Finalists Selected for the National Financial Plan Competition
Middletown, OH (PRWEB) March 26, 2015 -- Winners of round 2 are Team 1 - David Ferraro and Staci Rezendes and Team 2 - Nicholas Zacchilli from Bryant University, Smithfield, RI. Faculty Advisor is Mara L. Derderian, RFC®. Kristin Cranford and Victoria Davis make up Team 3 from Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. Faculty Advisor is Dr. Philip Gibson. All three teams advance to the Finals at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Club for the final round of presentations.
IARFC Board Members and RFC®s on the judging panel included: H. Stephen Bailey - Charlotte, NC; Michelle K. Blair - Medford, NY; Peter J. D’Arruda - Cary, NC; Rosilyn Overton - Great Neck, NY; Jon N. Rogers - Greenville, SC; Nick A. Royer - Orlando, FL; Angie D. Trandai - Orlando, FL; and Mayo Woodward - Birmingham, AL. Judges were asked to rate the student presentations on various criteria – professionalism, plan features/analysis, clarity of plan issues/recommendations, creativity and suitability, and handling surprise questions from the judges.
“The judges were extremely impressed with the level of preparedness demonstrated by each team advancing to the finals,” reported Competition Liaison Amy Primeau. “All three teams were enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and handled the judges’ questions in the most professional manner. The enthusiasm shown by each team was contagious! We are excited to see which team will become the 2015 National Champion!”
The National Financial Plan Competition is organized by the IARFC for undergraduate students in a curriculum related to Financial Services. Participants receive a fictional case study of a family with an overview of their financial picture. From that, they produce a financial plan with recommendations for current and future actions. Completed plans are sent to the IARFC headquarters where plans are judged for the semi-finals and ultimately the finals.
The IARFC feels this competition gives students an exercise in real world practice – that of analyzing a client’s situation and critically thinking a course of action to recommend. In many cases, professors have used this exercise as part of their curriculum.
Corporate sponsors for the 2015 Competition are Cetera Advisors, Royal Alliance, The Virtual Assistant and The Builder Suite Software. Individual IARFC members participate at the Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond level.
If you would like information on being part of the judging process in Charlotte this April 30th, or wish to participate in future competitions, contact Amy Primeau at 800.532.9060 Ext 307 or visit http://www.iarfc.org.
Wendy Kennedy, IARFC, http://www.iarfc.org/index.asp, +1 (800) 532-9060 Ext: 308, [email protected]
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