PDS Planning Internship Program
Since 1985, PDS Planning has sought to eliminate the stress often associated with financial planning. We understand that our work goes beyond business and has a personal impact on families and their legacies. Our team of forward-thinking leaders, expert planners, and staff approach financial decisions the same way we approach investing our own money and work to create personal relationships along the way.
Because how we do business is just as important as what we do, we are committed to developing our team members, both existing and new. One way we do this is through our PDS Internship Program. While interns may not come on-board with PDS following their internship, we are proud that our program has hosted several talented professionals over the years. In fact, our Chief Investment and Compliance Officer and Shareholder, Kurt Brown began as an intern in 2008 before moving his way through the organization to become a member of the leadership team.
The PDS Internship Program allows us to work closely with very motivated students with a passion to learn and desire to take the next step with their career paths. The program is designed to help the students to understand the different parts of the business and identify if this is an ideal career path for them.
Each year we hire one intern with the goal of keeping them on throughout the entire school year, offering flexibility to work around their class schedule and coursework. We believe the best way to complement what they’re learning throughout the semester is with hands-on, real world experience.
While we don’t hire interns from one particular school or another, we do focus on schools within the Central Ohio region. Similarly, we don’t limit our internship candidates to one specific major, but we’ve had really good luck hiring finance or consumer and family financial services students, which is the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) track.
Our hope is that our interns’ experiences with us help to pave the way to their success after college. At PDS, interns dive into all aspects of the business such as investments, financial planning, taxes, insurance and estate planning. This allows them to learn a variety of areas within wealth management and to envision where their futures may land.
Our current intern, Grant Van Winkle, a Consumer & Financial Family Service student at The Ohio State University, confirms, “I have been able to see so many different facets and aspects of financial planning, learn much detail about those aspects, and most importantly have learned how to really implement them into a true holistic financial plan.”
It is our hope that this approach also helps our interns to gain a sense of responsibility and confidence, in addition to experience and a better understanding of the industry. Grant agrees, “In school, you’re taught so many principles and equations, but they never throw you in the software and let you gain meaningful experience, which is what I have been able to do here, and am very thankful for.”
It is certainly not just our interns who benefit from the Internship Program, as our entire organization is better because of it. Our interns’ enthusiastic energy has helped us move forward with many initiatives. And several of our interns are now full-time members of the PDS Planning team, which helps us to continue to grow the program.
In addition to our current PDS team members who began as interns, we also love seeing past interns who are thriving with their careers in New York City, Chicago, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati to name a few. Of his experience as an intern, Kurt says, “I was very fortunate to start at PDS as an intern back in 2008.” He goes on to say, “The experience of working closely with Bob Cochran truly helped shape my career to where I am today.”
Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that any specific investment, strategy, or product or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this newsletter, will be suitable for your individual situation, or prove successful. This material is distributed by PDS Planning, Inc. and is for information purposes only. Although information has been obtained from and is based upon sources PDS Planning believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy. It is provided with the understanding that no fiduciary relationship exists because of this report. Opinions expressed in this report are not necessarily the opinions of PDS Planning and are subject to change without notice. PDS Planning assumes no liability for the interpretation or use of this report. Consultation with a qualified investment advisor is recommended prior to executing any investment strategy. No portion of this publication should be construed as legal or accounting advice. If you are a client of PDS Planning, please remember to contact PDS Planning, Inc., in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives. All rights reserved.