To illustrate how everything is covered from A-to-Z, here's the usual sequence of events in the financial planning business:

· If you're new, and/or want to grow, then you'd using prospecting tools like this financial planning marketing seminar to keep the appointment funnel filled with qualified suspects.

· Then you'd call to get these prospects to come into your office, so you can show and tell all about your firm, how you get paid, and what you can do by using sample financial plans. Most advisers don't have an investment track record, so you can use the historical returns of the Asset Allocation Models and/or the Asset Allocation Tutorial page.

The point is to show what they'd get when they hire you. If they like what they'll get, for what you charge, then they'll hire you. Prospects won't turn into clients unless you have the tools to do the jobs they need done.

· Then if you work on a fee basis, you'd use the client agreement, tri-fold marketing brochure, your ADV, and other firm bio information to either close them on the spot, or to take home in a New Prospect Binder.

· When they hire you, you'd then use Financial Planning Fact Finders to gather their personal and financial data.

· You'd then input data from Fact Finders into the various financial planner modules; crunch the numbers, print the final versions, organize the reports, then get them back in. Then you'd show their future if they kept on doing what they were doing, verses following your brilliant recommendations.

If you're any good, there will be a big difference between these two scenarios. This difference is the value you add, which justifies the money they pay you. The more value you add to someone's life, the more money and referrals they'll give you over time.

· Then you implement the financial plans: Close deals, do paperwork, transfer assets to your custodian, open accounts, make trades, manage their money, give advice, organize things, sell insurance, help, etc.

· Then you monitor, rebalance asset allocations, review, update, and do all of the required maintenance and compliance functions.

There are variations to the theme. The details on how to do most of these functions, and free financial tools to help, can be found on the tips, downloads, and freebies pages. Everything else is on the CD.

▪ There's no investment software for making trades online. So you'll be using whatever your custodian provides (yes, no matter what you do, you'll still need to hire a financial custodian to custody client investments).

▪ There's no Customer Relationship / Management / Contact / Database software (AKA CRM), nor is there Portfolio Management Software. These usually cost around $5,000 initially and then ~$3,000 annually for a one-user system. Your Broker Dealer / custodian sometimes provides these.