Why I Became a Financial Planner: Cal Treichler

I did not set out with a goal to become a financial planner, but growing up I knew that I wanted to work in a job where I could help people directly. I was raised by parents who were in helping professions, one a pastor and the other a nurse, so it was natural for me.

Introduction to Finance

I decided to pursue business as a major in college because I figured that was broad and would be a good starting point for me, also because I’ve always enjoyed math and in high school, I started to enjoy economics. In my first college finance class, it was fascinating to me to learn about relatively simple concepts that didn’t require any crazy math but were extremely interesting. For example, the concept of the time value of money states that one dollar today is worth more than one dollar in the future. This is because with the dollar today, you have the potential to grow that dollar by investing it, and in the future you may have more than just one dollar. A simple concept, but one that I had never thought of before. 

In addition to just being interesting, I felt that the concepts I was learning were extremely practical. I pretty quickly decided that I wanted to pursue that field further. As I continued to progress in my finance major, I was enjoying what I was learning. However, I started to realize that I wasn’t personally interested in a lot of the types of jobs that my finance-major peers were pursuing, such as financial analyst roles or investment banking. I knew I wanted to work with people and help them directly.

Introduction to Fee-Only Financial Planning

I turned to Ben Wacek for help, who I’ve known for many years through church. He is the founder and leader of our team at Guide Financial Planning and he taught me about the world of financial planning, specifically fee-only financial planning. I spent the summer after my junior year of college interning at Guide Financial Planning. At that time, Ben was running the company by himself. 

Through my internship, I got to see the amazing ways that Ben helped the clients he interacted with and their appreciation of the work he was doing for them. It looked extremely rewarding. I also got to see that financial planning doesn’t have to be about selling products, but rather you can get paid simply for your expertise and guidance. In addition, I realized that financial planning as a job is a great blend of interacting with people (and all of the variety, complexity, and reward that it brings) and problem-solving (which is a skill and interest that I feel God has gifted me with). 

After that summer, I was sold. I wanted to dive into the world of financial planning. 

Early Career

Throughout my first few years of working in financial planning, I worked towards acquiring my Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) designation. This required about a year and a half of coursework. Through that coursework, my knowledge of personal finance topics grew, and so did my interest in those topics. As I continued to learn, I continued to understand all of the amazing ways that financial planners can help individuals. 

I also continued to grow in my knowledge of the need that exists for knowledgeable and trustworthy financial planners. Although many of the concepts that we as financial planners use to help our clients are not complicated (from a mathematical standpoint), there is simply a lack of education on those topics in our communities. In addition, I learned that many people aren’t interested or don’t have the time to learn those concepts and how they might apply (or not apply) in their situation. Many of them prefer to have a trusted financial planner walk through those things with them. 

Returning to Guide Financial Planning 

In 2021, I was able to join the team here at Guide Financial Planning permanently. Since then, I have continued to grow in my technical knowledge of the different financial planning-related concepts that we help clients with. I’ve also learned more about what it looks like to integrate biblical principles into the financial planning advice that we give to our clients. This influences all of our conversations with clients, both indirectly and directly.

Coming from a biblical perspective, one of the frameworks that we see finances through is that the accumulation of money itself is not the end goal. Money is a means, or a tool, to be used towards a more significant end goal, which is stewarding the resources God has blessed and entrusted us with. We also realize that we can’t take our resources with us, so we encourage clients to think of ways to wisely use the resources they have during their lifetimes. This could include things like giving to charity and family and friends or using money on things like experiences and travel, to see more of God’s creation and strengthen relationships with loved ones. 

I’m so grateful that I and the rest of our team get to continue to use the interests and skills that God has given us to have a positive impact on the clients that we get to work with, and I look forward to continuing to see how God will use me and the rest of our team in the future!

If you are looking for a financial planner that integrates biblical principles with their advice, I would love to meet you. You can schedule a free introductory phone call here. 

About Cal Treichler

Cal Treichler is a Christian fee-only Certified Financial Planner® and Certified Student Loan Professional™. He has a passion for helping people of all income levels make wise financial decisions and steward their resources from an eternal perspective using Biblical principles. Based in Minneapolis, MN, he works with clients both locally and virtually throughout the country and abroad through Guide Financial Planning. You can follow the links to learn more about Guide Financial Planning and our team and the services we offer.