Schwab awards CWU grant for expanded financial planning programs

ELLENSBURG — Schwab Advisor Services, in partnership with the Charles Schwab Foundation, recently awarded Central Washington University with a multi-year grant to support program expansion for the Center for Financial Planning and Well-Being, according to a Wednesday CWU announcement. 

“We are honored to partner with Central Washington University to support the development of the next generation of talent and guide them toward career opportunities in the financial services industry,” said Charles Schwab Managing Director and Head of Advisor Services Bernard Clark. “This is not only an investment in the work Central Washington University is doing for students; it is an investment in the future of the financial planning profession.”

According to the statement, the grant will fund an expanded peer-to-peer coaching program to serve CWU students, greater adoption of a CWU college-level personal finance course for College in the High School programs in Washington, and support for deeper engagement in Personal Financial Planning, a program that is offered exclusively at CWU for the West Coast.

By investing in both the PFP and CiHS programs, students will have more exposure to the world of finance and, as a result, have the opportunity to consider it as a career for their future, the statement said. 

“This grant will allow us to expand the benefits our center provides across the state and will immediately start changing lives,” CWU assistant professor of Personal Financial Planning Dr. Steele Campbell said. “We can get our personal finance course to more high schools and offer financial coaching to more students and community members which will have a profound impact on current and future Wildcats.”