The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors welcomed 10 student scholarship winners this week to its Practice Management & Investments Conference in New York City.
Meeting at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, the future financial planners from Alfred State, a SUNY college of technology located in Alfred, N.Y., were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship for full access to all of the NAPFA events. These included sessions ranging from global fixed-income investing and behavioral economics to social media and working with clients during a financial crisis.
"The key is bringing the real world into the classroom," said Prof. Ron Rhoades, program chairman of Alfred State's Financial Planning Program, on Tuesday. "Students can only learn so much from professors. I have seen our students networking at breakfast, listening to speakers from the financial industry and soaking up information like sponges. They are so excited to be here."
NAPFA, which has offered scholarships at other conferences, runs a Student Affiliate program for people pursuing a degree or designation that leads to a career in financial planning. The Alfred College scholarship winners were sponsored by NAPFA, NAPFA Chairwoman Susan John, an anonymous firm and the college.
Rhoades, a director on NAPFA's national board, is the owner of a financial planning firm, ScholarFi Inc., but in August he moved from Florida to upstate New York to begin his teaching duties. To ensure he has sufficient time to teach, Rhoades keeps his client base small, at about 20.
