By Brooke Adams, communication specialist, University of Utah Communications

Thanks to Swoop, the Department of Family and Consumer Studies celebrated a new grant in style.

Professor Zhou Yu, director of the department’s Financial Planning Program, accepted a $50,000 NextGen RIA grant from TD Ameritrade Institutional on behalf of the school.

Swoop joined Yu in New York City on Tuesday, July 24, as part of TD Ameritrade’s celebration event for the students and schools receiving scholarships and grants. The U mascot helped ring the closing bell alongside the winners and TD Ameritrade executives at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square.

The grant program is aimed at helping universities attract and train the next generation of independent registered investment advisors (RIAs).

“We are very pleased to have received the grant,” Yu said. “We will use this funding to support financial planning research, attract high caliber students and increase our outreach activity.”

The department offers a financial planning emphasis within the Family, Community and Human Development major and a certificate program in financial planning, both registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Learn more by clicking here.

The program attracts more applicants with each passing year, said Kate Healy, managing director, Generation Next, TD Ameritrade Institutional. “We believe this points to a growing interest in financial planning among young adults, which gives me hope for the future of the RIA profession,” Healy said.

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