In times of plenty, we seek safe haven for surplus cash that will generate passive income for the future. In times of need, some of us take desperate steps to increase our money supply to meet the demands of the day. Both actions necessitate investment decisions, decisions that many of us are oftentimes not qualified nor experienced to make wisely without help. Thus, begs the need to know the answers to the four “wives” (why, when, where, who) and one “husband” (how) questions with respect to investing and financial planning. This article will discuss the two most important pre-requisites to making wise investments.

As a licenced financial planner and a business and financial advisor to small and medium companies, I am often asked to give investment tips or advice. Whether I am a fantastic investment guru or tipster or not is immaterial as I would always avoid answering such questions without knowing and understanding the financial background, status and financial goals of the questioner. This article is not intended to be a primer in investing or financial planning as one can select a book on the subject in any good high street or online bookstore. Rather, I would like to share what I consider to be the top two amongst the many pre-requisites an investor should consider before making an investment decision.

Planning in general is an activity we engage in all the time – planning for a holiday, planning for a wedding, or planning for any other event or planning to achieve a particular objective. However, how many of us really get involved in developing a truly comprehensive personal financial plan and implement the same? If not, why not?

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc (CFPBSI) defines financial planning as “the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances”. Life goals are goals dear to us that we would like see come to pass, especially during our lifetime. Such goals can be as simple as saving to buy a car or for a cruise around the world, or a bit more challenging in investing to mitigate the effects of inflation in planning for retirement.

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In goal setting, it is imperative that we be rational and do not set goals that will be too difficult to achieve in the timeframe required else we can be truly discouraged and discard the plan altogether. Thus, it is good to follow the SMART principle, taught in Management 101, which states that our goals should be Specific (say, save to buy our particular dream car), Measurable (say, save ,000 to buy a car), Achievable (say, plan to buy a car costing a sum we can afford), Realistic (as in planning to buy a car and not a trip to the moon although it can come true for some), and Timely (say, achievable within a reasonable time period).

Knowing our SMART financial goals will enable us to plan how to achieve them. If we are not sure how to develop a financial plan that is workable for us, we can seek the services of a financial planner. A point to note is to ensure that we consult a financial planner that is adequately qualified (say, having the CFPBSI’s Certified Financial Planner certification that is recognized worldwide) and experienced (and perhaps licenced to practice as a financial planner by the appropriate authorities to ensure accountability and ethical behavior).

Prior to making any investment decisions, it is necessary that we understand ourselves in relation to our individual financial risk profile. All of us take risks in our daily lives and these could include crossing a busy street, or taking a flight somewhere, or even getting married considering the increasing number of separations/divorces. It is important to note that different people have different thresholds in the level of risk they are willing to take for any number of reasons. 

Assuming a risk that we are not prepared or capable to cope with may result in adverse consequences and detrimental to our health. Similarly, the level of financial risk we are willing to assume or can tolerate should be carefully evaluated and such an exercise will normally be based on a set of criteria relevant to each individual.  In addition, the risk profile of an individual can change as his or her personal status changes and it is generally accepted that a younger person can assume a higher financial risk compared to a person nearing retirement as the former has time to accumulate or recoup losses due to investment decisions not realizing their desired potential.

Thus, it is wise to understand our financial risk appetite and risk profile so that the investment decisions we make will commensurate with our risk profile. Investment opportunities abound in the marketplace for all risk profile types, whether one is considered a conservative or can take high risk.

, the above are what I consider the two essential pre-requisites to investing and the others mainly pertain to details in understanding investing, investment strategies, and investment opportunities that can be found in any good investment text books or articles, advice from investment professionals or financial planners, or perhaps can be the subject of a follow-up article by this writer. A last piece of advice is to re-emphasise the fact that we should not make any investment decisions that can adversely impact our financial well-being until we have a sound financial plan, and if professional advice is required, do always consult a qualified and licenced financial planner to help develop one’s personal financial plan. Always remember this well-known adage –

Commodities and Real Estate; Investment, Insurance, Taxation and Estate planning. You can help your client sift through these ever increasing and complex choices. You can grow wealth for
your clients and for yourself by building expertise in the financial planning process. IMS Proschool has trained over 6,000 industry practitioners and emerged as the most preferred
education providers for financial planning. With the best study material, quality training
and flexible training options we are best placed to help you get qualified in Financial
Planning. Benefits of Financial Planning Education Financial Planning education imparts the
requisite knowledge and skill-set, that enables you to provide quality advice to your
client on a consistent basis and create wealth for your client’s in the long run. 1. You
would know the tax benefit opportunities for your client based on his residential status As
a financial advisor you will know how the tax liability of your client, who needs to go abroad for job requirement, would change if he travels before or after 29 September in any
year.
If he travels before the said date he would become NRI for tax purpose for the relevant AY and would not pay taxes on the income earned abroad. And in case he travels after
the said date he need not pay tax on the income earned in India and abroad. Tax planning involves utilizing exemptions, deductions, rebates and relief’s provided in the Income tax Act.

