Meet Bridget Grimes: Financial Planner to Female Attorneys and Women Executives

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bridget Grimes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bridget, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I decided to start my own business for a few reasons. First, I wanted to serve the women whose lives I believe I can truly impact, regardless of how much money they have. Second, I wanted to serve my clients in a less conventional way, but in a more meaningful way that helps them avoid the four financial derailers that trip up women executives. Third, I wanted better quality of life. I wanted to structure my client work so that I could take time off to spend with my family when I wanted. And lastly, I started my own business because I wanted to get paid what I was worth. All of these wants outweighed the tremendous fear of failing that I had when I decided to go out on m y own.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Financial planning sounds pretty boring to most folks, but to me it is a gift to help women live the life they want, to show them the choices they have, to empower them to be financially free. I am most proud of my clients who have reached the goals they thought they’d never reach. The women I work with are breadwinner women. They often have children, a spouse who may not work, parents who need help. They are busy, tapped out, pulled in a million directions. They come last because they prioritize everyone else in their lives, from clients to family members. I help these women take control of their financial lives so they can make the choice to have a life they love. Launching a business was the most stressful thing I have ever done. It is not easy to leave a paycheck that your family needs to survive, and to hope that you will be successful. It takes a lot of work, especially in the beginning few years to get a business profitable. Having a very specific niche helps, and from the beginning we were clear that WealthChoice serves women executives and female attorneys. Having resources and specialized solutions for that niche helped us succeed by differentiating ourselves from other firms. Dedication, hard work, specialization, have all been important.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego is such a great city and I just love the restaurants, breweries, bars. Our waterfront is just beautiful and its where we’d spend our time. First place we’d go when your plane landed was Point Loma Seafoods for a fish sandwich. They have a great location right on the Bay and the absolute best, freshest fish. (And they happen to be right next door to my office!). Then we’d grab a beer at Eppig Brewing and take in the view of the Bay. We’d explore a bit of Point Loma-Liberty Station, Point Loma Lighthouse, and take in the amazing view from the top of Cabrillo National Monument. We’d stay in the Pearl hotel and next day rent bikes to bike to downtown San Diego. We’d have brunch at the Waterfront downtown and make sure to order the sliders and posole. We’d bike through little Italy and stop for cocktails at any one of the amazing restaurants on India Street. Head over to the Bay where you can visit the Midway museum and continue on to the Headquarters. Puesto has fabulous tacos you wont want to miss. You can explore Seaport Village and take a ferry over to Coronado. We would take a few days to explore Coronado. If you were visiting on a weekend we’d catch a concert in the Park on Sunday evening. We’d do a walk around the island, which takes us past the Landing where we’d stop for the best margarita at Costa Azul, grab a cup of coffee or lunch at Tartine, or have a fish taco at the Brigantine. Take a day to hang out on the beach, voted best beach in the US more times that I can remember. Grab a glass of wine at the Hotel Del, where you’ll stay if your budget allows and enjoy the people watching. Bikes are the best form of transportation here, so rent a bike from Hollands and explore the town. Orange Avenue is filled with wonderful small shops and cute, local restaurants. Take in a movie at the Village Theater. Rent a sailboat on Glorietta Bay. Another day you could ride down the Strand to IB where you are surrounded by the Bay on one side and the ocean on the other. Head to Mike Hess brewery for some outstanding craft brew and great Mexican food. End your visit back in Coronado at any one of the great restaurants on Orange before heading back to the airport. From Point Loma, downtown, Coronado, and IB you’ll have truly different experiences at San Diego’s waterfront.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to a woman named Eleanor Blayney. Decades ago I read an article about Eleanor in the New York Times. Turned out Eleanor and I went to the same college, though many years apart. Eleanor was a financial planner who shared about when she had taken time to address basic financial literacy for a group of our college alums. These were smart, successful women, who it turned out, knew very little about money and financial literacy. This led to anxiety, shame, fear around money. I was struck by how many smart women were in this position, and I k new several myself. I decided then to dive into the financial planning industry with the goal of helping other smart, busy, successful women live the life they worked so hard for by empowering them with financial knowledge. I would also like to shoutout to my husband, Scott Grimes. He has supported me and my passion for helping women from the beginning when I entered the financial planning industry, to when I walked out the door of my former employer and launched my business without a single client. Scott is my biggest fan, my biggest supporter and the voice of reason. He gives me the confidence I need to take the risks entrepreneurs need to take to succeed.

Website: https://wealthchoice.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wealthchoice-llc/?viewAsMember=true
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wealthchoice
Other: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/Corner-Office-Choices-Executive-Financial/dp/1544511469/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=corner+office+choice&qid=1611012583&sr=8-4

Image Credits
Shane Fellows