Journal of Financial Planning: October 2024
WHO: Noah Camfield
WHAT: Paraplanner, Keen Wealth Advisors
WHAT'S ON HIS MIND: “I would say, as a college student, networking was probably the biggest piece that got me connected to other firms and opportunities.”
It was during high school that Noah Camfield decided he wanted to pursue a career in personal financial planning, and for him, there was a clear why.
“Why I got into financial planning was really a balance of when I grew up and some of the struggles that my personal family had faced and a combination of the resources that I was able to utilize myself to get in a better position. I don’t want to quote Dave Ramsey, but [he’s] who got me first into this personal finance sphere that laid out [that] you can systematize your personal finances in a way that’s advantageous for you and can help you align your goals with your spending and saving. That was my very first peek into it.
“Then in high school, when I went to Butler Community College [at the same time], I had the opportunity to meet with other CFP® [professionals] in Wichita to learn more about what the financial planning industry has to offer and what impact we’re able to have on others. That really pulled on my heartstrings—the impact piece. I loved saying this when I was going to K-State because I always got people’s attention: If I’m able to have a minor impact on a couple when they’re younger, whether it’s a conversation or whatever, and it sparks their interest, and [they do] better for themselves finances-wise, maybe saving a little bit more, and that changes their outlook on life for the next 30 to 50 years—that’s a generational change that just a little conversation had. The impact that this career can have on others is significant, and that’s really what brought me in.
“I didn’t go down the finance degree route. I went down the personal financial planning degree route, which took a lot more of the behavioral, interpersonal, social skill piece of a college education. I definitely think that technical knowledge is a requirement, but the personal ability to connect with people and communicate with people I really found was significantly more impactful in my career path than my understanding of technical skills. The way to be more unique is down the personal side of a relationship—how you can connect with people and express your genuine interest in other people’s lives and connect with them.”
Ready from the get-go, Noah joined the FPA externship during high school. He also did an internship later to gain even more experience in the industry.
“When I was in high school, I did the externship over the summer, and it was when we were feeling the heat of COVID-19. So I had a lot more time on my hands to balance the externship with working and then taking classes over the summer. Then I was an intern at Mariner Wealth Advisors in Overland Park, which was great.
“I think both the externship and the internship did a really great job of getting a better frame and better perspective of what financial advisers and financial planners do, not only on a day-to-day [basis], but the big picture impact you’re able to have, the different avenues that you can pursue once you’re getting into the industry, whether you want to work for an RIA or a broker–dealer or one of the wirehouse firms.”
He was also president of the Kansas State University Student Chapter while he studied there.
“I’ve been a part of FPA since I was in high school. I was a part of the FPA [NexGen] chapter in Wichita; when I got up to K-State, the FPA program was kind of taking off, so I had joined it. I really enjoyed the opportunities and the networking component that they offered us students. We were able to come up to Kansas City to go to the symposium that’s in August. Additionally, I was just getting into leadership roles within the department, and that was one that opened up. I was able to have an impact on those around me, whether it’s [current] students or students down the line. It was a great opportunity, being president. We were in a transitional period, but it was great opportunity leadership-wise—how can we group students together?”
Having networked extensively, Noah is now a paraplanner at Keen Wealth Advisors.
“I got connected with Keen Wealth Advisors through the PFP program at K-State. [K-State] has a lot of opportunities for networking, and Keen was one of the firms that I was able to speak to. We just hit it off really well, and it all happened from there.
“I would say, as a college student, networking was probably the biggest piece that got me connected to other firms and opportunities. I tried to take advantage of as many networking opportunities and networking events that they had available to us. And K-State, at least the PFP department, does a really good job of getting students in front of professionals. So that was a great opportunity because you can ask a lot of questions, and you can really learn a lot from individuals who are already in the industry. The amount of times I was able to speak to different individuals was very beneficial for me, and knowing what direction I wanted to go within the industry, where I wanted my first stepping stones to be at.”
Noah attributes a lot of his success to his great support network.
“During college, I had a lot of personal obstacles that I had to face, and getting connected with the right group of friends, having the right support system around me has been very important because that has really allowed me to take the curveballs that life throws at you and be able to weather them and not get you thrown off course. I’ve faced a lot of obstacles in my past, and that’s been the one tried-and-true method for myself; having the right support system around you. The quality of people that you hang out with has been very impactful on my ability to take a hit when life throws at you, and stand back up and keep going.
“I can’t say anything more than the support system. I know the faculty and staff in the PFP department [at K-State] were fantastic. They did a great job at supporting me in that transition, going from student to being married in college to having a child in college; there’s a lot of big twists and turns that you face.”