8000+ Stocks, 1000+ Mutual Fund Schemes; Equity, Debt,
2. You would know the advantage of paying the EMI in beginning of the month viz a viz end of the month You can save lot of money for your client by a simple advice to pay EMI for a housing loan in the beginning of the month. Consider a Housing loan of 30 lakhs for 20 years at 11 %, if you choose to pay EMI at the end of the month you would pay 67000 more which is over 2 % of your loan amount ! Time value of money concepts in financial planning helps you to analyze and compare different cash flows and choose the most beneficial set of cash flows to pay or receive.
3. You will be able to calculate the exact retirement corpus that one would need for peaceful retirement. Let’s take a case of a person who has expenses of 3 lakh per annum today, he would need a retirement corpus of 1.70 crore (assuming inflation of 5 % and rate of return of 9 %). Retirement planning assumes importance because of people’s inability to earn in sunset years, inflation and lack of social security. Financial planning helps you work out how much to invest for your sunset years to be truly blissful. <BR>
4. Client’s look for growing their net worth every year, your advice would enable them to enhance their net worth year on year. With Personal Financial Planning tools like – Discipline, Diversification and Investments in accordance with clients risk appetite you can ensure your clients growth in net worth year after year and extremely satisfied clients.
5. You will be able to analyze and rank the Top 10 mutual funds out of the 1500+ schemes available? Most people select MF funds on the basis of past Month / year’s performance. Chasing recent performance could prove tricky because it could be an aberration. Financial Planning
emphasizes to track investments like Mutual funds over 5/7/10 years along with Fund managers expertise, experience and his association with the fund. Further one needs to check out if the objective and investment strategy of the fund matches the investor needs. Other parameters like
expense ratio, turnover ratio and trategy of the fund matches the investor needs. Other parameters like expense ratio, turnover ratio and standard deviation also needs to be considered.
6. Insurance is must and a necessary expense (not an investment or Tax saving instrument as projected). With Financial Planning, you will be able to help your client reduce his insurance expenses and at the same time enable him to cover all the risks. Insurance is the most misunderstood concept. It is looked upon as a tax saving or an investment tool. Insurance is an economic tool to transfer the risk. Taking Life Cover more than needed is a waste of precious resource and underinsurance could put the family of deceased to hardship. Further it needs to be assessed if insurance is required for property & other valuables and professional negligence. Financial planning teaches you “How to plan for your client’s insurance requirement”.
7. Financial Planning will enable you to make appropriate investment decisions for your client. If your client looses his sleep over investment decisions, there has been a misinterpretation of your client’s risk taking ability. Financial Planning lays a strong emphasis on appropriate risk profiling. It involves both quantitative and qualitative analysis for before zeroing on a customers risk profile.

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8. One single solutions to all your clients is a disaster. Financial Planning equips you in providing different solutions to different client based on his need. Have you been trying to sell Mutual Funds or Insurance products to all your client’s – be it someone who is young and just started his career or middle aged person who has worked for ample years or a person who is retired?Well if so, you must have had low sales conversion and dissatisfied clients. There is a need to shift focus from product sales to a solution provider. You need to understand the financial goals of the client and work towards achievement of the same through a financial plan.

9. Enables you to face the challenge of ever demanding clients. Client’s today have ready access to information on financial products & services via various sources – media, television, internet & print. The awareness level of investors is increasing with respect to the working and benefits of the various products & services available in the market.

Therefore it is becoming increasingly difficult to practice on “only commission” model. Financial planning widens your scope of services and enhances your knowledge and skill set enabling you to switch to a “commission + fee” or “pure fee” model.

In this model, financial planning becomes the core of advisory services and products become the means to achieve the plan.

10. Increase your clientele – how many of your clients have recommended your service to their friends and family? If a client recommends you to others, it speaks of your quality of advice and the relationship you share with your clients. But if they don’t, you need to do a bit of self introspection and figure out where are you lacking? trategy of the fund matches the investor needs. Other parameters like expense ratio, turnover ratio and standard deviation also needs to be considered.  Requirements for CFPCM Certification There are two ways to obtain CFPCM Certification:

1.Regular Way

2.Challenge Status for professionals

Both require candidates to fulfill certain criteria for acquiring CFPCM Certification.  Requirements for Regular way

1.Education: Candidate must be atleast a 12th Std Pass/Equivalent.  The candidate should undergo the training program with FPSB India’s approved Education Providers. Education criterion demonstrates to the public that the candidate has acquired the necessary knowledge to become a Financial Planner.

2.Examination: The candidate has to pass the CFPCM certification exam i.e. he has to clear all the five papers  viz. Risk Management & Insurance Planning, Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits, Investment Planning , Tax Planning & Estate Planning and Advanced Financial Planning.  By passing the CFPCM Certification Examination, the candidate demonstrates to the public that he/she has the required level of competency to practice Financial Planning.

3.Experience: The experience criterion builds confidence in public that the candidate understands the counseling nature of personal financial planning. The candidate has to complete 3 years of work experience either pre or post Certification exam in case he/she is a graduate. In case of non graduates the criteria is six years of work experience.

