| Course | FIN 350 Advanced Personal Financial Planning |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | undergraduate discussion post on the personal financial planning process |
| Length | About 330 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Finance |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for FIN 350 Module 1
Module One Discussion
Before Any Advice: The Kesslers' First Meeting
Our composite clients, Hannah and Dario Kessler of Omaha, came to their first planning meeting with a list of questions: should they pay off the mortgage, are they saving enough for college, can Dario's business ever be sold? A good planner answers none of them yet. The CFP Board's standards describe a process that begins with understanding the client's personal and financial circumstances and identifying goals before analyzing anything (Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, 2019). The first meeting is for listening.
Asked what they want, Hannah said, "to stop feeling behind," and named college for their two children and retiring by her early sixties. Dario said he wants to grow his twelve-person heating and cooling company and "never be a burden to the kids." Those goals overlap but are not the same: Hannah wants security sooner, and Dario wants to keep reinvesting in the business. A plan built only on one spouse's version would fail.
The planner then gathers everything: pay stubs, two years of tax returns, the mortgage and truck loan, a credit card balance Dario mentioned only when asked, Hannah's pharmacy school loans, both retirement accounts, the children's 529 plans, insurance policies and the business's financial statements. The business is the largest unknown, since its value and its cash flow affect every other goal.
Finally, the planner asks how each grew up with money. Hannah's parents lost their savings in a downturn, and she keeps a third of her 401(k) in the stable value fund. Dario's family ran a farm and treated debt as normal. Grable and Lytton (1999) showed that risk tolerance can be measured with short questionnaires, and the planner gives each spouse one separately. Lusardi and Mitchell (2014) found that financial knowledge varies widely even among high earners, so the planner also notes what each understands about interest and inflation.
If you met a planner tomorrow, which question about your finances would be the hardest for you to answer honestly?
References
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. (2019). Code of ethics and standards of conduct. https://www.cfp.net/ethics/code-of-ethics-and-standards-of-conduct
Grable, J., & Lytton, R. H. (1999). Financial risk tolerance revisited: The development of a risk assessment instrument. Financial Services Review, 8(3), 163-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1057-0810(99)00041-4
Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O. S. (2014). The economic importance of financial literacy: Theory and evidence. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(1), 5-44. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.52.1.5
What the FIN 350 Module 1 instructions ask for
The first FIN 350 discussion generally asks what personal financial planning involves and how a planner begins working with a client. Some prompts ask you to describe the steps of the planning process, the planner's duties to the client or the kind of information gathered in a first meeting; others invite you to share your own financial goals or experience with financial advice. A strong post shows the process at work with one household rather than reciting the steps, explains why understanding goals, finances and attitudes must come before recommendations and notes the planner's obligation to act in the client's interest. Length expectations are modest, usually one screen with a citation or two; spend the effort on replies that draw classmates into their own examples.
How this FIN 350 Module 1 discussion example is built
The sample follows a composite first meeting with Hannah and Dario Kessler of Omaha: a 39-year-old pharmacist, a 41-year-old owner of a heating and cooling company, and their children of 9 and 6. It shows the planner asking for goals in their own words, which turn out to differ, gathering every account, debt and policy including the business, and asking how each spouse grew up with money. The post explains why the planner gives no advice yet, citing the planning process and fiduciary duty in the CFP Board's standards, research on financial literacy and the measurement of risk tolerance. It closes by asking classmates which question they would find hardest to answer about their own finances.
Where the FIN 350 Module 1 rubric puts the points
Rubrics for this discussion usually evaluate understanding of the financial planning process, application to a client situation, recognition of the planner's ethical duties, use of sources and engagement in replies. The best posts show why each early step matters, for example how unstated disagreements between spouses would undermine a plan, and connect the process to a recognized standard. Posts lose points for listing steps with no example, for jumping to product recommendations before understanding the client and for replies that merely agree. Correct APA citations and a clear closing question round out a strong grade. Some instructors give extra credit for noting where spouses disagree, since a plan must settle it.
FIN 350 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points
Many first posts list the seven steps of the planning process and stop. Bring them to life with one household, even a simple one, and show what happens at each early step. Spend most of the post on understanding the client, because that is where real plans succeed or fail: goals stated in the client's words, a complete picture of assets and debts and some sense of how they feel about money. Mention the duty to put the client first, since the course returns to ethics often. Avoid recommending investments or insurance yet, which shows you understand the order. In replies, ask a classmate what information they would be most reluctant to share with a planner and why.
Get FIN 350 Module 1 written to your instructions
Send the FIN 350 Module 1 discussion prompt and any client profile you were given. We walk through the planning process with real-seeming clients, show what must be gathered first and close on a prompt your classmates can actually answer. Expect it in two days; your first post costs nothing. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
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FIN 350 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free FIN 350 Module 1 Discussion sample?
This page has the complete FIN 350 Module 1 post, which follows a first planning meeting with a composite Omaha family and explains what must be learned before advice.
What are the steps of the financial planning process?
Understanding the client's circumstances, identifying and selecting goals, analyzing the current course and alternatives, developing recommendations, presenting them, implementing them and monitoring progress.
What is a fiduciary duty in financial planning?
An obligation to act in the client's best interest, with loyalty, care and full disclosure of conflicts, when giving financial advice.
Why do planners ask about clients' feelings about money?
Because attitudes, habits and past experiences drive financial behavior, and a plan that ignores them is unlikely to be followed.
What documents does a planner gather in the first meeting?
Pay stubs, tax returns, account statements, loan statements, insurance policies, retirement plan information, business financial statements and any estate documents.