Financial planning in the United States has evolved since 1980 from a field comprised of specialists, such as insurance agents, bankers, accountants, and stock brokers, offering particular services to clients, to the situation today, where most professionals offering financial services to households market themselves as comprehensive financial planners. The breadth of knowledge required for financial planning can be seen in the 106 topics covered by the Certified Financial Planner(CFP) Exam. This study reviews the actual conditions of financial planning in the U.S. including suppliers of financial services to household, the philosophy of financial planning, and the financial planning process as described by the CFP Board. Also, this study discusses related research about problems and challenges faced by households in financial planning in the U.S.