One of Extension's Rising Stars

Deborah Szul

We are in a unique period in California's history. Budgets are being slashed all around us and unemployment and uncertainty are on the rise. For that reason, there has never been a better time to invest in yourself and expand your career skills and knowledge base, no matter how accomplished you are in your field.

In the late 1990s Deborah Szul made her living advising clients regarding their investments. While she enjoyed her career, a desire to better serve her clients regarding their broader financial picture led her to invest in herself.

She enrolled in the first of a series of financial planning classes at UCR Extension that would eventually lead her to a Certificate in Personal Financial Planning (PFP). Despite working full time, Deborah wasn't content with taking just one course per quarter. Instead she doubled-up and took two classes each quarter, completing the program in 2001.

"It wasn't a piece of cake," she said. "The classes were rigorous, but that's what it needs to be."

The curriculum prepares students to take the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) examination, which Deborah passed on her first try.

"It was a phenomenal learning experience," she said. "I loved the challenge and the camaraderie among students and instructors that developed over the course of the program. The contacts have been wonderful, both personally and professionally. I am proud and happy to call my teachers colleagues now. We still keep in touch and it's nice to know I can call them any time."

Since completing the certificate program and earning the CFP designation, Deborah was recruited by Arrowhead Financial Group, Inc. to become their Chief Financial Officer/Chief Compliance Officer. She attributes the new position to her well-rounded financial planning background, which improved her personal financial picture as well.

Deborah also joined the Financial Planning Association and last year led a successful effort to get California Governor Gray Davis to sign a proclamation designating a week in October as Financial Planning Week.

If she hadn't pursued the certificate, Deborah said, "I wouldn't have accomplished all that I have in the past year and a half."

Investing in oneself isn't like investing in the stock market or speculating on how soon California's economy and budget situation will turn around. An investment in education is a wise investment and as close as one can come to a sure thing.

John F. Azzaretto
Vice Chancellor, Public Service and
International Programs; and
Dean, University Extension and
Summer Sessions, UC Riverside