Pamplin finance students receive TD Ameritrade scholarships

Pamplin College of Business finance seniors Eric Siss of Howell, N.J., and Morgan McGovern of Ashburn, Va., were among 10 students across the U.S. who recently received scholarships from TD Ameritrade Institutional.

The scholarships are part of a new program by the brokerage services company to encourage more students to pursue careers as personal finance advisors.

Siss and McGovern are both enrolled in Virginia Tech’s nationally recognized financial planning program, which educates financial planners and prepares them for CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) certification.

The program was listed among the top 25 programs in Financial Planning magazine and cited as one of the top two programs in Financial Advisor magazine.

Siss joined five other scholarship winners this past summer as TD Ameritrade’s guests for a visit to Wall Street, where they enjoyed VIP tours of the Museum of American Finance and the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange and helped ring the NYSE’s closing bell.

Siss, who wants to work for a registered investment advisor that focuses on comprehensive financial planning, said it was particularly interesting to meet senior executives at TD Ameritrade. “Their insights about the financial services industry,” he said, “validated what I have been learning in the financial planning program at Virginia Tech.”

Siss and McGovern say they greatly appreciate their scholarships. “It is extremely encouraging for an aspiring financial planner that TD Ameritrade sponsors and stands behind the development of talent for the next generation to enter the industry,” Siss said.

“It is motivating to know that TD Ameritrade recognizes the effort that students in financial planning programs are putting towards their futures,” said McGovern. “The scholarship, in addition to my education within financial planning here at Virginia Tech, makes me very optimistic in pursuing this growing profession.”

A release from TD Ameritrade noted that “the jobs market may be recovering in fits and starts, but there is strong demand for professionals who can help Americans manage their household finances, according to the latest Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“This demand is expected to climb as more than 75 million Baby Boomers enter retirement and more investors seek advice.”