Jesse Jurgenson, Ph.D., was recently hired as a new faculty member of the Personal Financial Planning program
Meet Jesse Jurgenson, Ph.D., the newest faculty member in the School of Financial Planning. Jurgenson will be an assistant Professor of Practice and Director of the Charles Schwab Foundation Financial Planning Clinic. Previously, Jurgenson was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Consumer Science at the University of Alabama, with his primary teaching focus being the psychology of money, behavioral finance, consumer economics, and leading highly engaging foundational financial planning courses.
Jurgenson obtained his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University, where he researched the financial socialization experience of young adults in addition to being awarded a certificate in Advanced Research Design & Methods for Family Sciences. Additionally, Jurgenson holds an M.S. Degree in Personal Financial Planning and a graduate minor in College Teaching from the University of Missouri and has been an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) since 2013.
“An overarching professional goal of mine is to make a positive impact on the financial lives of individuals and families,” Jurgenson said. “With this goal, I additionally contributed to the great work of organizations such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, DC, and the National Endowment for Financial Education in Denver, CO, through research-based fellowships and appointments.”
Jurgenson said he is excited to make a positive impact on students by fostering unique and impactful learning opportunities, environments, and experiences that help each individual student reach their own goals. He plans to work with the students and help them to achieve their personal goals during their time in the School of Financial Planning, what skills they want to improve, and how he can best help them on their journey.
“The financial services, and specifically financial counseling and coaching, is serious work with the power to transform people's lives,” Jurgenson said. “I want to model for all students that we should take the trust of families seeking assistance to heart and understand that our clients deserve nothing but our best efforts in accuracy, reliability, and honesty communicated through a lens of compassion and empathy towards the challenges our clients face.”
With the financial planning career field is continually growing, evolving, and shifting based on new information and changing landscapes, as are the faculty and staff of the Personal Financial Planning programs.
“What drew me to Texas Tech's School of Financial Planning was the dedication of all the faculty and staff to preparing the next generation of quality financial professionals,” Jurgenson said. “Our faculty are at the cutting edge of these changes and national leaders in these fields. I have found that School of Financial Planning graduates were some of the best prepared not only with their level of current knowledge but commonly displayed a unique love of learning and a desire to grow professionally throughout their careers. I am thrilled to be a part of it.”