What advice do you have for someone who wants to get a low personal loan rate? Build your credit score over time. That will help improve the probability of access to personal loans and lower interest rates. What should people know about the difference between APR and interest rates when they compare personal loans? An…

Dr. Lu Fan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning, was featured in WalletHub's recent piece about 2021's Cities with the Highest & Lowest Credit Scores. What are some commonly held misperceptions about how credit scores are calculated? One common misperception about credit score calculation is that the belief that holding debit or…

Dr. Abed Rabbani, Assistant Professor at the Department of Personal Financial Planning, was recently quoted on Money.com in the article entitled "5 Signs It's Time to Break up With Your Financial Advisor." Like any new relationship, you also want to make sure there’s chemistry. Make sure he or she is interested in your goals, why…

MU study shows people, especially young people, are more apprehensive about taking financial risks during pandemic. Story by: Pate McCuien, Show Me Mizzou Taking risks in life can be scary, but it can be especially intimidating right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to struggle not only physically and emotionally, but also financially. In…

What is the most common mistake that retirees make when choosing where to settle? Many retirees are relocating without due diligence. Many people relocate on a whim. Many people made a move to a place that they thought was a dream destination only to find it otherwise. The pace of life may be too fast…

COLUMBIA – the MU Department of Personal Financial Planning and Northwestern Mutual announced the winners of the Fall 2020 case analysis competition. Northwestern Mutual in Columbia sponsored the competition, which was developed in partnership with the Department of Personal Financial Planning. The competition involved students in the Financial Planning Capstone course, taught by Dr. Rui…

The College of Human Environmental Sciences is honored to announce that Drs. Tahira and Labh Hira, both MU alumni, made a substantial estate commitment to benefit the Department of Personal Financial Planning. Their generous gift will establish the Tahira and Labh Hira Endowment to support faculty and student success in the field of financial planning.…

Posted: Aug. 10, 2020 Congratulations to Matthew Tomlin, 2018 Personal Financial Planning Alumnus, for obtaining the education, exam, experience, and ethics requirements for becoming a CFP®. While at the University of Missouri, Matthew was the Mizzou FPA Speaker Coordinator, President of the Office for Financial Success, and a teaching assistant. He currently is an Associate…

We are pleased to announce that Mary Dorn, MBA has joined the MU Personal Financial Planning faculty in the positions of Assistant Teaching Professor, Academic Advisor, and Mizzou FPA Advisor. For more information, view her faculty profile.

Congratulations to Dr. Abed Rabbani, CFP&reg for having the article, Cash Value Life Insurance Ownership Among Young Adults: The Role of Self-discipline and Risk Tolerance, published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance. Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Graham McCaulley, Associate Extension Professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning (PFP), for receiving a $511,063 award from the Missouri Foundation for Health to strengthen training and support for Missouri community health workers. The grant is an excellent example of collaborative efforts as Dr. McCaulley serves as the Principal Investigator; Marco…

We are pleased to announce that Logan Sullivan, University of Missouri Personal Financial Planning senior, received a 2020 TD Ameritrade RIA NextGen $5,000 Scholarship, 1 of 12 in the nation. Congratulations, Logan! Read more

We are pleased to announce that Marco Pantoja, AFC® has joined the MU Personal Financial Planning faculty in the position of Extension Instructor. For more information, view his faculty profile.

Congratulations to Kayla Charlton, Spring 2020 graduate, for passing the Securities Industry Essentials® (SIE®) Exam. The SIE assesses knowledge regarding fundamental securities-related topics, including knowledge of basic products, the structure and function of the securities industry, the regulatory agencies and their functions, and regulated and prohibited practices. Kayla is currently a Financial Advising Intern at…

LendEDU released its fourth annual report that featured the Department of Personal Financial Planning’s Office for Financial Success in the top 50 financial literacy programs in the country. To compile the 2020 list of the best college financial literacy programs for students, hundreds of programs were rated on the number of workshops and resources available,…

Dr. Guopeng (Kevin) Cheng, Dr. Dalisha Herring, CFP®, and Dr. Zheying (Anthea) Yao, Fall 2019 PhD graduates, have taken faculty positions at major universities. Kevin Cheng, PhD Virginia Tech Dalisha Herring, PhD, CFP® Florida State University Zheying Yao, PhD Zhejiang Gongshang University

Marco Pantoja, MS, AFC® was featured in WalletHub's piece about credit cards for students with bad credit. What advice do you have for students who find themselves with a bad credit score? For students who find they have a bad credit score, I’d like to say, good job on taking the first step to improve…

