Ep #75: From Property and Casualty Agent to Financial Planner with Sandy Russ

Sandy Russ is an aspiring financial planner based in Raleigh, NC. She joins the show today to talk about her career path and the transition she is going through right now to become a financial planner. She also shares what led her to start her own property and casualty insurance agency, the challenges she had to overcome with the PNC business, and what it is like to shut down a successful business because it's not your passion.

Listen in to hear how Sandy's CPA has helped her throughout her career thus far, as well as why being an entrepreneur is no longer a fit. You'll learn the timeline for her pivot into financial planning, what she has been doing to prepare for her first day at the financial planning firm, and more. If you are a successful business owner in another industry, but know it's not your passion and want to pursue a truly fulfilling and rewarding career in the financial planning profession, this episode is for you!

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

How Sandy got started with her own business and the directions she decided to go initially. (2:07)
Why the insurance business turned into something she didn’t want. (5:12)
Why she decided to start a new firm and how that process worked. (8:20)
How her CPA helped her through her career and how the PFS works. (9:25)
The challenging parts of the CFP and how she studied. (13:04)
How to move from one-time client to reoccurring relationship. (14:50)
The new position Sandy’s taking and how that transition started. (16:40)
Why she is going back to being an employee. (21:38)
Advice on how to take a big leap with your career. (25:50)

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“When you serve people in the tax field, it leads to so many other things.” - Sandy Russ Share on X “Insurance is very competitive. I had to sell home and auto to be successful, and I didn’t have the opportunity to be the purely objective advisor that I had come to desire to be.” - Sandy Russ Share on X “I’m going to a place where I can focus on my work and focus on my clients. That’s all I really want to do.” - Sandy Russ Share on X

Resources In Today's Episode:

Sandy Russ: LinkedIn
CFP
Jesse Lineberry
Earning your PFS credential helps you give clients what they want most

Download your free copy of the New Planner Career Roadmap!

In this roadmap, you'll be guided through the details of various stages of your financial planner career, including position descriptions, licensing, skill and experience level requirements, and compensation ranges.