College News Roundup: Week of May 6, 2024
Financial Advisor | Planning Considerations For Your Active-Duty Military Clients
April 26, 2024
WMCP® adjunct instructor Loren Flood examines how financial professionals can maximize their planning capabilities for military service members and their families, including the long list of financial advantages they are entitled to.
Forbes | The Election Can Affect Taxes, Social Security, And Your Retirement
May 7, 2024
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® explains how current financial issues intersect with the political climate in the run-up to the 2024 election and how they may affect Social Security and retirement planning outcomes.
Financial Advisor | Advisors Say Move Gingerly With Suddenly Wealthy Clients
May 10, 2024
How should financial advisors work with clients who face a sudden infusion of cash? Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® takes a look at the best strategies to handle life-changing events like inheritances, lottery wins, business sales, and more.
College News Roundup Week of April 29, 2024
Financial Planning | Can My Client Claim Frozen Embryos as Dependents?
April 30, 2024
Sophia Duffy, JD, CPA, AEP® takes a look at the issues of taxation and dependents and whether a current subject of many legal discussions – frozen embryos – can be claimed as dependents for tax purposes.
USA Today | Annuities Are Key to Retirement. So Why Are So Few of Us Buying Them?
May 1, 2024
Michael Finke, PhD, CFP® examines industry and public perspectives on annuity products and describes how, despite their negative reputation, they can be used responsibly as a part of a holistic financial plan.
Partnership with Couplr.AI
![The American College logo and Couplr AI logo](/sites/default/files/inline-images/cb15-couplrtacpartnershipannoucement%20%281%29.jpeg)
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – May 14, 2024 – The American College of Financial Services is proud to announce its strategic partnership with Couplr.AI, a leading provider of AI-powered matchmaking solutions for financial advisors and clients. This partnership offers free advisor profiles for potential consumer matching to all designees in The College’s Professional Recertification Program (PRP). These professionals already have access to innovative tools like The College’s Knowledge Hub+ continuing education platform and marketing toolkits to enhance their practice and professional lives.
The PRP is designed for designees in good standing, ensuring the active status of their credential(s) while providing access to tools, platforms, and programs. With the integration of Couplr.AI's proprietary algorithm, PRP designees can potentially take advantage of a technology platform facilitating meaningful connections with potential clients based on mutual interests and needs.
The College is the exclusive designation-conferring institution or organization that can offer free profiles for Couplr.AI’s technology.
"In today's rapidly evolving financial landscape, it's essential for professionals to leverage cutting-edge technologies to thrive in their practice,” said Jared Trexler, senior vice president and chief marketing and strategy officer at The American College of Financial Services. “Couplr.AI's innovative approach aligns perfectly with our commitment to supporting our lifelong learners."
Couplr uses AI and data science to learn more about what consumers and advisors are looking for in their professional relationship and best matches financial advisors with the ideal potential clients across a variety of human and financial dimensions, fostering stronger relationships and helping to increase advisor success rates. The integration of Couplr.AI's functionality within The College's My Learning Hub will enable PRP designees to access this innovative tool seamlessly.
College designees in good standing can opt-in to the partnership by visiting their Learning Hub (hub.theamericancollege.edu), viewing the "My Designations & Certifications" page from the menu, and clicking the button to share information with Couplr.
“Couplr.AI is all about making connections for financial professionals with consumers, potential clients, that they can aid in their financial journey,” said Derek Notman, founder and CEO, Couplr.AI. “The level of expertise possessed by the alumni network of The American College of Financial Services is unparalleled and we are proud to be a connector for their continued success.”
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
Founded in 1927, The American College of Financial Services is the nation’s largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services professionals. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated over 200,000 professionals across the United States through certificate, designation, and graduate degree programs. Its portfolio of applied knowledge also includes just-in-time learning and consumer financial education programs. The College’s faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders in the financial services industry. Visit TheAmericanCollege.edu and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Discover all the ways you can expand your opportunities with us.
