Employee Spotlight: Professor Cynthia Flannigan, CFP®
Cynthia has embarked upon a bucket list item of hers and has become an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University! Here, she tells us a little about this new adventure in academia.
Why did you want to be an adjunct professor?
I went to Golden Gate University to get my masters and while I was there, I was very impressed with the financial planning program. The adjunct professors were top notch professionals known in the industry, especially in the Bay Area, and after I graduated I thought it was a great next step in my career. I had already found the job I wanted to be at, so it was a way of challenging myself to do something different.
Besides, my younger sister recently got her doctorate, so she’s Dr. Flannigan-Lewis, my brother sails so he is often a boat captain and my older sister is a Time Lord, so I had to have some kind of honorific!
Does this mean your role changes at MainStreet Financial Planning?
Not at all. The classes that I teach are asynchronous, where most of the classes are taught over the internet with recorded sessions and a discussion forum, but with one class out of the semester taught in person. This doesn’t affect my current clients at all (Unless you were the one client I had to reschedule because our meeting was on my very first live class time slot. Thanks again for understanding!). Minus that one class, I can do the rest of my work after hours on my own schedule which allows me great flexibility.
How else is this professorship benefiting you?
Well, I’m still learning the ropes as we’re only partway through the semester, co-teaching with the current professor, but next year it’s all me. I’ve been enjoying being able to sprinkle in wisdom from my decades of experience to my students, many of whom are not novices to the industry, but are the next generation of financial planners. The teaching aspect of financial planning has always been rewarding for me and I feel blessed being able to check off another bucket list item!
