It’s not every day that students get a glimpse into the future of their profession.
On Nov. 1-3, four Fox students attended the IMPACT 2022 conference hosted by financial services company Charles Schwab. Through keynote speakers, education sessions and networking opportunities, the conference strives to advance the registered investment advisor (RIA) industry.
According to Tom Intoccia, assistant professor of finance at Fox and former Charles Schwab executive, the annual conference gives students the opportunity to see what is happening in the industry.
“[The conference has] a special agenda for the students themselves, and meetings and breakout sessions to learn about the industry,” explains Intoccia. “Students are able to sit alongside financial advisors who are learning similar things, and it’s a chance for them to meet with the advisors, from the standpoint of potential job and internship opportunities. It’s real exposure to the industry as a whole.”
According to Intoccia, the four students attending IMPACT 2022 show promising talent; many are active Temple’s Financial Planning Association members and come from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds.
One of these students, Malik Joynes, is a third-year financial planning major and Charles Schwab Foundation Scholar. This scholarship endowment provides financial assistance and career opportunities to financial planning students from underrepresented communities.
According to Joynes, the opportunity to attend IMPACT 2022 was invaluable.
“Seeing all the different job opportunities, advisors and students, and just having the ability to network—it was unmatched,” says Joynes.
And, as an endowment scholarship recipient, he says attending the conference allowed him to “show [his] face and give back by attending and talking to Schwab advisors.”
Emerging from IMPACT 2022, Joynes says he not only gained industry knowledge but learned about the importance of building trusting relationships and being confident.
Kaylin Olster, a third-year financial planning and finance student, shared a similar sentiment. Through the conference’s women’s luncheon and young advisor panel, she says she was able to make connections and learn about the industry from experts.
According to Olster, one of the most impactful parts of the conference was the mentorship program for students.
“[Charles Schwab] set me up with a mentor, who took me under his wing for the conference,” says Olster. “We talked about his experiences and how to tackle conferences—it was really valuable.”
Olster also notes that her mentor and other opportunities at the conference encouraged her to let her guard down and network with other advisors and students, particularly women.
“I learned I’m valuable in this industry,” says Olster. “It’s a very male-dominated industry, like most finance industries, but there’s a need for female advisors out there.”
Experiential learning opportunities like IMPACT 2022 help to provide more clarity on the path forward for young professionals.
“It was just amazing to see, as a young college student, the potential of what I can be in the industry,” reflects Joynes.