Jared Bravard

“The best thing to me about financial planning is the ability to help people. That’s something that has been a value of mine since I was little."

-Jared Bravard

Jared Bravard hopes to become a financial planner and write in his spare time. When he’s not studying, Jared enjoys playing golf, reading, watching sports, and playing video games.

Get to know Jared

• Majors: Financial counseling and planning, journalism and mass communication
• Class: Senior
• Hometown: Granger, Iowa (Dallas and Polk counties)
• Career goal: Financial planner, sports reporter, or both
• Clubs/activities: Financial Planning Association Ames Student Chapter, Greenlee School TV, Iowa State Daily, Cyclone Hockey broadcasting
• Awards/honors: Dean’s list, Academic Recognition Award, Cardinal Leadership Scholar Award I, Journalism General Scholarship
• Favorite place on campus: Central campus
• Most influential ISU mentor: Carolyn Steckelberg
• Favorite classes: HD FS 383, Fundamentals of Financial Planning; ADVRT 497K, Sports and the Media in a Digital 24/7 World; COMST 102, Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
• Why Iowa State: Was familiar with the campus, liked the financial counseling and planning certified programs

Jared Bravard aims to help people navigate finances through financial planning

During his senior year of high school, Jared Bravard took a financial literacy class on a whim. He ended up liking it so much that he took the second part of the class the following semester, and did some digging to find that financial counseling and planning was a major he could pursue at Iowa State University.

Jared became interested in the financial counseling and planning major because of the prospect of helping others, and the two important certifications that Iowa State offers within its coursework that help set you apart in the field.

“Personal finances can be very confusing, and everyone has a financial situation,” Jared said. “Thinking about providing someone with the resources and knowledge to help better their financial situation is something that excites me.”

Jared also has another major in journalism, with a specific interest in sports reporting. In the future, Jared hopes to be able to work in both fields, working as a financial planner full time and using his spare time for freelance writing.

“I’m glad that I’m graduating with two majors,” Jared said. “Being able to complete both of these degrees within four years, I think it gives me multiple options in the future. Knowing that I have two areas I can go into and something I can fall back on if needed is something that comforts me.”

Jared has stayed active on and off campus to further his skills; student organizations he’s been involved in include the Financial Planning Association, Greenlee School TV, and the Iowa State Daily. He also spent a summer as a paraplanner for Brian Fiala, a practicing financial planner in West Des Moines. In that role, he learned all about the industry firsthand.

“Everyone does their practice a little differently and that was my first experience with it,” Jared said. “It was good to see a working example of what I had learned in class in the real world.”

After graduation, Jared hopes to find a job in his home state of Iowa, but said he wouldn’t close any doors if opportunities arose out of state. The only thing on Jared’s mind for the future is helping people through his work.

“The best thing to me about financial planning is the ability to help people,” he said. “That’s something that has been a value of mine since I was little. When I learned about the field, I saw that as an opportunity to fulfill my desire to do that.”