Gordon Ford College of Business News

Western Kentucky University students Alec Broughton and August Hemmerich were two of 56 financial planning students from 28 colleges and universities who attended TD Ameritrade Institutional’s¹ annual conference for independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), National LINC 2018, from Jan. 31^st through Feb. 3^rd in Orlando, FL. While at National LINC, these students had the opportunity to explore job opportunities and connect with with more than 3,000 financial advisors and other financial services industry professionals and experts from across the nation.

TD Ameritrade Institutional is a leading provider of brokerage custody, technology and practice management services for more than 6,000 independent registered investment advisors (RIAs).  Since 2007, the firm has been inviting undergraduate financial planning students and their program directors from schools across the U.S. to attend its annual conference, covering travel and hotel expenses for them to do so. 

The National LINC NextGen Program is just one component of TD Ameritrade’s industry-leading commitment to help attract young talent to the financial planning profession.TD Ameritrade Institutional has engaged with more than 300 students over the past decade, and last year was the first to appoint a senior executive dedicated full-time to cultivating the next generation of financial planning talent. 

At this year’s conference, students attended feature sessions by Ian Bremmer, president, Eurasia Group; Viola Davis, award-winning actress of film, television and theater; Marc Goodman, New York Times best-selling author of Future Crimes;  April Rinne, advisor, Pathfinder, and member of the World Economic Forum; and Jeremy Siegel, the “Wizard of Wharton” Wharton School finance professor.  They also heard about the convergence of financial services and technology from a keynote panel on innovation that included Adena Friedman, president of CEO, Nasdaq; Tim Hockey, president and CEO, TD Ameritrade; Ric Edelman, executive chairman, Edelman Financial Services; and Lex Sokolin, director of fintech strategy, Autonomous. 

The students also participated in smaller breakout sessions and panel discussions on investing and evolving as a financial advisor, and attended networking events with advisors and leaders of our firm, including Tom Nally, president of TD Ameritrade Institutional, and Kate Healy, TD Ameritrade’s managing director, Generation Next. 

TD Ameritrade Does More for Financial Planning Students (#RIANextGen)

Now in its sixth year, the annual TD Ameritrade Institutional NextGen Financial Planning Scholarship & Grant Program winners: $5,000 scholarships to 12 undergraduate students, a $50,000 grant to an established degree program and $25,000 to an emerging program.  Winners are announced in July, but the application window is open from April 2 – June 1, 2018.  To apply or learn more, please visit https://www.tdainstitutional.com/lp/nextgen-scholarship.page. 

Beyond helping more students earn degrees, TD Ameritrade Institutional has developed programs to help aspiring advisors land their first jobs. It offers the RIA Intern Network, an online community where interns can access information, gain a deeper understanding of best practices and connect with each other. In addition, the company provides the RIA NextGen Career Exchange, the industry’s first free job search and resume posting site for RIAs and job seekers. 

The firm also hosts a closed LinkedIn group for RIAs and series of webcasts, where interns can develop career-building skills, stay connected and learn about industry events.

Photo credt: LILA PHOTO for TD Ameritrade Institutional