Establish & Define the relationship
• Gather Information about the clients financial situation
• Identify Goals and needs unique to the client
• Analyze & Evaluate Data gathered
• Recommend one or more courses of action
• Implement  financial strategies that are appropriate for the client
• Monitor the performance of the plan over time
• Adjust the strategies and the plan as the client’s life and needs change

A CDFA^TM is an experienced financial professional who is trained to analyze the specific financial issues in divorce.  They are members of the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts.  A CDFA^TM will confidentally examine your personal property, retirement assets, investment accounts, current earnings, future earning capacity and expenses.  They consider alimony, tax implications, health care costs, cost basis of your investments and the value of your business or partnership.  They work with your attorney and/or mediator and analyze your equitable distribution proposals.  With proper planning and expert help from a professional specializing in financially equitable divorce settlements, you can increase your chances of arriving at a settlement that fully addresses your long-term financial needs.

Enrolled Agent (EA) is a prestigious designation from the Internal Revenue Service. EAs must pass a rigorous examination, a background check, and meet lengthy annual continuing professional education requirements. That’s why EAs account for less than 10 percent of all tax practitioners – and are considered a cut above the rest. By selecting an Enrolled Agent to handle your taxes, you are assured a superior level of taxation expertise – so you can be confident of thorough, insightful service and uncommon professionalism that makes a real difference.

Our goal is to help you clearly identify your financial goals and to help chart a course toward your financial well being. Some of you are making your first investment, while others are planning for retirement. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you as you progress through your life.