Texas Student Intrigued by the Complexities of Finance

 

Vincent Nguyen is a self-proclaimed finance nerd who wants to become a CFP® professional because he’s fascinated by the complexities of finance.

A senior at the University of Houston (UH), Nguyen is double majoring in finance and accounting with a concentration in personal financial planning, and he plans to graduate in the spring of 2026. He’s enrolled in the Personal Financial Planning Track in Finance at the C.T. Bauer College of Business at UH, a CFP Board Registered Program that enables students to meet the educational requirements they need to sit for the CFP® exam and obtain CFP® certification. The undergraduate program is designed to give graduates an edge when entering the financial planning profession.

Nguyen is also currently studying for the Series 65 exam, which he says will serve as a substitute for him until he can graduate and earn his CFP® certification. The Series 65 exam, or Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, is required to work as an Investment Adviser Representative (IAR) and is for those who want to provide investment advice for a fee.

“I’m also evaluating whether or not I’m going to do the EA as well to become an enrolled agent,” he says. An EA – Enrolled Agent – is a federally licensed practitioner authorized by the IRS to represent taxpayers before the IRS.

Becoming a finance nerd

Growing up in the small town of Palacios, Texas, about a two-hour drive from Houston, Nguyen said he was one of those kids that was just drawn to money and how it worked.

Then when he was older, he heard about wealth management through an online friend from New York. “I kind of viewed him as like an older brother, and I remember one day him telling me I’m going to be a wealth manager someday and me asking ‘What’s that?’ That was my first step toward my exposure to the career.”

When he first entered college, Nguyen brought his keen interest in finance, but he didn’t know then that financial planning was a career option.

“I was fixated on investment banking because I was really interested in the whole capital markets and how complex finance could be,” he says. “Then in my freshman year, I interacted with CFP® professionals and saw they got to use their personal finance knowledge every day and that they really loved what they did. I thought it was fascinating and way better than investment banking.”

What lies ahead?

Nguyen has only taken one financial planning course so far and will take the bulk of those classes in his senior year. That’s why he says thus far he’s learned much more outside the classroom than inside.

“My knowledge so far, when it comes to financial planning, I’ve actually acquired on my own. I usually do a lot of self-learning. Every single day, I always put on a podcast, read some kind of article, you know, try to further my knowledge a little more every day,” he notes.

Expanding on his daily routine, he explains, “I read blogs such as the Nerd’s Eye View. I listen to podcasts on various topics, and I also follow the case competitions the FPA® holds.” Nguyen studies both current and past case studies in the Financial Planning Association® (FPA® ) Financial Planning National Case Competition. This annual competition showcases the talent and skills of the next generation of financial planners and offers students a comprehensive learning experience. Through the challenge, students can develop important connections, investigate career opportunities and broaden their understanding of the financial planning profession.

The FPA is the leading membership organization and trade association for CFP® professionals and those engaged in the financial planning process. It holds the National Case Competition in partnership with CFP Board and Ameriprise Financial.

Nguyen also makes a point of proactively networking with other finance professionals. “I’m interacting with all sorts of wealth managers in the area just to kind of get a feel for how they run their practices. I’m just looking at all sorts of firms. I’m looking at which firm really suits me,” he explains.

In his last year of college, Nguyen hopes to complete an internship with a financial planner. So far, he’s had one internship opportunity with an independent insurance agency and says, “I learned a whole lot there, but ideally, I would want to do a financial planning internship, or something tax related.”

What’s his long-term goal? He’s not sure yet, but he does know he’d like to work for a fee-only firm. “Once I get hands-on experience, I’ll just go from there,” he says.