Jamie Bosse CFP®, RFC served as the chair of the Personal Financial Planning Advisory Board from 2016 to 2018. She graduated with a B.S. from the Personal Financial Planning program in 2004 and earned her Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2008. Jamie now works with clients to help them “Master What’s Next” by clarifying their goals, creating a financial plan, and taking action. She helps her clients maneuver through life’s transitions and overcome and anticipate any potential roadblocks along the way. She finds it extremely rewarding to see people organize their financial lives, maximize their human capital, and get closer to their life goals. She really enjoys being involved with the K-State program and helping it grow and thrive.
What does the Personal Financial Planning Advisory board do? What impacts has it had on the program?
The advisory board brings together faculty, friends of the program and experienced planners at various career stages to grow and nurture the program while providing professional development opportunities for the students. Our students are in the process of solidifying a foundational layer of knowledge that they will need to be successful in this industry. The program and professors are top notch, so we have no doubt that they are getting an excellent academic education with personalized attention. What they were missing was more real-world experience and exposure to seasoned professionals out in field. The advisory board has helped to bridge this gap by creating opportunities for board members, program alums, and potential employers to interact with the program and our students more regularly. Many of our board members visit campus and participate in classroom discussions, mock interviews, and mentorship events regularly. The board has also helped create more internship opportunities for the students by reaching out to potential employers and giving them a template (Internship in a box) to create their own internship. Our signature contribution has been the Professional Connection Event (see question #3!)
The Professional Connection Event was a creation of the Advisory Board. Why is this event so important for students?
The Connection Event is something that employers and students alike now look forward to each year. We recently hosted our 3rd annual event with 20 firms and over 60 students in attendance. The Connection Event has been a great avenue for providing internship and career opportunities for our students. It gives students at all stages the opportunity to mingle with professionals at various types of firms in a non-threatening environment. Through the conversations with attending professionals they can explore diverse career possibilities and get some practice in an interview setting. The event has also raised roughly $2,500 annually to support student development activities and travel opportunities. This year we also partnered with the Cat Closet, where sponsors and board members provided business clothes for KSU students in need. The Professional Connection Event is something we are really proud of and are excited to see it grow and evolve.
What has stood out to you the most in your time on the Advisory Board?
What is amazing to me is how much the program has grown since I was in it. I was a 2004 grad in a class of 11 students. We had the same 3 professors for all of our coursework. Now there is full time faculty and staff of 10 individuals, with 9 CFP® professionals, and students are beginning to join the program earlier in their college career. Most students in the program in 2004 joined their junior year. Now we even have some incoming freshman! Another aspect that I continue to be impressed by are the relationships between the students and staff. The students demonstrate massive support for one another and seem to do a lot of peer mentoring. They are also extremely close to the professors, who go above and beyond to make sure that the students are exposed to the best opportunities.
Get involved! Financial Planning is still a relatively small industry that is very supportive of the younger generations and want to see you succeed. The more you get involved, the more experiences you have and people you meet, the better off you will be. All of my career and internship opportunities have been the result of the industry connections I have through membership organizations and through attending events. By signing up for extracurricular activities in school, you’re not only exposed to great opportunities, but you are building an impressive resume that will really set you apart when it’s time to find your first job. Employers want to know that you will put forth the extra effort and make the commitment to be successful. Through the extra involvement, your professors will get to know you on a deeper level, so they are more apt to recommend you to potential employers and be a reference for you. Is there someone in the industry you admire or want to learn more about? Just reach out! More often than not, seasoned professionals in this field would be glad to talk with you, maybe even be a mentor, or provide you with a shadowing opportunity.