BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. is endowing a program at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business that will help students prepare for careers in financial planning and wealth management.

The endowment will be used to create a 21-credit workshop program that incorporates specialized courses, opportunities to meet and interact with industry practitioners, and experience working on real industry issues.

The new curriculum, expected to be launched in fall 2017, will provide a strong educational foundation that readies students to sit for the Certified Financial Planner^TM exam and obtain that professional certification.

Idalene "Idie" Kesner, dean of the IU Kelley School of Business and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management, said she is grateful for the gift and for the relationship with Schwab.

“Financial planning and wealth management is a growing field, and this workshop will immerse students in the profession and provide key connections with industry leaders,” Kesner said. “I’m particularly proud that Schwab shares the Kelley School’s commitment to encourage women to consider careers in business and finance.”

According to the CFP Board, only 23 percent of CFP® certificants industry-wide are women. Schwab and Kelley will create a speaker series with a focus on women in finance to introduce women students as early as freshman level to the multifaceted appeal of a career in financial planning.

“We are big believers at Schwab in the power of financial planning to help people pursue their dreams and achieve financial security,” said Brian McDonald, senior vice president of client services and support at Schwab, and an IU alumnus. “We are honored to be able to offer the university the support they need to encourage more students to choose this rewarding path for their profession and to give them the tools they need to get there.”

“We are always looking for qualified job candidates who embrace our approach to financial advice and who want to be part of our values-driven culture. Kelley students are some of the top undergraduates in the country, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to recruit new talent from among them, as well as from among the graduates of this wealth management program,” added Corey Staten, Schwab senior vice president and Indianapolis site leader.

The new workshop compliments other programs at Kelley, including its successful investment management workshop, which prepares students to compete for positions in security research, sales, and trading positions in sell-side and buy-side institutions.

"This is an acknowledgement of Kelley’s cutting edge curricula and its distinctive high touch approach to specialized career preparation," said Sreeni Kamma, chairperson and associate professor of finance and an Arthur M. Weimer Faculty Fellow. "The curriculum blends the latest ideas from our faculty’s practice and policy relevant research with the highly relevant industry experience of our clinical faculty."

The Charles Schwab Wealth Management Workshop at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business marks the third university program that Schwab has invested in, aiming to spark interest in financial planning and increase the pipeline of qualified financial planning professionals.

In 2015, Schwab teamed up with the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder to develop a similar program. This past summer, Charles Schwab Foundation funded Texas Tech University’s inaugural Financial Planning Academy, a summer program for high school students interested in learning about careers in financial planning.

About the Kelley School of Business

For nearly 100 years -- first in Bloomington and later in Indianapolis, online and for top companies -- IU's Kelley School of Business has prepared students to lead organizations, start companies, develop new products and services, and shape business knowledge and policy. Its programs are consistently ranked among the best in the nation, its faculty members are internationally recognized for their teaching and thought leadership, and businesses worldwide hire its highly qualified graduates.

This gift counts toward the $2.5 billion campaign, For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign.

The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign is taking place on all IU-administered campuses including IU Bloomington, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast. The campaign will conclude in December 2019 to coincide with IU’s bicentennial year celebration in 2020. To learn more about the campaign, its impact, and how to participate, please visit forall.iu.edu.

Founded in 1936, the Indiana University Foundation maximizes private support for Indiana University by fostering lifelong relationships with key stakeholders and providing advancement leadership and fundraising services for campuses and units across the university. Today, the IU Foundation oversees one of the largest public university endowments in the country, with a market value in excess of $1.9 billion. In fiscal year 2015, IU received $359.3 million in support from the private sector. IU is consistently ranked among the top four of Big Ten universities in annual voluntary support.

About the CFP and Certified Financial Planner marks

The CFP and Certified Financial Planner marks are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., and are awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. This certification enables career paths for finance graduates into budget and financial analysis, financial management, real estate broker, insurance sales and underwriting, and securities, commodities and financial services sales.

About Charles Schwab

At Charles Schwab we believe in the power of investing to help individuals create a better tomorrow. We have a history of challenging the status quo in our industry, innovating in ways that benefit investors and the advisors and employers who serve them, and championing our clients’ goals with passion and integrity.

More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Disclosures

Through its operating subsidiaries, The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; compliance and trade monitoring solutions; referrals to independent fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through Schwab Advisor Services. Its banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides banking and lending services and products. More information is available at www.schwab.com and www.aboutschwab.com.

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