ABOUT COUPLR.AI
The Couplr.AI fintech client acquisition solution was specifically built for financial companies and their financial advisors. Couplr is a byproduct of frustration, first-hand experience, need, potential, data science, and the human connection. Financial advisors and the companies they represent want to help as many clients as possible, but with up to 90% of advisors failing in the first three years this is a constant challenge, yet also a huge opportunity. After 18+ years in the financial services industry as an advisor, founder Derek Notman saw one pivotal issue: a lack of empathy and trust in professional financial relationships, especially for people looking to hire a financial advisor. In other words, lead generation was broken. Knowing that human connection was foundational to success, Derek started the journey to find a solution that truly works. A smart fintech solution matching clients and financial advisors. The result feels magical, but are based on financial psychology, behavioral finance, and math. For more information, visit www.couplr.ai.
Contact
Sarah Tremallo
908-967-0381 / stremallo@jconnelly.com
College News Roundup: Week of April 22, 2024
ThinkAdvisor | Can You Beat My Score on This Retirement Literacy Test?
April 26, 2024
ThinkAdvisor reporter John Manganaro discusses his experience taking The College’s 2023 Retirement Income Literacy Quiz, his results, and the insights he gathered from examining the results of the accompanying Retirement Income Literacy Study.
The New York Times | A Wealth Shift That Could Leave Some Younger Americans Behind
April 28, 2024
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® takes a look at changing dynamics in the distribution of wealth and how millennials and other young Americans may face challenges in saving and preparing for eventual retirement.
College News Roundup April 15, 2024
Nasdaq | Actionable Outcomes for Advisors and Clients
April 19, 2024
Kaylee Ranck, PhD, director of College research, Eric Ludwig, PhD, CFP®, director of the American College Center for Retirement Income, Jennifer McCauley-Weiss, MBA, RICP®, CLU®, vice president and head of annuity services and marketing at New York Life Insurance Company, and Jamie Hopkins Esq., LLM, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®, chief executive officer of Bryn Mawr Capital, join Jill Malandrino on Nasdaq TradeTalks to discuss the knowledge gaps and behaviors around areas such as social security, long term care, life expectancy, and actionable outcomes for advisors and clients.
Financial Advisor | Beyond The Alphabet Soup: What Advisors Need To Know About Medicare
April 17, 2024
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® discusses the benefits and drawbacks of certain types of Medicare options and how today’s advertising surrounding these benefits can sometimes be misleading to clients.
Innovating for Impact
![Photo of The College founder, Dr. Solomon S. Huebner](/sites/default/files/inline-images/cb15-pr2023-featurestory1-a.jpg)
Innovation starts with great ideas. In alignment with The College’s mission, the executive leadership team identifies and vets all ideas for new initiatives and program offerings rigorously, weighing their potential to help achieve the institution’s strategic goals. A new designation program, for example, might help us:
- Enhance the education experience for learners
- Fill voids in the financial services profession and society
- Advance data-informed planning and decision-making
By adhering closely to these goals and establishing measurements to track our progress toward them, we ensure The College’s ability to deliver high-quality experiences for all our constituencies.
“It is the responsibility of The College to uphold the promises we make to our students, learners, business partners, communities, and society. Assessing and reporting on our institutional effectiveness holds us accountable and allows us to be proactive and relevant in our delivery of applied financial knowledge.”
- Katie McGowan, EdD, PMP®
Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Impact
What’s Old is New
Innovation occurs within long-standing programs, including the one that started it all: the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®)—a designation program that is continuously improved, including most recently in 2022. During the latest reporting process to maintain its institutional accreditation, The College highlighted the reimagining of the CLU® through a collaborative effort led by Program Director David F. Pierce, MSFS, MSM, MA, AEP®, CLF®, ChFC®, CLU®.
Through the collection of student and course enrollment data, the program director and faculty identified a growing downward trend, necessitating a question and call to action: What was causing the downturn in student enrollment to CLU®?
The program team turned to corporate partners and alumni to explore the issue with a survey. As this pie chart shows, the majority (68%) agreed or strongly agreed with focusing the curriculum and shortening the program.
![Pie chart showing the results of how much people agree with focusing the curriculum and shortening the CLU program](/sites/default/files/inline-images/cb15-pr2023-featurestory1-b.jpg)
From this data, the program team went to The College faculty and leadership to propose a program consisting of four core courses plus one elective, using the Personal Pathway® delivery model.
