A financial planner is someone who will study income, expenses, and investments in order to develop a plan for an individual or business to come out with financial success. In the case of an individual, the goal is almost always to have enough money to retire with, while for a business a financial planner may direct expenses in more efficient ways or plan for a long-term business strategy. Financial planners who work privately will take a small cut of an individual's money as their payment, meaning that they have a major incentive for their clients to succeed.