FINANCIAL PLANNER AND AUTHOR : Louis Barajas

Louis Barajas is a financial planner who helps people learn how to manage their money, such as education planning, retirement planning, investment and insurance planning, and tax planning.

Louis has a strong educational background in financial planning. He went to college at UCLA, and later got a masters of business administration at the Peter F. Drucker Management Center at Claremont Graduate University. He is also a certified financial planner who owns his own firm, Louis Barajas, Wealth & Business Planning.

We had a conversation with Louis to find out what he loves about his job and what he did to get there.

How would you describe what do you do as a financial planner?
I inspire people to create, manage, and use their money to help them express their full potential.

How did you choose your career?
I grew in a barrio and my family did not have a lot of money. My father had his own small business and worked in wealthy neighborhoods.

I wanted to know why certain people had wealth and why others were poor. I wanted my family and community to have access to the same things rich people could afford.

How is your job different from what others in your occupation do?
Yes, I focus on helping the underserved. My profession is set up to only help the top 20% of the wealthiest people in the U.S.

I feel that all people -- poor, underserved, immigrants, single moms, working-class families -- deserve the same financial planning advice that the wealthy have access to.

What personal characteristics are required for someone to be successful as a financial planner?
They need to be good at communication, numbers, enjoy reading all the time, and enjoying working with people.

How much job security is there for people in your field?
When people do what they love to do and are great at what they do, there is plenty of job security.

What other job could you do with the skills you have gained in this field?
I could be a banker, insurance agent, stockbroker, financial analyst, or chief financial officer.

What is the best part of the job for you?
I love helping people. I love to instruct, inspire, and impact people's lives. I get to do this every day at work.

What is the worst part of the job for you?
The worst part of my job is working with people who don't believe that they can achieve their financial goals because they believe someone else has control of their future.

What are the biggest challenges in your job?
Overcoming the mindset of people who "think poor."

Do you have any advice to a teen who is considering a career in finance?
You must love what you do. Intern with a financial planner or a financial institution to find out if you truly enjoy this type of work. People who are successful make their occupation their "occu-passion."