JOHN E. GRABLE, PH.D., CFP®

Professor and Athletic Association Endowed Professor of Financial Planning, University of Georgia

Professor John Grable teaches financial planning courses at the University of Georgia, where he holds an Athletic Association Endowed Professorship. Before his academic career, he worked as a pension and benefits administrator and later as a Registered Investment Adviser at an asset management firm. Dr. Grable has contributed to the profession of financial planning in numerous ways. He founded the Journal of Personal Finance and co-founded the Journal of Financial Therapy. He was also a founding co-editor of Financial Planning Review and served as the interim editor of Financial Services Review. He is well-known for his research in financial literacy and education, financial risk tolerance assessment, behavioral financial planning, and evidence-based financial planning. Dr. Grable has received numerous research and publication awards and grants focused on promoting the connection between research and financial planning practice. Over the past quarter-century, Dr. Grable has published over 200 refereed papers, coauthored several textbooks, coauthored a book on financial planning communication skills, co-edited a book on financial planning and counseling scales, coauthored a book on financial services ethics, and contributed to a graduate-level personal finance book. Additionally, Dr. Grable has served on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC) and held leadership roles with the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) and the Financial Therapy Association. His contributions to the profession have earned him several awards, including the prestigious Cato Award for Distinguished Journalism in Financial Services, the IARFC Founders Award, the Dawley-Scholer Award for Faculty Excellence in Student Development, and the ACCI Mid-Career Award. When not teaching and publishing, he provides research and consulting services through the Financial Planning Performance Lab.

MICHELLE E. KRUGER, PH.D., CFP®

Private Practice, Augusta Georgia, and Clinical Instructor of Financial Planning, University of Georgia

Michelle E. Kruger, Ph.D., CFP®, is a distinguished financial planner, researcher, educator, and author with deep expertise in comprehensive financial planning, behavioral finance, and evidence-based practice. She currently serves as Director of Financial Planning at Focus Partners Wealth in Atlanta, Georgia, where she leads a centralized planning group and develops customized, holistic financial plans for high-net-worth and affluent households using professional planning tools, including eMoney™. In this role, she also mentors and oversees other financial planners as part of the firm’s strategic planning initiatives. Dr. Kruger holds a Ph.D. in Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics (2019) from the University of Georgia (UGA) and graduated magna cum laude with a B.B.A. in Finance from UGA’s Terry College of Business. Her doctoral dissertation focused on financial satisfaction and the joint financial management of couples, reflecting her longstanding interest in the interpersonal and behavioral dimensions of financial decision-making. Before joining Focus Partners Wealth, Dr. Kruger served as a Senior Financial Planner at Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group, a well-established fee-only comprehensive financial planning firm in Athens, Georgia, where she developed evidence-based financial plans and investment strategies for families and individuals. She also previously worked as a financial planning analyst for the same firm earlier in her career. In academia, Dr. Kruger has held roles as Assistant Professor of Finance at Loras College and as a clinical instructor at the University of Georgia, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in financial planning, including advanced financial planning seminars, computer applications in planning, practice management, and related finance subjects. Dr. Kruger is also actively engaged in research. Her work has appeared in respected peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Financial Planning, the Journal of Financial Therapy, the Financial Services Review, and Financial Planning Review. Her research explores topics such as risk tolerance assessment, financial satisfaction, and shared financial responsibilities among couples, household wealth-building behaviors, and financial planning interventions grounded in behavioral insights. Beyond traditional research, Dr. Kruger served as a financial counselor at the Love and Money Center (formerly the Aspire Clinic), an interdisciplinary teaching and research institution where financial planning services are integrated with marriage and family therapy theories to support clients’ financial and relational well-being. In addition to her academic and professional roles, Dr. Kruger is an accomplished author. She has coauthored multiple influential books in the field of financial planning, including The Fundamentals of Writing a Financial Plan, The First 50 Years of CFP® Certification: The Standard for Financial Planning, The Psychology of Financial Planning: Practitioner Resource Guide, and Financial Planning Counseling Skills. Through these works, she contributes to the development of financial planning education and the profession’s knowledge base. Dr. Kruger’s combination of academic rigor, practical planning experience, research leadership, and commitment to client-centered practice positions her as a leading voice in the financial planning profession, particularly at the intersection of behavioral science and financial planning practice.

MEGAN R. FORD, PH.D., CFT™

Clinical Assistant Professor & Director of the Love and Money Center at The University of Georgia

Megan R. Ford, Ph.D., CFT™, is a nationally recognized expert in financial therapy and interdisciplinary clinical training. She serves as Director of the Love and Money Center for Relational and Financial Well-Being and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia (UGA). In this role, she leads innovative experiential learning, research, and outreach initiatives that address the complex interplay between money, relationships, mental health, and overall well-being. Dr. Ford has been affiliated with the ASPIRE Clinic (now the Love and Money Center) at UGA since 2011, where she has coordinated one of the nation’s most comprehensive interprofessional training and service programs. The Center brings together disciplines including couple and family therapy and financial planning to provide low- to no-cost holistic services to individuals, couples, and families in the Athens, Georgia area and across the state. Under her leadership, students at the graduate and undergraduate levels gain essential skills and hands-on client experience. Dr. Ford holds a Ph.D. in Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics from the University of Georgia, a Master’s degree in Family Studies and Human Services with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Kansas State University, and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of South Dakota. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Certified Financial Therapist™ (CFT™). Her research focuses on couple relationships and money, financial conflict and communication, and holistic intervention strategies that merge emotional and financial well-being. Dr. Ford has contributed widely to the academic literature on financial therapy, including studies on physiological responses during financial discussions among couples and interdisciplinary training models that enhance client outcomes. She also developed the Ford Financial Empowerment Model (FFEM), a theoretical approach used in financial therapy education and practice. Dr. Ford has provided national leadership within the profession. She served as President of the Financial Therapy Association (FTA) from 2016–2018 and continues to contribute through committee service focused on the education, standards, and certification of financial therapists. Her work has helped shape the development of the Certified Financial Therapist™ credential and the broader financial therapy community. In addition to her scholarly and clinical work, Dr. Ford coauthored The Fundamentals of Writing a Financial Plan, a core textbook in financial planning education, and has authored numerous book chapters and journal articles on financial therapy and interdisciplinary training. Dr. Ford’s blend of academic expertise, clinical practice, and commitment to experiential learning positions her as a leading voice in financial therapy. Her work continues to advance the field by bridging rigorous research, innovative clinical models, and real-world training that enhances both student development and community well-being.