$15,000 in Scholarships Aims to Encourage Minorities and Women to Pursue a Career in Financial Planning

Advisors Excel has recently announced the creation of three, $5,000 scholarships aimed at encouraging minorities and women to pursue a degree in Kansas State University’s Personal Financial Planning (PFP) program. Each scholarship can be renewed annually.

“For the 20 years I’ve been in the financial services industry, there have been many discussions about the lack of minorities and women in the profession,” said Advisors Excel Co-Founder Cody Foster. “We want to start taking action and change that, and education seems like a great place to start. We are lucky to have one of the most recognized and respected Personal Financial Planning departments in the country, right down the road at Kansas State University, and we are excited to be partnering with them on this initiative.”

The nationally ranked Personal Financial Planning department at Kansas State University prepares students for careers in the financial services industry. With on- campus and online degree programs, the coursework provides students the technical expertise in such areas as investment, tax, insurance, and retirement planning, as well as the interpersonal communication skills needed to help individuals and families pursue their financial and life goals.

The undergraduate, masters, graduate certificate, and Ph.D. programs are CFP Board registered, allowing students to sit for the certification exam upon graduation. “Advisors Excel has been a strong partner of the Personal Financial Planning department,” said Dr. Martin Seay, department head and associate professor of Personal Financial Planning at Kansas State University. “They are keenly interested in broadening awareness of financial planning as a career and supporting students’ professional development.

“This new scholarship initiative encapsulates that focus, providing the critical support needed to increase the diversity of the financial planning workforce, with a focus on reinvesting in their hometown of Topeka,” Dr. Seay added. Available for the 2020-2021 school year, the scholarship is open to incoming minority or female students enrolled in the Personal Financial Planning program who are Shawnee County students.

Award recipients will also have an opportunity to gain real-world experience with an internship at Advisors Excel. “In light of everything we’ve witnessed over the past few weeks, investing in solutions has to start taking place,” said Foster.

“We believe one of the biggest opportunities to create lasting change is through financial empowerment, and we hope this is the start of something that will create a long-term impact in our community.” For more information on the Advisors Excel Scholarship, call 620.223.2232 or visit www.TheEllisFoundation.org.