The Finance Club provided a unique opportunity for students during the first meeting of the semester by welcoming guest speakers, Ryan Wood and Scott Hernandez of financial planning firm, AXA.

Wood started off the presentation by informing students of the importance of their profession.

“Money is the number one leading cause of stress, divorce, and the second leading cause of depression.” Wood said, “This is why it is important to always have a plan.”

Though Wood said having a plan is imperative, he thinks most of their job is outside of the realm of financial advising.

Scott elaborated emphasizing communication in terms of relationships as an essential skill of being efficient.

“We can train people on many things for the job, but there are inherent skills they need to know before they can work diligently in the field.”

Wood and Scott agreed that 90% of their work is building relationships and only 10% is actually helping the client.

Scott also encouraged students to have specified designations to get a step closer to the career in which they are aiming.

After the meeting, Finance Club President Isaac Hernandez spoke passionately about the opportunities the club will be offering students this semester.

“We want to bring students the best opportunities in networking and career alignment,” Isaac said. “We are currently developing workshops, collaborations with other universities and other engaging activities!”

He believes students are curious about their own skills and how they can utilize them in the finance industry.

For more information about the Finance Club, please email president, Isaac Hernandez at ihernandez3@txwes.edu.