Dr. Michael Finke, a nationally renowned educator and researcher in the financial advising profession, has been named dean and chief academic officer at The American College of Financial Services.
Dr. Finke, a professor and director of retirement planning and living in the Department of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University, will assume his new duties this summer. He brings to The College more than a decade of experience in academic leadership, and a national reputation as one of the foremost thought leaders in his field.
“What Dr. Finke offers – a commitment to world-class research and innovative ideas that solve practical problems in the financial planning profession – will be transformative for The American College,” said President and CEO, Dr. Robert Johnson. “Whether he’s working with companies to explore the best way to use financial products, speaking with professionals about developing better ways to provide value to clients, or coming up with new and better ways to explain concepts to students, Dr. Finke’s primary goal has been to operate at the intersection of practice and academia, helping make financial planning a true profession.”
Among the most prolific authors in financial planning journals, Dr. Finke has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles since joining the Texas Tech faculty. He has also been widely quoted in many of the nation’s leading consumer publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Time, and Money Magazine.
His research questioning the four percent rule in the Journal of Financial Planning with The American College professor Dr. Wade Pfau won the 2014 Montgomery Warschauer Award for the most influential article. Dr. Finke was also recently selected to present his research on financial literacy and aging at the 2015 MIT Center for Finance and Policy conference.
Dr. Finke said what he admires most about The American College is its dedication to providing knowledge that advances financial services as a profession.
“I take the vision of influencing the profession and general public for the common good seriously as the driving principle of the institution,” he said. “Contributing to the knowledge base and best practices of advisors has been my goal as a professional, and I look forward to continuing to serve in this role at The American College.”
He also said he looks forward to working with The College’s excellent team of faculty members and researchers he has come to know very well.
“I’ll have the ability to work with a faculty that I deeply respect to help meet the educational needs of financial services professionals in a marketplace that places an increasing value on knowledge,” he said.
In addition to conducting research and advising students, Dr. Finke writes the monthly “Finke on Finance” column for Research Magazine in which he uses research to help professionals understand timely industry topics. He has also worked on white paper research projects for a number of companies and the Society of Actuaries.
“One of the most rewarding parts of my job as an academician is my ability to work with the many professionals in this industry who are dedicated to creating better products and processes, and to help bridge the communities of academics and financial advisors.”
Dr. Finke received a doctorate in consumer economics from The Ohio State University in 1998 and in finance from the University of Missouri in 2011. He also served as the director of graduate studies at the University of Missouri. Since 2006, Dr. Finke has directed the Ph.D. program at the Texas Tech University Department of Personal Financial Planning.
The American College of Financial Services is the nation’s largest non-profit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has served as a valued business partner to banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies and others since 1927. The American College faculty represents some of the financial services profession’s foremost thought leaders. For more information visit TheAmericanCollege.edu.
