Texas Tech University

There’s a ‘Lott’ to learn from Texas Tech alumna on securing your financial future

By Ashley Ryan, College of Human Sciences Marketing and Communications

Amanda Lott receives prestigious honor from Financial Advisor Magazine for her achievements.

Amanda Lott TTUPersonal Financial Planning (PFP) Alumna Amanda Lott has been named to Financial Advisor Magazine's 10 Young Advisors to Watch list. After graduating as the top graduate in the College of Human Sciences (COHS) in 2008, Amanda received her M.S. in Taxation from Farleigh Dickinson University in 2015.

Amanda is a Certified Financial Planner® and a Certified Retirement Counselor®. She currently serves as the Managing Director at Stratford Consulting, LLC. Amanda is married to her husband of almost five years, Erinn. They happily live with their one-year-old son, Brayden, in Plano, Texas.

Upon her graduation from Texas Tech, amidst the country's financial crisis, Amanda knew that she would need to look outside of Texas in order to increase her career opportunities.

"My degree required that I have an internship and I had done one in Dallas and one in Miami. By having that experience, I knew that I could survive and thrive outside of Texas."

Amanda landed her first position at RegentAtlantic, just outside of New York. She went on to become one of the youngest appointed partners in the company after just seven years. Amanda then returned to Texas in 2016.

As a Wealth Advisor, Amanda manages client relationships in order for her clients to meet their financial goals.

"After working with a client for many years, you are able to see the progress you have helped them make toward their goals. You have typically been with them through some very critical transitions – the sale of a business, the death of a parent, entering retirement, or the birth of a grandchild."

Amanda specializes in advising clients on maximizing social security benefits and emphasizing the role that those benefits play in financial achievement.

"I get to make a meaningful difference in clients' lives. To be a part of that is absolutely incredible. I would love to recruit future Texas Tech graduates to our growing firm."

Amanda says that the honor of being named one of Financial Advisor Magazine's 10 Young Advisors to Watch was a humbling experience and she is very proud to represent Texas Tech.

Amanda has also received the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning "Young Guns" Alumni Award in 2012. In 2015 she had an article published in The Tax Adviser regarding Roth IRA Planning. Later that year she was a guest on CNBC with Sharon Epperson to discuss personal finance issues for millennials.

In 2016, Amanda was asked to speak at Financial Advisor's Invest in Women conference on Social Security benefits, one of her favorite planning topics. Amanda actively serves as a member of the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning Alumni Advisory Board.

"I am confident Texas Tech University played a critical role in where I am today in my career. I am thankful for the incredible faculty and the enthusiastic alumni that the PFP program has."

Initially, Amanda started off as a math major before switching to psychology. Amanda says she was passionate about helping others and she loved working with numbers. When Amanda learned about COHS' Personal Financial Planning program, she knew that it would be the perfect blend of her two passions.

Amanda credits Associate Personal Financial Planning professor Deena Katz for serving as a wonderful mentor with a unique perspective.

When Amanda first found the PFP program, she enrolled in Professor Katz' Introduction to PFP course. Amanda says that Professor Katz fueled her passion for the financial planning industry.

"The PFP department was like family. It is a very close-knit community. I am still in touch with many of the people I went to school with in the program. Many of us entered the profession because we wanted to help people, and that sense of servitude extends beyond our clients. I am proud to be a part of a network of caring, passionate individuals who are always willing to help."