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 Robert J. Schumann, MA, MDIV, MBA, CFP®, ChFC, EA, AIF® is a third generation academic, teacher and minister. He holds three Master’s degrees: an MBA from The Ohio State University with a major in capital markets, an MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in Hebrew & Semitic Studies & a minor in Linguistics and an MDIV from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. The graduate studies forced him to learn eleven different languages, most of which are now dead languages and of no practical use.
Bob’s interest in economics and capital markets goes back to 1983 when he was a graduate student at the UW-Madison. His new insurance agent persuaded him to exchange his existing policy for a “better” one. Six months later he received a phone call from a former classmate of his father’s who was now a Vice President at American Express. Carl helped him realize this was the fourth time in 16 years that a new insurance agent from the same company had persuaded him to surrender one whole life insurance policy for another and that perhaps he should have purchased term insurance in the first place. Carl introduced Bob to the IRA and mutual funds as a better way to save for retirement than life insurance and annuities.
During the next 6 months, Bob found himself repeatedly checking out large stacks of finance books from the UW library, including the Lipper’s report on mutual funds. In April of 1984 he opened two IRAs and made his first investment in four NO LOAD mutual funds. The decision changed his life in ways he could have never imagined. He had begun investing at the beginning of the longest bull market in history. The unknown funds he selected with names like Vanguard became household names. His interest turned into an avocation and his reputation for research and solid investment advice spread among family members and fellow clergy.
The avocation became a second career after he retired from the public ministry in 1994. While he was teaching “Career Development and Life Planning” as an Adjunct Professor at Columbus State Community College, a brother-in-law called to ask for financial advice. At the end of the conversation, Bob’s sister asked if he had ever considered “doing this for a living”? As a professional counselor Bob had witnessed the conflict and unhappiness caused by dysfunctional money beliefs and habits. It seemed like a perfect fit for his life long interest in helping people and the skills he had acquired in his first career.
Today Bob is a Senior Advisor and founding Partner of Cambridge Financial Advisors, LLC. He is also a founding partner and the Chief Advice Officer of People’s Financial Advisor, LLC an SEC registered internet investment advisor. He is a NAPFA-Registered Personal Financial Advisor and a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP). He is a Certified Financial Planner licensee, Chartered Financial Consultant and Registered Investment Advisor. He holds inactive Series 6 and Ohio insurance licenses. He is an Enrolled Agent, licensed by the IRS to represent taxpayers in all 50 states. He is an authorized advisor for the distribution of proprietary DFA no-load funds. As an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® he meets federal standards of ERISA and PPA (Pension Protection Act of 2006) for advisors who give investment advice to sponsors of and/or participants in 401(k) and other Qualified Retirement Plans. The Paladin Registry of Personal Financial Advisors has given him its highest rating of 5-stars.
He and his clients have been quoted in numerous printed and online publications including The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Smart Money, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Money Magazine, MSN Money, the Columbus Dispatch and Columbus Business First. TV appearances include the WCMH Channel 4 News and the NBC Today Show. He is a contributor to Tips from the Top--Targeted Advice from America's Top Money Minds, edited by Edie Milligan and published by Alpha, 2003.
He and his wife, Jana, live with three of their four children and one granddaughter, in Buena Vista, CO. |
