Ask 10 people what a financial planner does and you're likely to get 10 different answers.

The trouble is, all of the answers may be correct, depending on the financial planner. I'm not going to attempt to answer the question for other financial planners. I'm going to tell you what Tom Roberts does at A New Approach Financial Planning.

First, I'm not in competition with the financial planners or advisors that only accept high net worth clients. Many planners will only accept clients if they have a minimum level of investable assets or income. I'm after the everyday, middle income person or family that may have a large amount to invest or nothing to invest.

Second, I can accept clients even if they only need an hour or two of my time. This is because I charge based on an hourly fee. Many people are surprised that not every situation revolves around investments.

Here are some of the situations in which I can be of service:

•    The client may need a personal financial trainer, that helps "whip" their finances into shape. I can look at their current situation and make suggestions regarding what they can do better. This may involve budgeting, tackling debt or general advice on savings.

•    Some clients may be doing everything right with their cash flow and savings, but need advice on whether or not they can afford a certain large expenditure or project.

•    Other clients need to know how much they need to save for a long-term goal. For example, how much should you save for a child's college fund?

•    Retirement planning is very important and requires a comprehensive plan. If you've been saving diligently, you're miles ahead of the vast majority of Americans. If you haven't been focused on saving, and retirement is around the corner, you owe it to yourself to get a plan. The plan allows you to focus your energies on what will have the largest impact on your financial readiness for retirement.

Finally, I provide long term investment advice. I also offer periodic reviews of client's investments for those that do not have the knowledge or desire to manage their own accounts. Because you must have a well defined goal in order to choose the right investments, you must first be a financial planning client before I begin this program with you.

My clients pay me directly on an hourly or firm priced project basis. This means I avoid conflicts of interest regarding investment recommendations because I don't receive commissions or payments from other parties.

The benefits to my clients are that they can receive conflict free advice when they need it and there are no hidden costs.