Join us in congratulating the MU Department of Personal Financial Planning for being selected as one of six elite financial planning programs to participate in the 2020 Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Financial Counseling Knowledge Bowl! Geo Lima, Emily Meyer, and Conner Thompson will represent the University of Missouri at the AFCPE…

Dr. Rui Yao, CFP® Personal Financial Planning Professor, was featured in WalletHub's piece about credit cards for people with no credit. Is it important for people with no credit to get a credit card? It depends on if they need one for the right reasons. For instance, if they would like to take advantage of…

The American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) held its annual conference virtually on May 19-21, 2020. The MU Department of Personal Financial Planning was well-represented. Faculty members, Professor Rui Yao, PhD, CFP®, Assistant Professors Lu Fan, PhD, CFP®, and Abed Rabbani, PhD, CFP®, presented their research, as well as PhD candidate, Weipeng Wu. Dr. Rui…

Taohua Wen, MU Department of Personal Financial Planning senior, placed second in the FINRA/ACCI Undergraduate Student Poster Competition for her research titled "Online and Mobile Investment Technology Adoption Among U.S. Investors." Gary Mottola, Research Director with Investor Education at FINRA, made the announcement on May 19 at the American Council on Consumer Interest Annual Conference…

This wasn't the ending University of Missouri Senior Kayla Charlton planned, but it's the one she was dealt. "I was looking forward to doing all those things one last time and getting to do senior sendoff and getting to do graduation weekend in Columbia and all of that and now I don’t get to do…

KOMU 8's Emily Spain talked with PFP Assistant Extension Professor, Andrew Zumwalt on Thursday about how the economy is doing now that states are beginning to reopen. Zumwalt works as an MU assistant extension professor in the department of personal finance. He talks about the current state of our economy and addresses how some of…

COLUMBIA - the MU Department of Personal Financial Planning Northwestern Mutual announced the winners of the 2020 "Develop a Financial Plan" scholarship competition. The competition was sponsored by Northwestern Mutual in Columbia and developed in partnership with the University. The competition was open to students in the MU Department of Personal Financial Planning’s Financial Planning…

Industry professionals now have access to leading financial planning education resources: Certificate in Financial Planning through either Virtual Classroom or Self-Paced delivery. ATLANTA, Ga. – May 6, 2020 – The University of Missouri has selected Dalton Education, a leading provider of education solutions in financial planning, to deliver a new CFP® certification education program through…

The Personal Financial Planning Department is proud to announce the outstanding seniors for the Spring 2020 graduating class selected by its faculty. The outstanding seniors, Clayton Powell and Anqi Sun, are accomplished students who will be an incredible asset to the financial planning profession. Anqi and Clayton, congratulations on your well-deserved success. Clayton Powell Anqi…

Kolby Lang, MU Personal Financial Planning senior, passes the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam. The SIE assesses knowledge regarding fundamental securities-related topics, including knowledge of basic products, the structure and function of the securities industry, the regulatory agencies and their functions, and regulated and prohibited practices. Congratulations, Kolby!

Dr. Rui Yao was quoted in Wirecutter discusing what you need to know about getting approved for a new credit card amid the coronavirus. Read article

Congratulations to Taohua Wen, Personal Financial Planning student, and Dr. Lu Fan, faculty mentor, for receiving approval of the undergraduate research experience titled "The Adoption of Fintech Among U.S. Investors." The research is being supported by the College of Human Environmental Sciences Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences (PURE), a program that encourages and supports participation…

Congratulations to Weipeng Wu for passing his doctoral comprehensive exam. A special thank you goes to his committee members, Dr. Rui Yao, Chair, Dr. Chao Gu, Dr. Fran Lawrence, and Dr. Abed Rabbani.

Check out the personal finance resources regarding coping with COVID-19 developed by Graham McCaulley, Andrew Zumwalt, CFP®, and Marco Pantoja. COVID 19 Resource List

Graham McCaulley, Assistant Extension Professor for the Department of Personal Financial Planning and Associate State Specialist for HES Extension speaks with KOMU Emily Spain for three informative interviews on financial matters during the COVID 19 outbreak. Graham discusses protecting your family’s finances during COVID 19. Watch video

Andrew Zumwalt, CFP®, MU Department of Personal Financial Planning's Assistant Extension Professor, speaks with KOMU Emily Span about the stock market's roller coaster ride and what it means to the public. Watch video

Marco Pantoja talks with KOMU Emily Spain about the federal stimulus package signed by President Trump. Pantoja is an Accredited Financial Counselor®, works for MU Extension as a financial planning instructor, and is receiving his Master's degree from the MU Department of Financial Planning. Watch video

