Answer: A Financial Planner can offer general wealth-creation advice and assistance across all financial markets or specialize in areas such as:
a. Retirement Planning
b. Superannuation
c. Estate Planning
d. Small Business Financial Management and planning
e. Trusts
f. Tax
g. Stock broking and investments
h. Debt and risk management

Financial Planners may earn in any of the following three ways:
1) A Planner can be paid by a salary paid by the company for which the Planner works; by fees based on an hourly rate, a flat rate, or on a percentage of the assets and/or income.
2) By commissions paid by a third party from the products sold to clients to carry out the Financial Planning recommendations.
3) By a combination of fees and commissions whereby fees are charged for the amount of work done to develop Financial Planning recommendations and commissions are received from any product sold.

As the profession is in its nascent stage various models are being tried and tested by the Financial Planners in India. But surely over a period of time the clear trend is towards Fee-only Model like other professions, i.e. medical, law, accountancy, etc.

Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB India) is a Public – Private Enterprise and a Professional Standards Setting body that proactively guides the development and promotion of standards for Financial Planning professionals to benefit and protect the public in the country. FPSB India closely works with all the stakeholders’ viz. the Government, the Regulators, the Industries /Associations, the Corporate, the Media and the General Public to achieve its objectives. It is a Professional Certification Organization, part of leading Global Confederation established by prominent financial service corporations with an objective to professionalize the concept of Financial Planning in India. FPSB India is supported by 50 Financial Services Organizations in the country as its Charter Members.