The CLU® program is now tracking the impact of this change by looking at enrollment and course persistence. We see an early spark of progress in the enrollment and persistence of students from the first to the second course, as well as positive feedback from students.
“Streamlining the CLU® program from eight to five classes was a big improvement...the program [is] so well structured, [it] provides the ease of studying and understanding how various concepts apply in real life.”
- Student, 2023 CLU® End of Program Survey
Successful, continuous improvement is the cornerstone of a strong academic institution. And that will always require assessing existing programs for relevancy and quality, and then adapting as needed.
What’s New Now
The evolution of the financial services industry also necessitates the updates of existing, and development of new programs—a process that itself benefits from recent innovation.
When the time comes to develop a new program, the process involves internal teams—including Academics, the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), and more—and in some cases, additional experts and partners who help The College expand our resources and what we offer.
Happening now, The College is developing a first-of-its-kind Tax Planning Certified Professional (TPCP) Program, with the leadership of renowned subject matter expert and College alumnus Jeff Levine, CFP®, CPA, PFS, CWS, AIF®, RICP®, ChFC®, BFA™, MSA.
Read the full article and learn more about The College’s innovative program offerings, including the TPCP Program, in our 2023-2024 President’s Report.
College News Roundup: Week of April 8, 2024
Morningstar | Progress, Not Perfection: Gen Z Has Made Some Extraordinary Financial Moves But Still Needs Help
April 8, 2024
Michael Finke, PhD, CFP® joins other thought leaders in discussing how members of Gen Z can prepare for their financial futures, including through emergency savings funds and retirement planning strategies.
Journal of Financial Planning | 2024 Kenneth Black Jr. Journal Author Award
April 8, 2024
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® is recognized for his first-place finish in the Journal of Financial Planning’s annual award for publishing the number-one article in the Journal for the 2023 publication year on snowbirding in retirement.
ThinkAdvisor | AI And The Future Of Women's Retirement Planning
April 11, 2024
Neeraja Rasmussen of the American College Center for Women in Financial Services’ advisory council writes about how artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve the services women receive from the financial industry.
College News Roundup Week of April 1 2024
MoneyGeek | Is Life Insurance Worth It?
April 1, 2024
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® joins other experts in offering perspectives on the importance of life insurance as part of a holistic financial plan – in particular, how it can positively impact retirement planning.
MoneyGeek | The Social Security Guide
April 1, 2024
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, along with other thought leaders, weighs in on how Social Security impacts Americans’ retirement planning, along with how to ensure those benefits are maximized to their fullest extent.
ThinkAdvisor | Do You Need $1.5M to Retire? 5 Experts Weigh In on the New Magic Number
April 3, 2024
David Blanchett, PhD, MSFS, CFA, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP® and Michael Finke, PhD, CFP® examine how much money, on average, is needed for Americans to ensure a comfortable life in retirement, as well as the strategies needed to make that money last.
The Wall Street Journal | Your Financial Adviser Doesn’t Want You to Know About These Conflicts
April 4, 2024
Michael Finke, PhD, CFP® discusses the issues that still exist in the financial services industry when it comes to conflicts of interest and fee models – as well as what can be done to push the profession toward more ethical methods.
College News Roundup Week of March 25 2024
Financial Advisor | Building And Leading Gender-Diverse Teams
March 27, 2024
Lindsey Lewis, CFP®, ChFC®, director and chair of the American College Center for Women in Financial Services, joins Kaylee Ranck, PhD, The College’s director of research, in writing about the importance of gender diversity on teams in the financial services industry and beyond in recognition of Women’s History Month.
Social Security Matters | Breaking Barriers: Celebrating Women’s Vital Roles as Disability Advocates
March 29, 2024
Joellen Meckley, JD, MHS, ChSNC®, executive director of the American College Center for Special Needs and the Center for Women in Financial Services, writes on the government’s Social Security Administration blog the benefits available to assist both those with special needs and their caregivers – many of whom are women.
College News Roundup Week of March 18 2024
Financial Advisor | Five Key Questions For Ensuring Responsible AI In Financial Services
March 22, 2024
Azish Filabi, JD, MA, executive director of the American College Center for Ethics in Financial Services, along with Neeraja Rasmussen of Spyglaz, explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the financial services profession and potential ethical questions companies will need to address.