How wonderful it was to learn that a 2019 University of Missouri Personal Financial Planning graduate passed the March CFP®. Way to go, Noah! Noah Brinkman Passes CFP® Exam MU Personal Financial Planning (December 2019 Alumnus) Financial Planner Northwestern Mutual Creve Coeur, MO

How wonderful it was to learn that a 2019 University of Missouri Personal Financial Planning graduate passed the March CFP®. Way to go, Linsey! Linsey Winkler Passes CFP® ExamMU Personal Financial Planning Alumnae (2019) Financial Planner RGT Wealth Advisors-- Independent RIA -- Fee-Only Dallas, Texas

We are so appreciative of these financial planners who will be sharing their journey in the financial planning profession with our students on Mar. 11, 2020 from 9:00 - 9:50am in 102 Stewart Hall. LOOK WHO'S COMING Taylor Ahern Community America Financial Solutions Matt Bragg, CFP® Regional Missouri Financial Planning Gina Mauller-Crane Edward Jones Danielle…

How exciting it was to have 2020 FPA President, Dr. Martin Seay, CFP® (K-State) speak to the University of Missouri financial planning students in their Careers in Financial Planning class. His presentation regarding "What is FPA" and "Career Paths" was dynamic. A business lunch at the Country Club of Missouri followed with Chair Dr. Fran…

Jansen Joehl, CFP® received the Gold Award from Northwestern Mutual. The award recognizes top production and client impact by a new financial representative in their third year in the business. Jansen graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2016 with a BS in Personal Financial Planning. Congratulations! Read press release

The MU Department of Personal Financial Planning was well represented at the 2020 CFP Board Academic Research Colloquium for Financial Planning and Related Disciplines held from February 20-22 in Arlington, VA. Dr. Lu Fan, CFP®, presented the research paper titled, "Financial Help-Seeking Behavior and Life Satisfaction Among the U.S. Elderly: The Role of Personality, Cognitive…

Marco Pantoja, Personal Financial Planning Extension Instructor and graduate student, presents his final research project regarding WEALTH, a former Mizzou employee financial wellness program. Mr. Pantoja will graduate with a MS in Personal Financial Planning in May 2020. Watch video

The Office for Financial Success (OFS) is a university-wide student money management center staffed by students under the supervision of a faculty director. The primary mission of the OFS is to improve the financial wellness of individuals among the MU campus community (students, staff and faculty) through the use of one-on-one coaching sessions, group workshops…

Are your interested in obtaining a University of Missouri Financial Planning Certificate to gain the education requirement to sit for the CFP® exam? The Department of Financial Planning has several CFP Board-Registered certificate programs. Learn more about our online certificate programs: (9-month program) and (distance education program). You may be eligible for a $5,000 scholarship.

The Department of Personal Financial Planning at the University of Missouri will be participating in the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning’s fourth annual Academic Research Colloquium for Financial Planning and Related Disciplines being held February 20-22, 2020 in Arlington, VA. Along with other international scholars, MU Personal Financial Planning faculty and graduate students will…

Congratulations to Mizzou Personal Financial Planning Alumnus, Trent Dudenhoeffer '18, on passing the CFP® exam. Trent is a Financial Advisor for LPL Financial and Assistant Vice President at Central Investment Advisors in Kansas City, MO.

Congratulations to Personal Financial Planning students, Logan Sullivan and Conner Thompson, who have been selected to participate in the 2020 TD Ameritrade LINC Conference being held January 29 – January 31 at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, FL. The conference brings together industry professionals to learn, be inspired, network and collaborate. The LINC conference is…

Andrew Zumwalt, CFP®, Assistant Extension Profession in the University of Missouri Personal Financial Planning Department, is training volunteers for the upcoming tax season. This group, comprised of MU Personal Financial Planning Students, AmeriCorps workers, and community volunteers will soon be IRS certified, advanced tax preparers, ready to serve Missourians this tax season. Starting in a…

Story by MU News New research from the University of Missouri highlights importance of employees asking questions about their retirement plans COLUMBIA, Mo. – Starting a new job often includes enrolling in a company’s retirement plan. As defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans, become more common than pension plans, American workers are increasingly responsible…

Congratulations to Dr. Abed Rabbani CFP® and Dr. Rui Yao, CFP® whose financial planning expertise has been recognized by being accepted to the University of Missouri mini Ideas Lab. On January 17, they will be involved in discussions regarding a campus-wide center for aging-related research. Abed Rabbani Rui Yao

Congratulations to Dr. Lu Fan, CFP® and Dr. Li Zhao for their research proposal "Gender Inequality in the Textile and Apparel Industry and Intra-Household Financial Decision Responsibility," being fully funded ($2,000) by the HES IDEAS Lab grant program. Lu Fan Li Zhao