Today we’d like to introduce you to Apryl Pope.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was formerly a high school math teacher and through that, I started volunteering and teaching Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University classes to parents in the evening. While teaching these classes, I fell in love with the concept of helping families become debt-free and started my own financial coaching business. This then progressed into me becoming a securities registered financial advisor and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional. I now have two businesses that I run, one for personal financial planning and the other for running retirement plans for nonprofits and small businesses.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think one of the largest challenges is the financial aspect of starting your own firm. Between the cost for getting licensed, getting my CFP® designation, and general startup costs, it takes a few years to even make a profit. It’s also challenging being one of the few black females in this industry. I was told that I am actually the only black female CFP® in the state of Ohio.
We’ve been impressed with Retirement Plan Partners, LLP, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We serve as advisors for nonprofits and small businesses that are changing lives and making the world a better place. I am a former Peace Corps Volunteer (South Africa) and my business partner is a former firefighter/paramedic. We have both been heavily involved in nonprofit work throughout our professional and personal lives and decided to focus our business on serving those who are on the front lines doing life-changing work. Our mission is to make sure that those who are doing this amazing work are able to retire on time and with dignity. So, this is why we only serve as retirement plan advisors for organizations whose work, we are passionate about. What we do is help them design and create a retirement plan that fits the unique needs of their employees. The types of plans we offer are as follows: 401(k), 403(b), SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Cash Balance, and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I do take risks. I took a huge risk when I left my salaried teaching job to start my own business, but fortunately, it worked out in my favor. I think in order to grow, you have to take risks, so I will continue taking risks.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MyRetirementPlanPartners.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myretirementplanpartners
