Graduate Student Nasima Khatun published a research paper with PFP faculty member Donald Lacombe, Ph.D., analyzing factors of financial well-being
Texas Tech's School of Financial Planning doctoral student, Nasima Khatun, recently published a paper with faculty member Donald Lacombe, Ph.D. The paper focused on measuring the determinant of an individual's financial well-being (FWB).
Khatun started her educational and professional career in Bangladesh and received her bachelor's and master's degree in Finance from the University of Dhaka. She said she has enjoyed continuing her education and research in the Personal Financial Planning doctoral program. Khatun shares what she learned through her research and how it can be used to improve an individual's financial well-being.
"Our results broadly indicated that objective measures of financial competency and psychological and sociological factors contribute the bulk of the explanatory power that help explain an individual's FWB score," Khatun said. "Policymakers, educators, financial therapists, and financial planners can consider this research's findings to design financial education policies, develop training modules, launch a handful of programs for teenagers and adults, and better deal with the clients' behavior in financial decision-making."
For Khatun, she says her curiosity fueled the whole research process. She enjoyed exploring the econometric model to identify determinants that could explain variations in an individual's FWB. Lacombe shares how her passion translated into her work and research.
"Nasima is a very motivated student, and I gave her some background reading materials and some computer code to estimate the model used in our recent publication," Lacombe said. "I believe that the best way for students to learn the research process is by actually doing hands-on research and the skills that Nasima learned can be translated to other research papers."
The College of Human Sciences strives to equip students with the knowledge and skills to positively impact the community. Experienced faculty assist students on their academic journey through instruction, mentorship, and hands-on learning. Lacombe's encouragement and support guided Khatun to successful research and she shares her experience working alongside him.
"Dr. Lacombe is an excellent teacher, an incredible mentor, and a great inspiration for me," Khatun said. "He enthusiastically connected me with resources, advanced econometric models, and cutting-edge software packages in a hands-on manner that equipped me with creative research ideas, enabling me to work beyond my own abilities."
The School of Financial Planning allows students to grow in an inclusive and innovative environment. Specifically, the PFP doctoral program prepares students, like Khatun, through practical training in research and teaching. Khatun shares her experience in the program and about the skills she's learned in this program that will be used to improve the community around her.
"The School of Financial Planning is a group of passionately committed faculty, engaged in research, teaching, and outreach at every level," Khatun said. "Their dedication to helping students, especially international students like me, is exceptionally admirable, and I simply cannot overstate how humbled I am to have met and learned from the faculty."