Paige

Johannessen Reflection

William Barry FIN 3060

Paige Johannessen of Shobe Financial Group came to our class and spoke to

us about preparing for the CFP exam and what we can expect as young financial
planners. She gave a lot of insight pertaining to the challenges we may face when
entering the work force. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I took away from
Paige was that there are many aspects of being a financial planner that you cant
learn from a book. She explained to us that you have to be able to adapt and possibly
make changes to a clients financial plans if something unexpected happens such as
a death in the family or loss of a job. Paige also stressed to us not to take the CFP
exam lightly. She told us about how she went about studying for the test and how
she balanced studying with work and school.


Much of what Paige had to say incorporated some topics we have discussed
in class. She spoke about how she takes her clients through the financial planning
process and she even showed us a copy of the information packet she has her clients
fill out when they first come to Shobe. Paige also talked to us about the fact that
every client is different and therefore has different values and financial goals. This
aspect of the job requires us to be flexible with our strategies and be able to cater a
financial plan to a certain person.


One of the most interesting questions Paige answered was how many hours
per week she studied for the CFP exam. She told us that after studying during school
beginning in March, she studied 40 hours per week from the time she graduated in
May until she took the exam in July. Clearly this worked for Paige because she
passed the test and is now less than one month away from officially being a CFP.
This helped me get a better understanding of what it takes to pass the CFP exam.
Another question Paige answered was how they at Shobe handle the beginning
stages of the financial planning process. She responded by showing us (as I
mentioned above) a client information packet that they ask clients to fill out. While
every financial planning institution is different, seeing the information packet gave
us an idea of the detail financial planners go into in order to cater a financial plan to
the specific needs of a certain client.


I would definitely recommend that Paige be asked to speak to this class again
next semester. Having someone speak to us who was also in the CFP program at LSU
was great because we were able to relate to her and see the success that the CFP
program sets you up for.