April 2021 Issue: A Balancing Act-A Balancing Act by Bridget McCrea

A Balancing Act by Bridget McCrea

Pdf Summary

Inga Timmerman, founder of Attainable Wealth Financial Planning, started her firm while working as a professor in Cal State Northridge’s financial planning program. She wanted to gain hands-on experience as a financial planner to better teach her students. Timmerman was drawn to financial planning because she saw it as a way to make a real impact on people’s lives, which she found lacking in her previous work on the corporate side of financial services. She has developed a client base of about 40, specializing in financial planning for professors and others in academia. Timmerman’s firm, Attainable Wealth Financial Planning, has steadily grown since its inception, with about $20 million under management. However, Timmerman has shifted her focus to serving her current clients well and only signing on individuals who are a good fit for the firm. She does not want to become a manager or supervisor and intends to maintain her full-time job at Cal State Northridge. Timmerman embraces a flexible approach to time management and uses technology to make the best use of her time. She conducts client meetings via Zoom and uses digital signing to avoid paperwork. Due to the pandemic, Timmerman can manage her business from her Florida home, but she plans to commute to Los Angeles once the pandemic has passed. Timmerman is a fee-only financial planner and believes it is the best approach for her practice and clients. She uses a mix of passive core options and active investments in her investment approach. Timmerman also contributes to developing the next generation of fee-only financial planners through her work at Cal State Northridge's financial planning program.

Keywords

Inga Timmerman

Attainable Wealth Financial Planning

founder

financial planner

Cal State Northridge

professor

hands-on experience

client base

financial planning

academia