KSU Certified Financial Planner™ Program instructor provides investment strategies

The need for financial planning services has resulted in the demand for professional, competent advisors. Christian Mauser, Certified Financial Planner™ Program instructor at KSU’s College of Continuing and Professional Education, is one of five instructors for this new course.

Mauser is an independent financial adviser who enjoys connecting with people and being able to provide friendly expertise, simplify financial issues with stories his clients can relate to, and using humor to make serious topics easier to discuss.

“To me, financial planning is not about market gains – it’s about helping people through the difficult decisions in their lives,” he said. “Of course, the numbers do matter! But so do emotional transitions.”

The need for thoughtful, caring and hardworking individuals in the industry motivates him to teach the CFP® curriculum. Mauser cites real people (such as Bernie Madoff) and Hollywood’s portrayals of professionals (like Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street”) as harmful to the perception of financial advisers.

“Currently, we do not have enough real financial planners. Planners who know the CFP® curriculum and are eager to do good things for their client's vs. eager to make personal gains,” he said. “I want to turn that image around.”

KSU’s certificate course is designed to help students earn their CFP® - a designation Mauser refers to as the “gold standard” of the industry. He said, “Completing this course will help someone break into the profession with a leg up on the competition. Anyone with interest in people, who loves learning, and loves numbers – this is the field for them.”

With the demand rising for younger qualified financial professionals, Mauser indicates the job market is excellent. “Currently, you can start a salaried position around $50,000 with no experience and your CFP® marks,” he said. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 30% growth of employment of financial advisors by 2024.

The Certified Financial Planner™ Program will cover the following topics: Fundamentals, Insurance, Investment, Income Tax, Retirement and Estate planning. The course will culminate with a capstone project – a financial development plan.

Mauser will be teaching the investment portion. Here, he offers five tips for investing at any age.

• Take the time to understand the power of compound interest.
• Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. If you ever feel the urge to liquidate your portfolio, and you don’t need the money, you are probably making a mistake.
• Purchase low cost, passively managed, well-diversified portfolios that are equity heavy. Look at the big picture, not just today’s situation.
• Good investing is boring. You won’t get rich quick, but if you make the right decisions, over time you will be wealthy beyond need.
• Be an optimist. The world is only going to get better, and the only rational investor is optimistic.

For more information on the Certified Financial Planner™ Program, visit ccpe.kennesaw.edu.