Semi-Finalists Announced in IARFC National Financial Plan Competition


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The National Financial Plan Competition continues to give students interested in the financial services profession an opportunity to gain practical experience…IARFC Trustee Chairman and CEO H. Stephen Bailey, MRFC®.

The International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC®) announces the 6 teams that will move on to the Semi-Finals of the National Financial Plan Competition. These undergraduate teams were selected from submissions representing 15 universities nationwide with financial service programs.

Selected to continue are:


  • Jackie Battles, University of North Texas, Dave Ragan, RFC®, Professor
  • Abigail Adams and Zachary Wakamatsu, Utah Valley University, Dr. Luke Dean, RFC®, Adjunct Professor
  • Michele Boyle and Gianfranco Gonzales, William Paterson University of New Jersey, Dr. Tao Guo, Assistant Professor
  • Dominique LaSalvia and Ethan Krumwiede, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Craig Lemoine, MRFC®, Director
  • Allison Biddix and Michael Austin, Western Carolina University, Dr. Patrick Payne, Assistant Professor
  • Jacob Hogan and Brenden Fillerup, Utah Valley University, Dr. Luke Dean, RFC®, Adjunct Professor

“We are thrilled to move to the next stage of competition,” commented Dr. Tao Guo. “It has been a great experience and we can’t wait to further showcase our students from William Paterson University. Thanks to the IARFC for making this possible!”

The IARFC National Financial Plan Competition is open to undergraduate university students who are enrolled in a financial services curriculum. From a fictional case narrative, the students are requested to craft a financial plan for judging. The Competition progresses through 3 stages, ending in 3 teams of students presenting their plan in person at the IARFC Annual Board Meeting.

In the Semi-Finals stage, the students attend a preliminary technical meeting for an equipment check and then will schedule their plan presentation time. On those days, the teams give their recommendations with accompanying PowerPoints for videotaping. These sessions will subsequently be sent to the IARFC Board of Directors for voting on the 3 finalists.

These final selected 3 teams will give their plans in person at the IARFC Annual Board Meeting in Cincinnati, OH April 23. “The National Financial Plan Competition continues to give students interested in the financial services profession an opportunity to gain practical experience,” relates IARFC Trustee Chairman and CEO H. Stephen Bailey, MRFC®. “I am extremely pleased with our semi-finalist this year and wish them well as they go through the next phase of the Competition.”

More information on the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants and the National Financial Plan Competition can be found on http://www.iarfc.org. Corporate sponsorships and individual donations are welcomed to support this next generation of financial professionals. More information can be obtained by contacting Susan Cappa at susan@iarfc.org.

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