Career Destination and the Pursuit of Happiness: Financial Advising and the Path of Percy Bolton

It's akin to being a teacher, a minister, a psychologist and a dreamer. It's about caring for people and helping them handle one of the things they care most about -- money. It's being a financial advisor. And to be an effective one, you must be futuristic.

Spending time with Percy Bolton, Certified Financial Planner and UCLA alumnus, you get the impression that he embodies all of these characteristics and more. It's no wonder he's been listed among Worth's top 250 Financial Advisors* for the past six years (in addition to being featured in a number of other business magazines). Bolton has made it to the top ranks of his profession with a rare combination of talent, hard work, compassion, vision, a knack for landing on his feet, and the nerve to take calculated risks. He hedged his career path with transferable skills from a unique academic and work background.

"I designed my own major," says Bolton who earned a bachelors degree in Economic History. The first-born male of eleven children, Bolton entered UCLA as a pre-med student. Like many first-generation college freshmen his transition was complicated, but unlike most students his difficulties were intensified by the unexpected death of his father. Understandably, Bolton struggled emotionally with his sudden loss and found himself on academic probation. Bolton then found his bearings, designed his own major and graduated magna cum laude. He took a year off and worked as a janitor -- the first job he could find that paid decent money without draining his mental or emotional energy -- while he decided what he would do next.

Renewed and focused, Bolton returned to UCLA as a graduate student concentrating in African Economic History, another original. Intent on earning his doctoral degree, Bolton passed his oral and written exams and was prepared to go to Zambia to write his dissertation. But with the invasion of Zaire all visas were suspended. Undaunted, Percy began working as a statistician for the police department. Call it planned happenstance or sheer luck, but it was during this time that a fellow alumnus contacted Bolton about a business opportunity. He and two other men, all three UCLA graduates, were starting a financial consulting firm. Bolton began attending meetings for financial planners. He wasn't hooked overnight but eventually it clicked with him and he knew it was the direction he should take. Bolton quit his job and joined the firm on a commission-only basis. His first client was a UCLA student who Bolton convinced to invest a mere 40 dollars a month.

Bolton attests that he has no regrets about abandoning his Ph.D. and that his singular goal is to be happy. "Life is about attaining happiness. The degree to which my unhappiness increases is a gauge for change. It means I need to do something different." It is that philosophy that led him to where he is today. He is a top financial advisor with clients who typically have an average net worth of $1.5M. As a financial advisor, Bolton has not only realized his own dreams, but he is also helping others' dreams come true, too.

*Percy Bolton, CFP has been named to Worth Magazine Top 250 Advisors for the 6th consecutive year. Bolton, who is often featured in the media, is cited for his work in investment consulting. For the more information about this ranking, check out the feature article "250 To Trust" in the July/August 2002 issue (www.worth.com.)