Ep #87: Pivoting From History Professor Path to Financial Planner with Matt Trogdon

Matt Trogdon is a Financial Planner with Craftwork Capital based out of Washington, DC, and he joins the show today to share his unexpected journey to becoming a financial planner. If you are considering changing careers to become a financial planner, you definitely don’t want to miss this episode!

Listen in as Matt shares why he pursued a history degree despite having an interest in financial planning from an early age, and how a chance meeting with a friend made him start to seriously consider changing careers. We also discuss the steps he took to eventually enter the financial planning profession, how he found his first position in the industry, and tips for other career-changers seeking to become financial planners.

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

How an interest in financial planning happened for Matt. (2:05)
What it was like having three offers on the table. (9:30)
What Matt would do differently if he could do it over again. (12:55)
How he landed at Craftwork Capital. (17:45)
How they structure their advisory. (20:25)
Matt’s advice for anyone looking to change careers. (22:45)
How his fees are structured. (29:30)
How the role of the financial planner is evolving. (32:05)

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“This was the first time that I had found a potential path that I would be good at.” - Matt Trogdon Share on X “I was able to get so much interaction with clients that I was able to do the 2-year apprenticeship qualification for the CFP.” - Matt Trogdon Share on X “The fun part of this is being able to be in people’s lives long-term.” - Matt Trogdon Share on X

Resources In Today's Episode:

Matt Trogdon: LinkedIn
Craftwork Capital
The Motley Fool
Zoe Financial
Chris Rivers
Armstrong Fleming & Moore, Inc.
FPA National Capital Area
Dalton Education
The One-Page Financial Plan: A Simple Way to Be Smart About Your Money by Carl Richards

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.