The classes Brian Jamison '20 took at Muhlenberg prepared him for his current position as a certified financial planner in wealth management — quite literally.

Last spring, when Jamison began studying for his CFP® certification, he turned to textbooks from his Muhlenberg courses for portions of the test. 

"It's all stuff that I learned in school, so it was just kind of a refresher, to be honest," says Jamison, a four-year member of the Mule men's wrestling team who graduated with a double major in business administration and finance. 

Jamison passed the test in July, received his certification from the CFP® board, and currently works as an associate financial advisor at the Doylestown Private Wealth Group, an advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. 

Jamison has been working for his current employer since even before his graduation. He received the job offer in March of his senior year, just before Covid shut everything down, and hit the ground running, doing training remotely while still completing his degree in preparation for his official start in June.

Beginning as a financial planning analyst, Jamison found comfort in the small company, which consists of only two advisors. "My desk was right outside of the two advisors' offices, and they would leave the door open for me to basically just listen and see how they talk to clients, how they hold meetings, all that," he says. "And as more of a hands-on person, I need to hear things and practice them."

It was similar to the small, close-knit community that allowed Jamison to thrive at Muhlenberg. Jamison says he struggled in his first few finance courses where "you had to put in crazy amounts of work," but the relationships he developed with his professors enabled him to get back on track. Jamison reached out to one of those professors, Roger Slane, lecturer in economics and finance, when he was preparing for his certification.

"I always feel like it's good to let them know that the job that they're doing is very important and meaningful, and it really helps throughout life," says Jamison of his former professors. 

As he is transitioning into his new role as a full financial advisor, Jamison is still doing prep work to help his company's lead advisor, who has more than 20 years of experience, service his clients. But he's also holding meetings of his own as well as beginning to build out his book. 

Jamison is also helping former teammate Dylan Schwartz '20 coach the wrestling team at Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown. And just as he did in his professional life, Jamison leaned on his Muhlenberg experience, getting coaching advice from Head Coach Jason McLean '01 and several assistant coaches.

"Muhlenberg really has provided a lot of mentors for me," he says.