4.Ethics: On completion of the education, examination and experience requirements, the candidate has to sign declaration for adherence to FPSB India’s Code of Ethics & Rules of Professional Conduct. know more Requirements for Challenge Status Students who are already professionals for example Chartered Accountants, MBAs, ICWA, etc and are interested in acquiring the CFPCM certification can do so in a shorter span. FPSB India recognizes that these professionals already have some of the skill sets that are required in a Financial Planner.

Hence, it has introduced the “Challenge Status Program” which enables professionals (both in terms of education as well as experience) to acquire the CFPCM Certification in a more time efficient manner. 1.Education: A candidate must be a CA, CFA (US), ICWA, CAIIB, CS, LLB, PhD, M.Phil, PG, Licentiate/ Associate/ Fellowship of Life Insurance, Actuary, FFSI & FLMI from LOMA, Civil Service Examinations by UPSC.

2.Examination: The candidate has to clear only Paper 5 i.e. the Advanced Financial Planning paper.

3.Experience: The candidate should have work experience of 3 years in Financial Services Industry prior to the CFPCM Certification Exam. In case the candidate is working in a Non- Financial Industry the work experience should be 5 years prior CFPCM certification exam.

4.Ethics: On completion of the education, examination and experience requirements, the candidate has to sign declaration  for adherence to FPSB India’s Code of Ethics & Rules of Professional Conduct

At IMS, our goal for the past 33 years has been simple – Build a long term successful career for our students. IMS Proschool is an extension of the same mission although the route is different. Economic growth over the past decade has created new opportunities for students and IMS Proschool is helping students tap these opportunities. IMS Proschool’s goal is to provide these industry relevant skills to its students in the shortest possible time, get them quality jobs that give them quality experience and create a long term career for them. In the process,

we will also help the industry solve its manpower issues. IMS Proschool Success Created over 1000 Associate Financial Planner’s Created over 100 CFP’s in short span of 24 months Trained over 5000 candidates on Financial Planning and Wealth Management More than 2000 CFP enrollments in last two years. IMS Proschool Programs NCFM Certification in Financial Modeling CFPCM PDP- Retail Store Operations Management What makes IMS Proschool Programs unique?

Focused, practical and relevant programs. Programs are for short duration. Range of options to choose from Course Content developed with inputs and feedback from industry. Programs are delivered by industry practitioners. Programs are available across the country. Trainer to the Industry

State Owned Banks – SBI, BOI, SBBJ Foreign Banks – CITI, Deutsche Security Houses –Kotak Securities, ICICI Direct, Motilal Oswal, Tata Securities Mutual Fund Companies – Sundaram BNP Paribas, Optimix. Insurance Companies – ICICI Prudential Institutional Tie- ups Partner of NISM, an initiative of SEBI (Security Exchange Board of India), to create Financial Planning proficiency among students across India. NSE India for Financial Modeling Certificate program Who should join IMS Proschool?

Fresh Graduates wanting to acquire job specific skills Skills required for surviving in challenging business environment is changing every year. Besides your graduation, you need these specific and relevant skills to get a job and to build a career. Working Professionals looking for enhancing skills Those of you who have joined recently, need to quickly enhance their skills and strengthen your resume, to compete effectively and build a long term career.

Professionals who want to shift Industry For most of us first job is, the first job that is offered to us. Often we find that it is not what we wanted and should spend our lives doing or it really does not offer the growth we expect. If you are looking to shift into sunrise industries like retail, KPO or financial services, then IMS programs can help you acquire skills and make the transition.

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The entire program will be taught with lot of examples to understand application of theoretical concepts. The classroom program as well as online sessions will be conducted by experienced faculty from the industry. The online training sessions will be conducted live by our instructor, via the web. All you need to have is a PC with the required minimum configuration. The session will be voice and presentation based and would be as efficient as the real classroom sessions.

Online reference material will be provided to students immediately on enrolment. The students will be provided user id and password to access the course content from IMS Proschool website.

All students who complete the course successfully will get a certificate from IMS Proschool.

All students who complete the course successfully will get a certificate from IMS Proschool.

Program is offered in Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata.

REGULAR FAST TRACK

Download the Enrolment Form our website OR obtain the same from your nearest IMS Proschool centre.

Submit the IMS Proschool Enrolment Form along with two passport size photograph and a Demand Draft of the relevant amount drawn in favour of “IMS Learning Resources Pvt Ltd.” payable in Mumbai to the IMS Proschool Centre where you would like to attend the program.

REGULAR & PLUS

Download the Enrolment Form from our website OR obtain the same from your nearest IMS Proschool centre OR

Submit the IMS Proschool Enrolment Form along with two passport size photograph and a Demand Draft of the relevant amount drawn in favour of “IMS Learning Resources Pvt Ltd.” payable in Mumbai to IMS Proschool, 67, Jayant Building, Jain Hostel Road, Near Sion Circle, Sion (West), Mumbai – 400 022.