Pivoting With Purpose
When the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped daily life, families across the globe found themselves navigating unexpected transitions. For Richard "Rich" Bernius, a longtime Bay Area resident with a background in small-business management and an M.B.A. in finance from UCLA, the pandemic brought his twin sons back home from college during their freshman year.
Faced with a house full of young adults, Rich saw an opportunity not just to teach a life lesson to his sons, but to reinvent his own career. That decision eventually led him to our Professional Program in Personal Financial Planning, which in turn led him to passing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) exam and becoming a financial planner.
A Unique Compromise Sparks a New Direction
Rather than simply asking his sons for rent while they were living at home, Rich proposed a unique alternative designed to build real-world life skills.
"I said to my wife, ‘You know, I have this idea that rather than charging them rent right off the board, they would have a choice. They could either pay us rent or they could do a sort of a financial literacy class with dad once a week,’" Rich recalls.
His sons chose the weekly classes.
"And I really enjoyed teaching them,” Rich adds. “As I was going through the materials, I realized that I had learned a lot and gained a lot of skills over the course of my life. I just became curious to get deeper into it and to potentially create a second career out of it."
To test the waters, Rich enrolled in our Survey of Personal Financial Planning class. Loving the experience, he decided to complete the entire certificate.
Transitioning to a New Career Chapter
Our personal financial planning certificate is designed to give students a holistic understanding of financial life management. For Rich, who already held an M.B.A. and a strong quantitative foundation, the beauty of the program was its breadth.
"What is most impactful for me and what I love about the financial planning pathway is that it's very general,” he explains. “You are not doing just one aspect of people's financial life. You are looking at basically seven different aspects."
Rich quickly found value in the Live Online course format, which fosters real-time dialogue and diverse peer connections.
"I think learning with a cohort is really beneficial. I learned much from my fellow students who came into the classes with a wide variety of backgrounds all there because they wanted to improve themselves and their skillsets. By doing a live online class you are able to ask questions of instructors in the moment...which is so much more impactful and helps you soak up the learning even better."
Working through case studies alongside a diverse cohort of classmates provided Rich with rich perspectives on financial scenarios, corporate stock reviews and changing economic landscapes.
After completing the certificate, Rich took and passed the challenging Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) exam, leveraging the broad foundation built during his coursework.
Today, Rich successfully balances a hybrid work model. He manages Forensic Analytical Crime Lab part time while spending the other half of his week working as a financial planner at Bluespring Wealth Management in Walnut Creek. He also applies his expertise to help members of his local community and synagogue navigate their financial goals.
When asked to reflect on how UC Berkeley Extension impacted his journey, Rich highlighted the flexibility and confidence the program provided:
“The certificate helped me gain the skills necessary to have a slow transition into a second career that I believe will eventually be sort of a perfect semi-retirement or lifestyle work,” Rich reflects. “This will allow me to keep working for quite a while and continue to help people."
Rich’s Courses
Survey of Personal Financial Planning
Investments in Personal Financial Planning: General Principles and Methods
Insurance in Personal Financial Planning
Employment Benefits and Retirement Planning
Income Taxes and Personal Financial Planning
Real Estate Investments for Financial Planners
Personal Financial Planning Capstone
