When people think of a financial planning expert, most conjure up an image of someone who has been in the game for a few decades and seen plenty of changes in the nation’s financial fortunes. That can certainly be an advantage in many situations, however financial planning isn’t just an older person’s profession – there are many Certified Financial Planners in their 20s and 30s who are highly qualified to provide excellent advice about your money and retirement. And their comparative youth might just be an advantage to some customers, especially those who are on the younger side themselves. So don’t be fooled into thinking that older is necessarily wiser.

As younger people increasingly grasp the important of planning for their financial futures and the financial markets become ever more complex, demand for younger financial planners is growing too. Consider these advantages of engaging a financial planning professional whose career is in the ascendancy:

They’re cost efficient: Aside from product knowledge, good financial planning is built on organization, documentation and data management. Younger planners tend to charge less per hour than their more mature colleagues, and offer great value for money when it comes to these essential tasks.

They’ll be in the job for longer: To put it a bit bluntly, older planners aren’t going to be working for many more years. Admittedly they’re good at advising you about retirement planning, but that’s partly because it’s something that’s quite close to their own hearts. Older planners do have plenty of experience and wisdom to offer, but if you’re interested in forming a long-lasting professional relationship with your financial advisor, you might want to look for someone who still has a long-term career path ahead of them.

They’re often more accessible: The senior partners in a firm can be hard to get hold of, as they’re out speaking at industry events, seeing clients or dealing with all the activities required to keep the business running. Younger associates are frequently the ones running the shop, and they’re easier to access even if you don’t have an appointment.

They do business the same way you do: Today’s young professionals are used to communicating and sharing information using modern tools such as email, text messaging and social networking media. They’ve simply never had to make much use of faxes, snail mail or even landline phones. Access, security and speed are seen as the important factors in communication these days. If this style of doing business suits you, you might be more comfortable with an advisor who shares your outlook than with someone who is more your parents’ age and who might use a more formal approach.

The older generation of financial planners are mostly accountants and insurance and brokerage experts who have shifted into the advisory field, and have largely learnt their trade on the job. These days, however, universities and colleges offer financial planning degrees and diplomas, and turning out well-educated young professionals who will be running the financial planning firms before too long.

After years of declining savings rates, Americans are finally starting to save more of their hard-earned cash. The financial crisis has made many people sit up and think about the prospect of losing their incomes, and consider just how they would cope in a worst-case scenario. Accordingly, the banks are now competing to offer the most attractive perks ranging from sign-up bonuses to enhanced interest rates in order to lure savers to their doors.

Gone are the days when banks would promise you a free toaster or clock radio (remember those?) in return for opening an account. Right now you can snag up to $100 in cash or over 6% interest (even now with the Fed Funds rate at an all-time low of 0-0.25%) just for setting up an account and depositing a modest sum of money. Of course the banks are hoping that by giving you a good deal now, they’ll be able to build a so-called primary relationship with you. That would enable the bank to make money from setting up direct deposits and bill-pay facilities on your checking account, as well as sell you mortgages and other financial products in years to come.

Here are some ways you can pocket some of the freebies on offer:

Open a reward account: As long you you’re OK with jumping through a couple of hoops, you can earn as much as 6% on your deposit when you open a reward account. Basically, you have to agree to make a certain number of debit card purchases every month, sign up for direct deposit, receive your statements online and not by mail, or similar stipulations. If you don’t play by the stated rules every month, you might only get 0.50% in interest.

For example, Kansas State Bank will pay you interest of 6.01% on your savings if you make a minimum of 10 monthly debit card transactions, say no to mailed statements, and establish at least one automatic payment or direct deposit on your account. You also have to log in to your account on the web at least once a month.

Sign-on bonuses: Open a new savings or checking account now, and you may well find some extra cash in it. You’ve probably seen ads from major banks like HSBC and Citibank touting their account opening bonuses, but don’t forget to check with your local banks and credit unions for good bonus deals. One of the best offers comes from Wainwright Bank & Trust in Boston, which is giving a $200 savings bond to every new customer who opens a Value Checking account with at least $10 in it. Many other banks offer cash bonuses of $25-100 for new accounts with low initial balance requirements.

Online-only savings accounts: There are some great deals to be had if you open an online account – and they tend not to impose too many usage requirements on customers. GMAC Bank in Utah, for instance, offers free banking, no minimum balance and a $1 minimum to open, and pays an excellent 2.65% annual interest.