ISSUED: 30 October 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Dr. Janine Sam, Shepherd University assistant professor of business administration, recently became president of the Academy of Financial Services, a national organization that encourages research in personal financial planning and services, the development of the university curricula in the financial services field, and interaction between financial services professionals and academics.
Scott, a certified financial planner who oversees Shepherd’s financial planning program, attended the Academy of Financial Services annual meeting October 15-16, which overlaps with the Financial Planning Association annual conference October 16-18 in Minneapolis. On October 16 during a joint research day for both events, Sam presented a paper she co-authored titled “Life insurance Ownership—A Perspective from Relationship Quality.”
“The paper touches on the marital relationship and how the quality of that marriage is more important to the female than the male when it comes to purchasing life insurance,” Sam said. “If a female is happy in her marriage, she is more likely to purchase life insurance. If the quality of the relationship is not so great, that might cause her to delay purchasing life insurance.”
Sam said this study, which focuses on life insurance ownership with the spouse as the beneficiary, may be the first to add behavioral factors of spousal relationship as a measurement of life insurance ownership. The results suggest that the quality of the relationship with the spouse is a strong, dominating factor of life insurance ownership.
Sam, who was quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio news story produced during the meetings, has attended both for about 10 years. She said they offer professional development and the opportunity to network and collaborate with financial planners and program directors from across the country.
“It’s good for me as an academic as well as a program director,” Sam said. “I learn about conferences, competitions, and scholarship opportunities for students.”
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