Gordon Ford College of Business News

The 4th Annual FPA MidSouth Financial Planning and Investments Symposium is Friday, September 15th, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Knicely Conference Center and is hosted by WKU’s FPA Student Chapter and the Gordon Ford College of Business’s Department of Finance. The conference will feature nationally recognized thought leaders in finance, firm and organizational leaders, academicians, and WKU alums.  

Highlighted speakers include:  

Kyla Scanlon is a content creator, the founder of the financial education company Bread, and a WKU GFCB alumni. At WKU, Scanlon majored in economics, finance, and data analytics. After she graduated, Scanlon was a CAP Associate at Capital Group before joining an education startup to spin out their investment education arm before starting her own company. Her primary goal is to conduct a human-centric economic analysis to help connect the dots between what is happening and why it is happening.  

Ron A. Rhoades, JD, CFP®, is the Director of WKU’s Personal Financial Planning Program, where he is an Associate Professor of Finance and currently teaches courses in Estate Planning, Applied Investments, Personal Finance, and Financial Plan Development (capstone course). He also serves as a Financial Advisor and principal of Scholar Financial, LLC, an RIA with approximately $35 million under management. Dr. Rhoades has advocated for the fiduciary standards for nearly two decades, frequently visiting Capitol Hill, the DOL, and the SEC. 

Jeffrey Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CWS®, BFA®, MSA, is the Lead Financial Planning Nerd for Kitces.com, President of Fully Vested Advice, Inc., and the Chief Planning Officer at Buckingham Wealth Partners. Previously, Levine served as Ed Slott and Company’s Chief Retirement Strategist, where his ability to simplify the complex laws that govern individual retirement accounts, combined with his unique blend of humor and tax planning, was first recognized. In 2020, Levine was named by Investment Advisor Magazine as one of the top 25 voices to turn to during uncertain times and was named to the IA25 again in 2021. 

Seema Sheth is the Senior V.P. & Regional Executive for the Louisville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Previously, Sheth built a book of business at Northwestern Mutual, where she was integral in diversity and inclusion efforts. In 2017, Sheth founded the Adulting Academy, which teaches the basics of finance to young adults. Sheth earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Irvine, and an undergraduate degree in theater from the College of William and Mary.

David Lau is the C.E.O. and founder of DPL Financial Partners, a firm focused on distributing financial products geared toward the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and fee-based advisory channels. Earlier in his career, Lau helped build E*Trade Bank and its predecessor Telebank, the nation’s first internet bank. David previously served as COO and architect of Jefferson National, a leading insurance carrier focused on RIAs and fee-based advisors.  

Attendees can receive five hours of CFP Board® CE credit for attending. Please see the website for more information. Additionally, attendees can participate in a Meet the Firms Round Robin event. The Meet the Firms Round Robin event is a networking opportunity with WKU students pursuing internships.  

For more information, please visit Personal Financial Planning Symposium | Western Kentucky University (wku.edu)