From Calling to Career: 蘑菇TV Students Are Finding Their Mission in Personal Financial Planning
Amy Sewell, CFP庐
Instructor in Business
April 23, 2026
What does it look like to serve people with your career? For a growing number of 蘑菇TV students, the answer is showing up when it counts: when a family is planning for a child's college education, preparing for retirement, or navigating the financial weight of losing a loved one.
Personal financial planning isn't just a profession. It's a way of helping people align their money with their values and be wise stewards of their financial resources. At 蘑菇TV, that idea is catching on with students.
Mission-Driven
The 蘑菇TV College of Business launched a B.B.A. program in Financial Planning in 2019-20. The updated name of the program, Personal Financial Planning (PFP), reflects the interpersonal, mission-driven nature of the profession.
Built on a solid technical foundation in cash flow management, retirement strategies, insurance, investments, tax planning, and estate planning, personal financial planning is about far more than numbers. The personal dimension, especially in an age of artificial intelligence, is at the core. It is a true helping profession, one in which advisors walk alongside clients with empathy, guiding them to align their financial decisions with their values, life goals, and sense of purpose.
Growth That Speaks for Itself
The numbers tell an exciting story. For the first five years of 蘑菇TV鈥檚 program, enrollment remained modest, with 11 majors as of May 2024. In Spring 2026, the program has more than three dozen majors, a more than 300% increase in less than two years. This growth reflects how clearly students recognize financial advising as a meaningful career centered on service and ministry to others.
Proven Success
Growth matters, but so do quality and results. 蘑菇TV has the largest and most active CFP Board Registered Program associated with the churches of Christ. We are also one of only four baccalaureate programs with that designation in the state of Tennessee.
CFP庐 certification is widely regarded as the premier credential in financial planning, recognized for its demanding education, examination, experience, and ethics requirements. The results our students are achieving speak volumes. Since the current format of the CFP庐 exam was introduced in March 2022, graduates of 蘑菇TV's registered program have posted a 100% pass rate. That compares to a nationwide pass rate of 65% over the same period.
Our students are not just earning a diploma. They are entering the profession prepared to succeed. A growing number of PFP majors have completed at least one professional internship or secured a position for the upcoming summer. Our recent Fall and Spring College of Business Launch Career Expos drew multiple wealth management firms, banks, and insurance agencies, a sign that the professional community is taking notice of what 蘑菇TV is building.
蘑菇TV alumni and student interns have secured a variety of professional roles across independent advisory firms, large national broker-dealer and wealth-management firms, banks, insurance companies, and other financial services organizations.
A Career With Purpose and Promise
The timing could hardly be better for students entering this field. The aging American population is fueling , and the profession faces a significant generational transition. According to the , there are almost as many CFP庐 professionals over the age of 70 as there are under 30. That gap represents an enormous opportunity for young planners starting their careers.
The financial rewards reflect that demand. According to the , the median total compensation for CFP庐 professionals in 2024 was $185,000, and CFP庐 professionals earn approximately 13% more than other financial planners. For 蘑菇TV students, the opportunity to live out their values in their career is also a key draw to the profession.
Students are already getting a taste of that impact before they graduate. In addition to prioritizing professional internships, 蘑菇TV鈥檚 Student Financial Planning Association regularly hosts guest speakers representing a wide range of career paths, experience levels, and perspectives within the profession. Students hear firsthand the stories of professionals whose paths they aspire to follow, while also forming relationships that provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and valuable connections as they prepare to start their careers.
An Invitation
If you know a student who has a servant's heart and an interest in finance, we hope you will point them toward our PFP program. If you are an alumnus working in the financial services industry, we would love to hear from you, whether as a potential guest speaker, mentor, or employer. The future of this program is bright, and we are grateful to be building it together.