Certified Financial Planner helps clients’ dreams come true

By Ashley Ryan, College of Human Sciences Marketing and Communications

Alumnus Edward Kramer credits Texas Tech's College of Human Sciences for teaching him valuable lessons that hold true in his career today.

2004 College of Human Sciences' (COHS) Personal Financial Planning alumnus Edward (Eddie) W. Kramer II has enjoyed success in making dreams come true for his clients.

Eddie graduated from California Lutheran University in 2015 with an MBA in Financial Planning. In addition, Eddie is Certified Financial Planner® and a federally licensed Enrolled Agent, which means he is a federally-authorized tax practitioner who has technical expertise in the field of taxation and who is empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before all administrative levels—examination, collection, and appeals—of the Internal Revenue Service.

"I make a plan with my clients to achieve what is most important in their life while staying true to their value system. What a great job!"

When asked what he considers to be his greatest accomplishments, Eddie's wife, Keva, tops the list.

"My greatest personal accomplishment is marrying my college sweetheart, Keva, and starting our life together 12 years ago. We have three children, Ellory, Audyn, and Marleigh. My greatest professional accomplishment is leading the Business Development team at Abacus Planning Group while serving as financial advisor to 30 of our client families."

Eddie was also named to Financial Advisors Magazine's 10 Young Advisors to Watch in June 2015 and to Investment Advisors' 40 Under 40 in June 2016.

During Eddie's freshman year at Texas Tech, he says that we was uncertain about his future career plans until a Brothers Under Christ (BUX) brother Brandon Moss, CFP®, spoke with him about the Financial Planning path.

"He shared with me that financial planning is a combination of finance, economics, and psychology. I was fascinated with each of these topics, so this sparked my curiosity."

In the early years of his career, Eddie says that his biggest challenge was having confidence in his skills and trusting how valuable they were to his clients who often were his parents' age with income and assets far greater than his own. He says that he learned to overcome this fear by relying on the preparation the COHS provided in both the skills of listening and empathy as well as the technical skills of crunching numbers and knowing tax rules.

Eddie says that he owes a huge debt of gratitude to Drs. Vickie Hampton and Dr. Gordon Hampton for believing in him before he believed in himself.

"My professors gave me the confidence to listen attentively to my clients and devise a plan through a disciplined process."

Eddie says that the greatest benefit for him derived from the projects often spanning the length of several weeks or even a whole semester. These projects prepared him for the perseverance and teamwork necessary for success in the workplace.

"Every day, I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended Texas Tech and graduated from COHS. Delayed gratification, steady progress, and maintaining a disciplined approach to project management have been important factors in my success."

Eddie offers a piece of advice to students who are considering a future career in Personal Financial Planning.

"Work in an office while you are in college in addition to the mandatory summer internship. You will learn so much from watching other professionals in action. Learn how to write. Writing skills trump technical skills. Get involved in a student professional organization, this will hone your leadership skills and open your networking opportunities with professionals and professors. Last, but certainly not least, go to as many events as possible and soak in this amazing season of life at Texas Tech University."