Joyce Schnur, MBA, CFP®

Biography:

Before joining Kaplan Schweser as vice president and manager of CFP^® instructors, Joyce had over 20 years of personal financial counseling experience including serving as a senior manager of an international accounting firm, during which time she advised many executives, directors of Fortune 500 Companies as well as small business owners. Throughout her career, Joyce has been a frequent lecturer on many financial planning topics including stock options and estate planning. She is also an instructor for various financial planning courses including fundamentals, income tax, retirement and estate planning. Joyce holds an MBA in finance from Duquesne University and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Grove City College. Joyce is a co-author of Kaplan Financial’s Personal Financial Planning Theory and Practice and an author and editor for the Executive Tax & Management Report. She is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.

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Cindy R. Hart Riecke, CLU, ChFC, CFP®

Biography:

Cindy has served as Director of Product Development since 2005, managing a team of subject-matter experts responsible for authoring and editing all Kaplan Schweser study materials for the CFP^® Certification Examination and content for its education programs. She also serves as lead subject-matter expert and technical editor for the content development of Schweser CFP^® Exam study materials and financial planning courses and textbooks. Prior to joining Kaplan Schweser, Cindy served as Director of Marketing Development for an international insurance and financial services company and an instructor in the areas of advanced financial planning, insurance, retirement, and estate planning. Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the Louisiana State University and has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations. In addition, she is co-author of Kaplan Financial’s Personal Financial Planning Theory and Practice and Personal Financial Planning Cases and Applications textbooks and the Schweser Review for the CFP^® Certification Examination. Cindy has also been involved in grant writing for local educational institutions.

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Kathy L. Berlin, CPA (inactive)

Biography:

Kathy’s role as lead subject-matter expert and technical editor includes authoring and editing Kaplan Schweser study materials for the CFP^® Certification Examination and its education programs. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, La. Prior to joining Kaplan Schweser, Kathy was a CFO of a large non-profit organization. She has successfully passed the CFP^® Certification Examination and is co-author of Kaplan Financial’s Personal Financial Planning Theory and Practice and Personal Financial Planning Cases and Applications textbooks and the Schweser Review for the CFP^® Certification Examination.

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Michael Long, CLU, ChFC, CFP®

Biography:

Mike is responsible for providing support to students and, as such, is involved in creating content for the Kaplan Schweser website. Prior to joining Kaplan Schweser, Mike was a sales manager and instructor for a national life and casualty insurance company. He holds a Bachelors degree from Indiana State University and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations.

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James Maher, CLU, ChFC, CFP®

Biography:

Jim serves as a subject-matter expert, primarily in the areas of investments and insurance planning. He is a former securities and insurance instructor for Kaplan Financial and has been a General Securities Representative, providing financial services and products to high net worth clients. Jim earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University and has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations. Jim is a co-author of Kaplan Financial’s Personal Financial Planning Theory and Practice and the Schweser Review for the CFP^® Certification Examination.

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Jeff Mershon, CFP®, MBA, CPA

Biography:

Jeff Mershon, Associate Director at Kaplan University, holds an M.B.A. degree in finance and accounting from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management (Ithaca, New York), and is a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant.

Jeff has been involved for nearly 10 years in the education and regulation of financial planners and has provided consulting services to many organizations within the financial planning profession. Most recently he served as Director of Curriculum Development for the College for Financial Planning (Denver, Colorado), where he was responsible for the development and maintenance of all curricula. Prior to that, Jeff was Assistant Executive Director and Director of Post-Certification for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. in Denver.

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Peter Blackwell, MBA, CEP, CFP®

Biography:

Mr. Blackwell's resume includes experience as Academic Coordinator, Rollins College Financial Planning Certificate Program (1993-1997). He also is a Review Instructor, formerly of BISYS Education Services, one of only a few in the nation teaching all CFP Board Topics. He is a former presenter, for Disney Institute, Vice President and co-owner, Aegis Financial Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser and is an author of teaching materials, test questions and cases.

Mr. Blackwell is a former Director, Institute of Certified Financial Planners (now the Financial Planning Association) and holds an MBA from Wharton School of Finance and a BA from Cornell University.

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Ed Clark, CASL, ChFC

Biography:

Mr. Clark is a base course and CFP® Live Review instructor. He earned his BS in mathematics from Brigham Young University in 1994. He received his Chartered Advisor for Senior Living in 2005.

