Klingler College of Arts and Sciences Award Recipients

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Tim Kochis, Arts '68
San Francisco, Calif.

With an unbridled enthusiasm for his work, Tim has forged a career in personal finance rooted in lessons learned at Marquette in the 1960s.

Tim has 44 years of experience in the personal financial and investment planning profession, and has advised a select group of corporate executives, professionals and business owners throughout the United States and overseas since 1973. Tim founded Kochis Fitz in 1991 and merged that firm with Quintile in 2008 to form Aspiriant, the leading independent wealth management firm in the country.  Previously, he was a national director of personal financial planning at Deloitte & Touche from 1985 to 1991, and had the same role at Bank of America from 1981 to 1985.

Frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other publications, Tim has long been acknowledged as one of the key leaders of his profession, having chaired virtually every professional organization within his industry, both within the United States and internationally.

Tim has remained committed to higher education throughout his career. He was a co-founder of the University of California–Berkeley’s Personal Financial Planning certificate program, one of the first accredited financial planning programs in the United States. He taught for 18 years at Berkeley, where there is now an annual teaching excellence award in his name.  He has served as a trustee of Dominican University of California and currently serves on the board of trustees of the University of San Francisco.

Tim lives the Marquette mission of excellence, faith, leadership and service by trying to ensure that his actions significantly benefit others. He and his wife, Penelope Wong, engage in substantial philanthropy, including sponsoring a Marquette scholarship fund.

Tim served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, where he received a Purple Heart for wounds received in action. He holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Fun fact: One of Tim’s favorite Marquette memories is attending basketball games and loudly singing Ring Out Ahoya.