Eight student teams will participate in the final stages of the competition at FPA Annual Conference 2024.
DENVER (August 21, 2024) – The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), Ameriprise Financial, and CFP Board are pleased to announce the finalists participating in the 2024 Financial Planning Challenge. This competition, jointly sponsored by the three organizations, is designed exclusively for college and university finance undergraduate degree programs registered with CFP Board or related fields of study through a three-stage event. The first two phases are modeled after CFP Board’s Financial Plan Development (Capstone) Course requirement.
The Financial Planning Challenge is designed to showcase the future of the financial planning profession and the tremendous talent and skill of the next generation of financial planners. This annual competition, now in its 14th year, offers students a comprehensive learning experience and allows them to develop important connections, investigate various career opportunities, and expand their understanding of the profession.
Eight exceptional teams are advancing to the final rounds of the Financial Planning Challenge, which will be held at FPA Annual Conference 2024 from Sept. 18-20 in Columbus, Ohio. The eight finalist teams are:
- Ohio State University: Daniel Buehrer, Andrew Hosbach, Arpita Patel, Caezilia Loibl (Faculty Advisor)
- Pennsylvania Western University: McKensie Crooks, Vincent Damiani, Lydia Solomon, Michael Engdahl (Faculty Advisor)
- Texas A&M University: Liesl Klages, Emily Harris, Joseph Ruiz, Nathan Harness (Faculty Advisor).
- Texas Tech University: Andrew Matz, Kali Mazumdar, Marissa Kalina, Michael Guillemette (Faculty Advisor)
- University of Arizona: Julian Castro and Andrew Waldum (Faculty Advisor)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Shane Ellis, Evan Housemann, Matthew Orta, Donovan Sanchez (Faculty Advisor)
- University of Utah: Parker Adams, Alexander C. Lewis, Su Shin (Faculty Advisor)
- Utah Valley University: Kyler Brooksby, Connor Nordgren, Cade Pack, Hyrum Smith (Faculty Advisor)
“These students are the future of the financial planning profession, and we are honored to provide them with a valuable platform to showcase their knowledge and skill and make critical connections with seasoned practitioners and firms,” said Patrick D. Mahoney, FPA chief executive officer. “As we have seen consistently for the past 14 years of this competition, the future of this profession is bright with the talented students who are coming through some of the best financial planning programs in the country.”
"The Financial Planning Challenge offers students valuable hands-on experience for what is quite possibly the perfect job – a career in financial planning,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “Congratulations to all those who have advanced to the finals. We applaud your dedication and support your continued success as future leaders in the profession."
Teams advance in the challenge by competing in the following three phases:
- Written financial planning case study
- Case study presentation
- “How Do You Know?” Challenge, a game-show-style financial planning knowledge contest
“Each team that participated in the Financial Planning Challenge demonstrated impressive skills that will serve their clients well when they move into the profession,” said Deana Healy, CFP®, Vice President – Advice Execution at Ameriprise Financial. “Since inception, we’ve been a proud sponsor of this competition as a way to give an opportunity for students to display the knowledge they’ve acquired from their remarkable financial planning programs. Congratulations to the top 8 teams and all who participated in the event.”
The final two stages of the competition include the case study presentation and the "How Do You Know?" Challenge, which will take place at the FPA Annual Conference 2024. The top three winning teams will receive a monetary scholarship for their respective schools.
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About the Financial Planning Association
The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the leading membership organization and trade association for Certified Financial Planner™ professionals and those engaged in the financial planning process. FPA is the CFP® professional’s partner in planning by helping them realize their vision of professional fulfillment through practice support, learning, advocacy, and networking. Learn more about FPA at financialplanningassociation.org.
About CFP Board
CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public’s benefit. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification — widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners — so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP® certification is held by more than 100,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession’s body of knowledge.
About Ameriprise Financial
At Ameriprise Financial, we have been helping people feel more confident about their financial future for more than 125 years. With extensive investment advice, asset management and insurance capabilities and a nationwide network of approximately 10,000 financial advisors, we have the strength and expertise to serve the full range of individual and institutional investors' financial needs.