He has a combined 12 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, including 5 years as a property-casualty actuary (State Farm Insurance), and 7 years managing his own multi-line insurance and financial services agency (Ed Clark Insurance Agency, Inc.-State Farm Insurance). He is Series 6 and 63 licensed.

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Dr. David Durr, Ph.D., CFA, CFP®

Biography:

Mr. Durr holds the Endowed Chair in Investment Management at Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky. He is Associate Professor of finance at Murray State University where he teaches classes in investments and portfolio management. Mr. Durr earned his Ph.D. in finance from the University of North Texas in 1995. H received his M.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University and his B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a member of the Financial Planning Association and also the American Finance Association. His current areas of research interest include: corporate governance issues, multinational financial management, hedging with derivatives, and securitized real estate.

Mr. Durr has published articles in Advances in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, and Advances in Taxation. His credit als include Co-author of Dalton CFA® Review: Study Notes Volume I and II. (Dalton Publications, L.L.C.).

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James McHale, CFP®, CPA

Biography:

James McHale, currently owns his own financial planning and insurance practice in San Francisco. Prior positions include those of accounting manager and controller/contract manager. He holds an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo where he also taught undergraduate accounting courses.

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John J. Pallaria, MBA, CHFC, CFP®

Biography:

Manages a team of relationship managers that are responsible for the overall client servicing of Principal's retirement business in New England.

Mr. Pallaria is a previous Relationship Manager within Scudder Investment's retirement division and has also worked as a Portfolio Accountant with Putnam Investments. He received his BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance from Merrimack College in Massachusetts and received his MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Mr. Pallaria received Certificate in Financial Planning from Merrimack College in 2001 and obtained Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) from The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA in 2002. Mr. Pallaria is an adjunct faculty member at Boston University and teaches Retirement Planning, Income Tax Planning and Estate Planning in BU's CFP® Board-approved Program. He is also a former adjunct faculty member in Merrimack College's CFP® Board-approved Program.

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David Pouso, CFP®

Biography:

Mr. Pouso is Senior Manager in the Los Angeles Personal Financial Services group of a Big 4 accounting firm. He has over ten years of financial planning experience, focusing on financial planning for corporate executives as well as financial planning and financial education for general employee populations. Areas of planning include retirement, income tax, estate and gift taxes, and fundamentals of investments, personal insurance, equity-based compensation, cash flow and debt management, and employee benefits.

He has extensive speaking experience to employee groups on financial planning topics and attended the New England School of Law; Boston, Massachusetts (Juris Doctor) and attended the University at Albany; The State University of New York Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Business. Mr. Pouso was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is a member of Professionals in Human Resources Association, Los Angeles Chapter.

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Kristi M. Tafalla, JD, MS, ChFC, CFP®

Biography:

Ms. Tafalla is an Attorney and Personal Financial Planner specializing in Personal Income Tax and Estate Planning. Ms. Tafalla teaches estate planning, income tax planning and comprehensive case course through various CFP Board-Registered Programs. She is former Director of Product Development, Advanced Designations for BISYS Education Services.

Ms. Tafalla received her Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and holds a Masters of Science in Accounting with a Tax Specialty from the University of New Orleans. She also holds Bachelors of Civil Law from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from Loyola University, New Orleans. Ms. Tafall is a member of the American Bar Association (Sections: Real Estate; Probate and Trust; Income Tax; Family Law; Business Law), the Louisiana Bar Association (Licensed to practice in Louisiana), and the Financial Planning Association. She is also a Contributor to the Personal Financial Planning: Theory and Practice, 1st and 2nd and 3rd editions, contributor BISYS Review for the CFP® Certification Examination: Volume I - Outlines and Study Guides, Volume II - Problems and Solutions, Volume III - Case Exam Book, Mock Exams A-1 and A-2, 5th, 6th and 7th and 8th editions.

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Chris White, CFP®

Biography:

Chris White has experience in financial services since 1993. Mr. White prepares comprehensive financial plans for clients and their families, including tax, retirement, investments, asset allocation, insurance needs analysis, business succession issues, special capital needs, and estate planning.

He is experienced in administering trusts, agency and custodial accounts, IRAs, and private foundations. Previously served at Fidelity Investments, designing and implementing retirement plans for small businesses and their owners, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati chapter of the Financial Planning Association; curriculum instructor since 1998.

Mr. White holds his MBA with a concentration in Taxation from Xavier University and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Cincinnati.

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