WPU College Students Standing Out in the Crowded Marketplace
By Mel Fabrikant Tuesday, June 08, 2010, 02:28 PM EDT
Facing the daunting prospect of securing a job after graduation, a select group of students at William Paterson University in Wayne are planning to take matters into their own hands. Financial planning, that is, and these trendsetters are learning how to best help the public get their financial affairs in order, while improving their own chances for employment.
According to James Parks, CFP®, AEP, AIF, President of Parks Wealth Management who recently interviewed the chapter, it started when students like Nicholas Scheibner, a junior at William Paterson, became disenchanted with where his finance major was leading him. The idea of staring at a computer and doing traditional investment analysis all day, combined with the struggling financial industry experiencing cuts in employment led to action, according to Parks, a member of the Financial Planning Association of NJ® (FPANJ).
Nicholas and a friend, Michael Ciccone, started cold calling financial planners and asking them to talk to a group of students at the University interested in financial planning. Their hard work paid off as William Paterson recently became the first official student chapter of the prestigious Financial Planning Association® (FPA), with Nicholas serving as President of the organization and Michael serving as Vice President. The student chapter is being sponsored by FPANJ.
“The students in the financial planning program have a strong passion and desire to become financial planners”, stated Nicholas. He explained that students can complete six financial planning courses as part of the undergraduate program. When combined with their other educational requirements, these students can graduate and offer immediate assistance to financial planning firms, qualifying to sit for the challenging, comprehensive 10 hour Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification exam. After passing the exam and fulfilling their work experience requirement, they can officially obtain the prestigious CFP® designation.
Luke Dean, the Academic Coordinator for the program, points out that in addition to offering the 6 required CFP® Board courses, William Paterson’s program boasts an on-site Trading Floor, as well as the Russ Berrie Sales Institute, which allows the school to incorporate practical training on industry software such as Morningstar Principia, MoneyGuidePro, and Bloomberg analytical software. The Institute also gives students the opportunity to practice working with clients through mock presentations and consultations.
The organization is also working to create networking opportunities for the students to pursue internships and employment after graduation. But perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of the interest in financial planning by college students will be the 76 million baby boomers looking to meet their financial and retirement planning objectives. This eager and educated group of students may offer financial planning firms just what they need to properly serve their clientele.
Lukas Dean, the director of the Financial Planning Program at William Paterson University, and Nicholas Scheibner can be reached at FPAWPU@gmail.com , or 973-720-2650.
According to James Parks, CFP®, AEP, AIF, President of Parks Wealth Management who recently interviewed the chapter, it started when students like Nicholas Scheibner, a junior at William Paterson, became disenchanted with where his finance major was leading him. The idea of staring at a computer and doing traditional investment analysis all day, combined with the struggling financial industry experiencing cuts in employment led to action, according to Parks, a member of the Financial Planning Association of NJ® (FPANJ).
Nicholas and a friend, Michael Ciccone, started cold calling financial planners and asking them to talk to a group of students at the University interested in financial planning. Their hard work paid off as William Paterson recently became the first official student chapter of the prestigious Financial Planning Association® (FPA), with Nicholas serving as President of the organization and Michael serving as Vice President. The student chapter is being sponsored by FPANJ.
“The students in the financial planning program have a strong passion and desire to become financial planners”, stated Nicholas. He explained that students can complete six financial planning courses as part of the undergraduate program. When combined with their other educational requirements, these students can graduate and offer immediate assistance to financial planning firms, qualifying to sit for the challenging, comprehensive 10 hour Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification exam. After passing the exam and fulfilling their work experience requirement, they can officially obtain the prestigious CFP® designation.
Luke Dean, the Academic Coordinator for the program, points out that in addition to offering the 6 required CFP® Board courses, William Paterson’s program boasts an on-site Trading Floor, as well as the Russ Berrie Sales Institute, which allows the school to incorporate practical training on industry software such as Morningstar Principia, MoneyGuidePro, and Bloomberg analytical software. The Institute also gives students the opportunity to practice working with clients through mock presentations and consultations.
The organization is also working to create networking opportunities for the students to pursue internships and employment after graduation. But perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of the interest in financial planning by college students will be the 76 million baby boomers looking to meet their financial and retirement planning objectives. This eager and educated group of students may offer financial planning firms just what they need to properly serve their clientele.
Lukas Dean, the director of the Financial Planning Program at William Paterson University, and Nicholas Scheibner can be reached at FPAWPU@gmail.com , or 973-720-2650.
