Seventeen-year-old Susan Einberger looked forward to reading her father’s Financial Focus newsletter. She says she found the topics interesting and thought the article authors were so smart and savvy. The daughter of long-time ACP Member John Einberger, Susan says, “I think I always knew this was going to be my career. As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Susan earned her BS in Finance from University of Colorado and went on to attain her MBA in Sustainable Business Practices from University of Oregon. Even though a career as a financial advisor seemed inevitable, Susan came to ACP as a career-changer. After completing her education she spent about a dozen years managing financial operations for various companies in the natural foods industry. Her last position required her to travel to organic chocolate factories to ensure products were made to specifications. “Tasting chocolate was a tough job, but someone had to do it,” she jokes. As delicious as her job was, Susan needed a career that was more family friendly, and so, before her second child was born she joined her father’s financial planning practice, Mutual Advantage, and together they rebranded and became Enjoy the Ride: Financial + Life Planning.
Susan says the ACP Success Program, culminating with Group Instruction was an amazing experience. The opportunity to spend a week learning from experienced planners was invaluable. “It brought to life the weekly Success Program sessions,” she says. “I had several ‘ah ha’ moments where the philosophy/methodology/reasoning clicked. I walked away feeling more confident in my abilities to serve clients.” Best of all, Susan came home with several ideas of how to improve her practice that have been successfully implemented.
The ACP community is the most valuable aspect of Susan’s membership. “This is by far the most friendly, selfless, and knowledgeable group that I have been a member of. I learn daily from reading the forum. If I ask questions, they are answered promptly. I have received client referrals from other members. Being solo, it is nice to feel connected to the group and benefit from other members' ideas and experiences."
After attending Group Instruction and realizing the immense positive impact small group training has for new planners, Susan hopes to become involved in the Training Committee to pay it forward. She says, "In an industry full of talking heads and noise, the ACP philosophy is grounded and stands the test of time."