Ep #17: Pursuing a Career in Academia While Running Your Own Firm with Inga Timmerman

Inga Timmerman is an Associate Professor of Finance at California State University - Northridge, as well as Founder and President of Attainable Wealth, a fee-only financial planning firm in Los Angeles, CA. Today Inga joins the show to share her educational path after coming to the United States fresh out of high school, why she pursued her Ph.D. and a career in academia in addition to her CFP, and what made her take the plunge into starting her own firm.

Listen in as she explains the differences between the corporate finance and personal financial planning career paths and what she looks for in the interns she hires for her firm. You'll learn how Inga obtained the 40 clients she currently serves, how she juggles being a professor and running a business (at just 30 hrs per week!), and tips for job seekers looking for positions within the financial planning profession.

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

Inga’s background and path to financial planning. (2:30)
Why she decided to go into financial planning while doing her Ph.D. (8:10)
The role of her husband in her focus and career stability. (12:02)
Why she hired an intern and what characteristics she was looking for when searching for one. (15:25)
The recruiting process and how students are currently getting placed in jobs. (18:20)
What kind of people Inga's firm is focused on. (21:18)
How she balances being a professor, owning a firm, and family time. (23:05)

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“Corporate finance is very much sitting at a desk and having a boss. Financial planning is much more awesome than that because you get to talk to people, you get to interact, and you get to solve problems.”- Inga Timmerman Share on X “If you want to run a business, you want somebody to come in from an outside perspective because when you’re only on the inside, it sometimes makes life look different than what it really is.”- Inga Timmerman Share on X “As great as scheduling and being rigid sounds, it doesn’t work. My calendar is very flexible. I decide what blocks the clients can go online and sign up for, and I try not to open up other blocks unless there’s a real emergency.”- Inga… Share on X

Resources In Today's Episode:

Inga Timmerman: Website | LinkedIn
Caleb Brown: LinkedIn | Twitter
Yes, You Can Find A Financial Planner Even If You're Not Rich
New Planner Recruiting, LLC on YouTube

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