Jennifer Bower, Financial Coach, Fortuna Money
Former Air Force intelligence officer turned entrepreneur, Jennifer Bower looked to the Jenkins MAC program to provide her the skills and background necessary to succeed as a financial coach.
Get to know Jennifer
Program format: Online MAC
Program start date: August 2023
Anticipated graduation date: May 2026
Current location: Huntersville, NC
Life before Jenkins
Work experience: 19 years
Industries: U.S. Air Force (5 years active, 4 years reserve), Banking (almost 5 years), Defense Technology (almost 3 years), Entrepreneur (3 years)
Roles: Intelligence officer, financial crime investigator, senior analyst and financial coach
Fields: Intelligence, reporting, analysis, and financial services
Undergraduate education: U.S. Air Force Academy, B.S. in Behavioral Science with a minor in Spanish
Career goals
Jennifer hopes to work in or own an advisory practice that supports both personal and business clients, but whether that is as a financial coach, CFO or tax professional is yet to be determined. “All I know right now is that I sincerely love working with people to help make their personal and business financial lives calmer, more empowered and more prosperous.”
Why Accounting?
In Jennifer’s financial coaching practice, she worked with a woman undergoing a difficult divorce and provided support to her in meetings with her attorney. Although it was challenging work, it resonated with her deeply. “I wanted to do more of it, and when I learned that there were CPAs who worked extensively with attorneys to untangle divorce and estate cases, I thought it would be a great path to help me enrich my financial expertise and serve my clients better. Since then, I’ve discovered a few more passions, including an enthusiasm for helping entrepreneurs and a love of sustainability, all of which integrate beautifully with accounting.”
Why Jenkins?
Jennifer initially hoped to pursue in-person studies at another university; however, when the university discontinued its “bridge” program to prepare non-accounting students for a MAC, she had to look elsewhere. “Thankfully, their program director enthusiastically recommended NC State as offering both a high-quality online program and one of the schools offering the very best preparation for the CPA exam. NC State wasn’t the only school I applied to, but as I learned more about the program format and talked with the people running the show, I knew it was exactly where I wanted to be.”
“As I learned more about the program format and talked with the people running the show, I knew it was exactly where I wanted to be.”
Daily life
Jennifer is not only an entrepreneur running a small financial coaching and education business – she’s also a mom of two young kids with a husband whose job currently requires a lot of evenings, weekends and travel. All of which means she needs extra flexibility. “I’m on the three-year plan, so I’m usually just taking one or two classes at a time, which I enjoy because I can really focus and learn the material, but I know that’s a very different experience from full-timers taking a 15-credit course load.”
She usually meets with several clients a day, but tries to block out time while her kids are at school to do coursework. However, when she has an evening class or needs to work on a project with classmates on a weekend, she makes it work. “Sometimes that means I get a babysitter or arrange a playdate swap with friends, and sometimes the kids get a pizza and movie night while I’m working to meet a deadline. And there have been rare occasions when the kids make a brief guest appearance during my evening classes. The great thing about the Jenkins MAC faculty is that I’ve never once felt judged for having my personal life nudge its way into my classroom life – everyone has been incredibly kind and supportive. This program is a great choice for working caregivers.”
In addition to work and family, Jennifer is on the board of the Charlotte B Corp Collective, an organization that supports small businesses dedicated to being a force for good in the world, as well as a volunteer income tax preparer for VITA Latino, an initiative offering free tax preparation services to Charlotte’s Latino community. When she has some free time to herself, Jennifer enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles, yoga and Pilates. “I attend a lot of kids’ soccer games and practices and birthday parties, and I love spending time on the lake or at the pool or, if I’m lucky, in the mountains of North Carolina. I went snowboarding again this winter for the first time in 11 years – I’ve still got it…kind of.”
What makes it great
With her professional and personal responsibilities, she finds the program’s flexibility is key. “I feel like the Jenkins Online MAC doesn’t just allow you to be a person with a life outside of school, but actively supports it.” She also appreciates the real-world applications of theory. “I learn best when I’ve got an actual case study or problem set to apply concepts to, and I love how many MAC classes have taken me beyond book learning to where the rubber meets the road!”
Career impact
Jennifer has seen her business flourish since starting the Jenkins MAC program, which she attributes to her professional growth and confidence. “Studying accounting is a study of the lifeblood of business itself, and I think I’ve become a wiser, more thoughtful, more effective business owner as a result. This is my year to connect with Career Services and figure out the right place to earn my CPA work experience. I’ve heard such great things from everyone else in the program about how career services works, and I look forward to finding the right place to learn and grow even more.”
Final thoughts
Jennifer recommends the Jenkins MAC program to anyone looking to pivot or enrich their career, especially veterans and military family members. “I would also recommend it to people with a genuine interest in finance or business who feel like their current skills aren’t aligned with the job market – the accountant shortage is real, and the Jenkins MAC is an excellent way to get a highly employable skill and support with entering the workforce.”
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Jennifer studying abroad in Switzerland. -
Jennifer studying abroad in Switzerland. -
Jennifer studying abroad in Switzerland.
Get in touch
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn or at jen@fortunamoney.com.
Learn more
To learn more about the Jenkins MAC program, including tuition, curriculum, career opportunities and more, please submit the form below.
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