FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Ross Riskin, a student in the doctor of business administration (DBA) in finance program at Sacred Heart University, recently published a guide on education planning for certified public accountants (CPAs) and financial planners.
Riskin, assistant professor of taxation and director of the CFP® education program at the American College of Financial Services, spent more than eight months developing the 114-page handbook, The Adviser’s Guide to Education Planning.
Riskin wrote the guide for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and it is available to members of the organization’s Personal Financial Planning Section, as well as CPAs who have the personal financial specialist (PFS) designation.
“Writing this guide was an amazing experience,” said Riskin, a Bethany resident. “The guide covers topics such as education funding, financial aid planning and education tax deduction/credit planning, and it includes chapters covering strategies for high-income and high-net-worth individuals, business owners, divorced/divorcing couples and grandparents.”
Riskin attributes his inspiration for writing the guide to his desire to create a resource that could better educate and inform CPAs and financial planners about effectively offering education planning services, adding value for their clients and helping families.
“In 2017, I founded the American Institute of Certified College Financial Consultants and created the Certified College Financial Consultant (CCFC) designation program. The Adviser’s Guide to Education Planning serves as a complementary resource to the CCFC designation program,” Riskin said.
Riskin, who aims to graduate from the DBA program in 2020, said he enrolled in Sacred Heart’s DBA program because of its flexibility and proximity, and because it offered an applied research doctorate that is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
“I believe that obtaining a DBA from Sacred Heart University will help me in three distinct areas: research capabilities, credibility and marketability,” said Riskin. “The guidance I have received and insight I have obtained from my professors have allowed me to build research skills and think not only as a practitioner, but also as an academic. Obtaining an applied research doctorate from an AACSB-accredited institution will enhance my credibility among my peers and increase my marketability in the future.”
PHOTO: Sacred Heart University DBA student Ross Riskin in the Finance Lab at the Martire Business & Communications Center - photo by Tracy Deer-Mirek
About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus, which is located about an hour from Manhattan and 2.5 hours from Boston. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. More than 8,500 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business; Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, yet at the same time develops students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives and professions and in their communities. A spirit of service, entrepreneurship and social justice is the essence of who we are and can be seen inside and outside the classroom as students learn how to make a difference far beyond Fairfield. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 384 Colleges–2019 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Happiest Students” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu