Tim Breitfelder
Dubuque, IA

The thought of becoming a student again after at least a dozen years away from a collegiate campus can be daunting. Even someone with an impressive career in the financial field like Tim Breitfelder of Dubuque, Iowa, can be intimidated by group projects, study groups, and tests.

His career trajectory had always been moving in the right direction. He spent 22 years building a solid career in financial services, growing a career that included a seven-year stint in employee benefit consulting and plan administration. Tim then spent another four years at Heartland Financial USA, Inc. as vice president, retirement services and nine years at U.S. Bank as managing director of the Private Client Group.

He might have had doubts about being a student again, but he never a doubted what institution he would attend. He knew an MBA degree from the University of Iowa was the best option for him.

“I think I had the common concerns about how to carve out the time, but you make time for what’s important,” says Tim.

He enrolled in the Tippie Executive MBA because it caters to experienced professionals who, like him, have multiple priorities–people who are leaders in their careers, with real-life experience.

“The coursework stimulated my brain and helped me to build the confidence to critically think through what’s vital in business.”

He says the MBA experience helped him identify a skillset that was very different from his undergraduate experience at a liberal arts college in Iowa.

The self-assurance he rediscovered in an MBA classroom prepared him to take a career leap in 2014. Tim became managing partner along with two other experienced financial advisors when they formed Sigma Three Planning Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

The firm continues to experience growth. It recently signed a merger agreement to acquire a financial advisor’s practice in Wisconsin.

“The return on investment of my EMBA degree has been significant and I have absolutely no regrets about making this investment in my future,” he says.