A financial planner is an individual licensed to provide investing advice to an everyday consumer. This professional may work with consumers or businesses in guiding their financial decisions. Often, their job is specialized, such as offering retirement planning services or providing investment advice to a business. In most cases, the recommendations a financial planner makes will have an analysis and reworked over time, generally done by the financial planner. Ultimately, the planner's job is to determine the right financial path for an individual to take to meet their end goals. Financial planners must have a license in the state they work in to offer any type of investment products and services. The licensing requirements for financial planners vary by state laws.