How to Prepare a Financial Plan

This article was co-authored by Ara Oghoorian, CPA. Ara Oghoorian is a Certified Financial Accountant (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and the Founder of ACap Advisors & Accountants, a boutique wealth management and full-service accounting firm based in Los Angeles, California. With over 26 years of experience in the financial industry, Ara founded ACap Asset Management in 2009. He has previously worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Republic of Armenia. Ara has a BS in Accounting and Finance from San Francisco State University, is a Commissioned Bank Examiner through the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, is a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ practitioner, has a Certified Public Accountant license, is an Enrolled Agent, and holds the Series 65 license.

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A financial plan is a saving instrument that can help you plan for major purchases or retirement. Whether you're saving for your children to go to college or working towards a down payment on a home, a financial plan can help you determine how much you'll need to start saving now to meet that goal. By framing your monthly expenditures and savings in the context of an overall plan, it will be much easier to meet your goals and attain financial security.