Journal of Financial Planning: January 1990
In this essay, the author argues that for financial planning in general, and Certified Financial Planner recipients in particular, to become accepted and respected as a real profession and as real professionals, CFP practitioners must “think” as professionals. This means developing a professional identity, a tradition, a common way planners look at themselves and at their relationships with their clients. Currently, argues the author, no such common bond exists. Furthermore, instead of being viewed as service delivery system that provides a unique and powerful role in today’s society, financial planning has been defined, by those who are not they true planners, as a “tax shelter delivery system” or a “product delivery system.” To shake these false roles and achieve a true professional identity, financial planners must develop basic financial planning theory through internal debate.
To read the entire article as a PDF, please click HERE.