Agricultural economics seniors, Austin Lankford and Mariel Braun recently attended the TD Ameritrade Institutional National LINC Conference in San Diego, California. They, along with undergraduate students from across the nation, had the opportunity to network with nearly 2,000 financial planning professionals.
“Our trip to the TD Ameritrade Institutional National LINC conference was a wonderful experience,” Braun said. “At the conference we were able to learn more about burning topics in financial planning including technology and succession planning.”
The conference provided a platform for students to work together and share their knowledge of the profession. By attending professional development breakout sessions, students were encouraged to collaborate with one another and express themselves.
“Through the special Women’s breakout I was inspired to create a brand that represented me through sharing my own personal story,” Braun said.
Along with collaboration and networking, LINC equips students with real-life application of the material taught in the classroom. Not only does this provide hands-on experience, it also leaves an everlasting impression upon the students.
“I had the opportunity to dig deeper into the profession, and was able to make real life connections with my coursework and the real world,” Lankford said.
Dr. Nathan Harness, TD Ameritrade director of financial planning, was also in attendance and described the experience as unforgettable.
“For me, the greatest impact was for the president of TD Ameritrade, Tom Nally, to tell 2,000 planners that Texas A&M has one of the best young financial planning programs in the country,” Harness said.
With support from TD Ameritrade Institutional, the future of the Texas A&M Financial Planning Program looks bright, Harness said.
“TD Ameritrade is an amazing company that has made a huge commitment to Texas A&M,” Lankford said. “With their support, and the support of several Aggie alumni and professors, Texas A&M has been able to create a top notch financial planning program. “
For more information, please visit http://www.tdainstitutional.com/news.page.
