Chad Charton is a 3^rd generation financial services financial planner. From a young age, he knew he wanted to be in business and was introduced to financial planning by his family members. He loves the process and the impact that helps clients achieve their financial goals. He selected the California Lutheran University MBA Financial Planning program to broaden his educational background. After researching online, California Lutheran University was the first school that appeared on the top search results. The school was local, and he wanted to specialize in the financial services industry. He loves the outline of the program of being able to separate the MBA courses from the financial planning courses. “The professors in the program were top-notch and stellar. They understood the program’s objective, everyone’s time was sacred, and people had working careers and balancing families. The program was to the point, and I got a lot of the program.

The most significant influence in his career success in financial planning career was his father, “who got him into the business and has been in the business for 40 plus years. He has been a tremendous mentor and partner.” Some of the lessons learned in his career are, “You can only control yourself. You can’t control who says yes. You can control how many calls you make. You can control if you show up. You can control your time and when you leave.” The second lesson is to invest in yourself because “I wanted to invest in myself, my business, and my clients. I am making investments, whether it is in technology, people, credentials, and education. I committed to investing in myself for the greater good.” Finally, being authentic with clients is a distinguishing differentiator that has brought much success in Charton’s financial planning career.

The biggest trends in the financial planning industry are bringing holistic planning to the average person, technology changes, and mergers and acquisitions, where “bigger firms are buying smaller firms.” Also, clients understand the value of paying for advice, just like CPAs and attorneys, since financial services are not only transactional, but clients can pay for advice. Charton sees himself in the next 5 to 10 years to “have a bigger business, a bigger team, and a better work-life balance and continue to invest in myself.”

Charton offers advice to students pursuing their career in financial planning is “Keep reassuring and reminding yourself what your personal mission is and why you are doing it. Why are you in the program? Really know your why and really understand your underlining personal mission.”

 

About the Author: 

Rafael Nieves Rios is a graduate student at California Lutheran University, graduating in 2024. He is studying for an MBA in Financial Planning.