Financial Planning Visionary Honored for Contributions

Written by Cory Chandler

A founder of the Division of Personal Financial Planning was honored by the Financial Planning Association (FPA) for extraordinary contributions to the industry and community.

The FPA has awarded Bill Gustafson, senior director of the Center for Financial Responsibility in the College of Human Sciences, a Heart of Financial Planning Distinguished Service Award for his role and vision in building Texas Tech’s flourishing program.

He will be honored in October at FPA Boston 2008.

Gustafson started Texas Tech’s financial planning program in 1987. Two decades later, it is one of the nation’s most prominent programs, houses the Archives for the History of Financial Planning and boasts the only financial planning doctoral program in the U.S.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Gustafson. “However, I am only one of a team that drives our program. Passion is the one characteristic that personifies all who have been on and are currently on the financial planning team, so I’ll accept this award for all my colleagues and also for our alumni who have built the incredible reputation of our program.”

Gustafson has been involved with personal finance research and education for more than three decades and serves on the Board of Directors of the Academy for Financial Services, the Board of Directors of the International Foundation for Retirement Education and the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Project for Financial Literacy.

The FPA is the leadership and advocacy organization for the financial planning industry.