Texas A&M signs financial planning education deal

TD Ameritrade – one of the largest custodian providers to the burgeoning US registered investment adviser (RIA) market – has provided the funding for new undergraduate and CPE programs at the university as well as a full-time academic position to oversee the program.

Dr Nathan Harness, a certified financial planner and associate professor of finance at Texas A&M has been named as the inaugural TD Ameritrade institutional director of financial planning, according to a post on the university’s website.

“There is great need for financial planners, and there are many career opportunities for Texas A&M students,” Dr Harness said in the statement.

“We are incredibly enthusiastic about this program as well as the opportunities created by this new sponsorship to enhance the diversity of the profession.”

TD Ameritrade spokesperson Kate Healy said the Omaha, Nebraska-based brokerage and custodian is committed to raising the number of professionally qualified financial advisers.

“TD Ameritrade Institutional is committed to helping the RIA industry attract a new generation of advisers,” Ms Healy said.

“Demand for the financial planning profession continues to grow, and its services are needed by an increasingly diverse population.

“There’s a huge opportunity for women and minorities to serve families who need professional help planning their financial futures.”