The USAA Educational Foundation & Texas A&M Establish ‘Command Your Finances’

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Oct. 27, 2016 -- The USAA Educational Foundation and the Texas A&M University Financial Planning Program are joining forces to launch a first-of-its-kind financial readiness program. Open to all students and targeted specifically to the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, this program is designed to help future military leaders make sound financial decisions and prepare them to counsel others about financial decisions. The curriculum will consist of a three-credit course, with the first course offered in the Fall 2016 semester.

“The Command Your Finances courses are designed to develop teach and empower financial leadership among students at Texas A&M who could potentially become military officers,” said Dr. Nathan Harness, TD Ameritrade director of financial planning at Texas A&M, College Station. “We are excited about this opportunity to collaborate with The USAA Educational Foundation on a program to prepare students for leadership roles in the military and in financial planning.”

“Financial stress is an unfortunate reality for many military service members and their families,” said Steve Finley, executive director of The USAA Educational Foundation.  “Equipping students, and especially future military officers, with financial knowledge and tools can help reduce the number of military families experiencing that stress in the future. Those who serve our nation and their families need support to be prepared to make informed decisions about their money and their finances.”

Harness said the new program will set the standard for financial readiness in educational institutions across the country.

“This is an optional course for students, so the curriculum has to really add value to their financial future. The inaugural course will serve as a learning lab to determine students’ needs, and begin to test the impacts of the course on students,” Harness said. “In the future, we plan to host a national conference on military financial readiness to scale the program to military academies and other universities that have ROTC programs.”

Harness believes the program will ultimately prepare Corps of Cadets members for sound financial readiness well before graduation and help them establish themselves as financially savvy leaders when they enter military service.

“So many people think about retirement only 10 years or so before they are ready to retire,” he said. “Someone who is 21 years old is typically not thinking about stocks or bonds, and might not even know what stocks and bonds are. This program will supply them with the knowledge, plus enable them to apply that knowledge to mentor other A&M students so that they may someday go out and teach others about financial readiness.”

ABOUT THE TEXAS A&M FINANCIAL PLANNING PROGRAM
The Texas A&M Financial Planning Program is a flexible program that provides a comprehensive curriculum serving current undergraduate and graduate students, former students and working professionals. The program is registered with the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Board of Standards and students who complete a CFP Board-registered program are eligible to take the CFP® Certification Examination. Courses are offered online and through traditional classroom delivery. A team teaching concept involving practitioners and academics brings a unique mix of conceptual frameworks, practical knowledge, application, and rigor to students’ learning experiences. The overall focus is problem solving, applying financial planning principles to real life situations, and helping individuals, families, and businesses achieve their financial goals. Learn more at http://financialplanning.tamu.edu/.

ABOUT THE USAA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
The USAA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on leading and inspiring actions that improve financial readiness in the military and local community. Its financial education resources are free and available at www.usaaef.org. The USAA Educational Foundation does not endorse or promote any commercial supplier, product or service.

Media contact: Brian Wagner, [email protected] (202-596-6102)