Texas Tech University

Russell James III, Ph.D., J.D., CFP®

Professor/The CH Foundation Chair of Personal Financial Planning/Charitable Giving Program Director
School of Financial Planning

Email: russell.james@ttu.edu

Phone: (806) 834-5130

Office: HS 248A

Office Hours:
Available by appointment 

Vita

Website

Russell James III

About

Experience

Professor, Texas Tech University (2013-present); Associate Professor, Texas Tech University (2010-2013); Assistant Professor, University of Georgia (2006-2010); College President (with direct and supervisory fundraising responsibility) – Central Christian College (2000-2005); Director of Planned Giving – Central Christian College (1994-1999); Private law practice limited to estate & gift planning and nonprofit organizations law (1994-2000); University of Missouri, B.A., 1992, J.D., 1994; Ph.D., Consumer & Family Economics (dissertation on religious charitable giving), 2002.

Leadership / Awards Texas Tech University

2022 Teacher of the Year:  School of Personal Financial Planning

2012 Teacher of the Year: Personal Financial Planning Association; Associate Editor - Journal of Consumer Affairs. 2009 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award – University of Georgia College of Family & Consumer Sciences. 2009 ACCI CFP® board financial planning research award. Housing Education and Research Association’s 2008 Early Career Award. United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning (law school). American Jurisprudence Award for Most Outstanding Work in Federal Income Tax Law (law school).

Research Interests

Charitable giving; Charitable estate planning; Behavioral- and Neuro-economics

Classes Taught

Graduate courses in charitable planning and behavioral economics

Recent Publications

1. Liu, Y. & James, R. N., III. (2023). Gratitude, finance, and financial gratitude in charitable giving: A repeated experiment over time. Financial Services Review. 

2. Yan, Y. & James, R. N., III. (2023). Bequest expectations and annuity ownership. Journal of Personal Finance.

3. Wishart, R. & James, R. N., III. (2021). The final outcome of charitable bequest gift intentions: Findings and implications for legacy fundraising. Journal of Philanthropy & Marketing. 26(4), e1703.

4. Hussein, R. & James, R. N., III. (2021). Encouraging living will completion using social norms and family benefit. Financial Services Review. 29(2), 85-99.

5. Yan, Y. & James, R. N., III. (2021). Framing the annuity as bequest protection: An experimental test. Financial Services Review. 29, 277-291.

6. Liu, Y. & James, R. N., III. (2021). Mortality salience lowers preferred retirement asset decumulation rates. Journal of Personal Finance. 20(1), 67-78.

7. James, R. N., III. (2020). The emerging potential of longitudinal empirical research in estate planning: Examples from charitable bequests. UC Davis Law Review, 53, 2397-2431.

8. James, R. N., III. (2020). American charitable bequest transfers across the centuries: Empirical findings and implications for policy and practice. Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, 12, 235-285.