Christian Financial Planner Directory
This page is dedicated to helping you find a Christian Financial Planner, Christian Financial Advisor, specialist, consultant, or anything else. You can browse by State below to find a Christian Financial Planner in your state.
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
How financial planners get paid
When selecting a financial planner you should be aware of how he/she is getting paid. There are various compensation structures for financial advisers, but the following four are what you are most likely to see.
Traditional commission-based
These planners get paid commission on each product you buy. If you buy a stock, a mutual fund, get a loan, or anything else, they get a commission. Examples of these types of commissions:
- One-time sales rewards, such as mutual fund “loads,” or the upfront payments that come from selling cash-value life insurance or annuities
- Ongoing, annual service payments, such as annual commissions paid to insurance agents upon policy renewal
- Commissions paid for transactions, such as buying and selling shares of stock
Fee-based on percentage of assets
Some financial planners charge a straight percentage of your total assets on an annual basis. Expect to pay at least 1%, but some advisors may charge a lot more. This is the most common arrangement for paying an independent financial planner and has been increasing in popularity.
Flat fee for a one-time financial plan
You will likely pay a large upfront fee. Expect it to be many thousands of dollars. They will often provide a very detailed write up about your financial details including recommendations for action.
Fee-based on an hourly rate
This arrangement is similar to that of a personal lawyer. They get paid for each billable hour they work. The more work you do for yourself, the more you save. The more you pass off to them, the more it costs.
“Fee-only” financial planners
Be aware that “fee-only” is not the same as “fee-based”. As the name suggests a “fee only” financial advisor only gets compensated by the fee. Whereas a “fee-based” advisor may also receive other forms of commissions.
Financial Planner and other advisors credentials
As you browse and compare financial planners you will notice that many of them have special designations attached to their names. The designations should aid your search and should not be your sole deciding factor when choosing a financial planner.
- CFP – Certified Financial Planner
- CFA – Chartered Financial Analyst
- CPA – Certified Public Accountant
- ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant
- MBA – Master of Business Administration
- RIA – Registered Investment Adviser
- RR – Registered Representative
- AAMS – Accredited Asset Management Specialist
- CFM – Certified Financial Manager
- CIC – Chartered Investment Counselor
- CIMA – Certified Investment Management Analyst
- CLU – Chartered Life Underwriter
- CPCU – Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter
- PFS – Personal Finance Specialist
- CMA – Certified Management Accountant
- CMC – Certified Management Consultant
- CMT – Chartered Market Technician
- REBC – Registered Employee Benefits Consultant
- RHU – Registered Health Underwriter
Questions to ask your financial advisor
Coming soon!
Get added to the Christian Financial advisor directory!
Are you a Christian financial planner? If you would like to get added to the directory you can find out more here.
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