We are excited to hold the 10th year of LIFEvest this summer! We know the last few weeks have been challenging and busy so the deadline to apply to our 2020 Pacific Life LIFEvest Financial Literacy Summer Program has been extended! Students will be admitted on a rolling basis so apply ASAP before we fill up!
Update: In order to prioritize the safety and wellness of our students in light of the developing situation with COVID-19, we are rescheduling our program to the following Saturdays in October:
Our program will be delivered in person at the Paul Merage School of Business, and we will continue to follow safety protocols and procedures. Our program is no longer residential, however, students that participate in these three Saturday sessions will have the opportunity to join us in the summer of 2022 at UC Irvine for a two night overnight Junior Camp Programming.
Applications are still being accepted on a rolling basis, apply using the button below.
PROGRAM INFO | INVOLVEMENT | TESTIMONIALS | ALUMNI | SOCIAL MEDIA
The Pacific Life LIFEvest Financial Literacy Program, hosted by the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business, is a weeklong, on-campus program dedicated to helping underserved 9th and 10th grade students from Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. The program, now in its 9th year, is designed for high school students who have the potential to be first generation college students. The program strives to strengthen an understanding in financial matters, expose students to a college campus, encourage admission to a college or university, explore various career fields, teach social etiquette skills, and inspire confidence and success in all areas of life.
LIFEvest has received a $2 million gift from the Pacific Life Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Newport Beach-based insurance company.
"Through the partnership, we aim to instill a lifelong curiosity in personal finance and provide students the necessary financial skills and confidence to pursue a college education."
Read more here.
Kara Duckworth, CFP®
Duckworth Wealth Advisors
LIFEvest Chairperson
Kara is a wealth manager and the firm’s Managing Director of Client Experience and Client Advisor. She manages client relationships, provides financial planning services and serves on the firm’s investment committee. Think of her as a friend who will tell you the truth. Kara also manages the firm’s personal office services. To Kara, seeing a client achieve a dream is the most rewarding part of her job.
Named a “5-Star Wealth Manager” by Orange Coast magazine, Kara attended UC Riverside and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Financial Planner® and a member of the Financial Planning Association. Kara sits on the board of the Center for Investment and Wealth Management for the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. As if that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she also chaired the steering committee for the school’s Financial Literacy Summer Residential Program for five years.
Tere Segarra
Pacific Life Foundation
Feroz Ansari
Compak Asset Management
Senior Principal and Portfolio Manager. He is a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner™)
Prior to joining Compak, Feroz worked in banking and treasury management. He held positions at Banque Indosuez, Faysal Bank and Emirates Bank International. Feroz has over 22 years of experience in banking, treasury management, asset allocation
Feroz enjoys playing golf with his two boys and he loves to read and stay informed. He likes to travel to different places to play golf with his boys. He has had one “hole in one” and his lowest score was 79, but that was 15 years ago! Now he is happy to break 90. Feroz has a passion for reading and learning. He belongs to a local book club that is mostly comprised of his close friends.
Feroz has also been selected to serve on the Client Advisory Council of Wealth Advisor Services at Fidelity Investment Institutional Service Company. He is also active in the local community. He serves on the Board of Advisors of
Chad Bollenbach
Canterbury Consulting
Chad Bollenbach is an investment consultant to families and institutions and assists clients with asset allocation, portfolio construction
Stuart Blair
Canterbury Consulting
As the director of research and a shareholder of the firm, Mr. Blair is responsible for all functions related to research on investment managers, asset classes, and capital markets. Mr. Blair oversees the activities for all five of Canterbury’s Asset Class Committees, serving as chair of the Hedge Funds and Private Equity Manager Research Committees, as well as the Capital Markets and the Canterbury Outsourced CIO Committees. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Blair was the director of public equity and research at Sobrato Capital, the securities investment platform of The Sobrato Organization. There his responsibilities included broad asset class research, manager due diligence on public and private assets, and tax optimization of both taxable investment pools and a large charitable foundation. Prior to Sobrato Capital, Mr. Blair was a senior analyst at Canterbury, where he focused on asset allocation, manager research, and capital market assumptions. Mr. Blair holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from California State University, Long Beach and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.
Ashley Bleckner
Ellevest
Ms. Bleckner is
Actively involved in the community, Ashley is a member of ProVisors, the Orange County FPA, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), and CalCPA. Ashley has volunteered her time on a number of philanthropic projects, including the Center of Investment and Wealth Management at UCI (LIFEvest), “It’s Your Money,” Alzheimer’s Association, and is a co-founder of the Austin Kudzia Scholarship.
Ashley has previously studied in Florence, Italy and has taught several college classes in Economics. Ms. Bleckner has a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from Miami University and a Masters of Arts in Economics from Bowling Green State University.
Ashley lives in Capistrano Beach with her two dogs, Ella & Fitzgerald, and her fiance. Her hypo-allergenic pups sometimes even grace the office with their presence. She spends her weekends with them at the beach and exploring the beautiful outdoors that California has to offer. Ashley also has a passion for travel, education and the arts.
Wendy Chen
Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management
Wendy Chen is a relationship manager in CIBC Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management's Newport Beach office, with more than 16 years of industry experience. In this role, her primary focus is to manage client relationships and implement strategies designed to help clients achieve their financial goals.
She also works closely with clients and their advisors to create and implement tailored wealth management solutions and contributes to several of the firm’s employee engagement and women’s initiatives.
Wendy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in legal studies from the University of California, Berkeley and volunteers with the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County. Additionally, she sits on the advisory board for the Center of Investment and Wealth Management at the University of California, Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business.
Marleny Cheshire
BNY Mellon
Chris Lum
PAAMCO Prisma
Kevin Wiest
Windes
Kevin has nearly 20 years of experience in public accounting and is a partner in the firm’s Tax & Accounting Services department. Prior to joining Windes in 2019, Kevin was a partner with an established regional public accounting firm, where he specialized in Estates & Trusts.
Kevin’s professional focus is helping high-net-worth individuals and their families minimize taxes through his extensive knowledge of individual income tax, estate and transfer taxes, fiduciary income tax, gift tax,
Kevin also has experience in fiduciary accountings prepared for trusts and estates and filed with courts of law supporting mediation and litigation where beneficiary disputes have arisen.
Hyun Swanson
UC Office of the President
Hyun is a seasoned benefits professional with over 20 years of experience. Early in her career, she was a consultant at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, helping clients design and implement competitive benefit programs. She then moved into an internal HR role as global benefits manager at AES Corporation, overseeing health and retirement plans strategy and administration.
Hyun joined the University Of California’s Office of the President in 2013 and now serves as the Director of the UC Retirement Savings Program. Among her many responsibilities is managing the systemwide program operations and communications/education initiatives, which feature robust resources to help UC faculty and staff build retirement readiness. “Success” to her means that employees understand UC’s generous retirement benefits, as well as make smart financial decisions that will ensure that their money lasts through retirement.
Hyun holds a BA in Economics from Johns Hopkins and a MPH from Yale. An East Coast native, she currently lives with her husband and two kids in beautiful Irvine, CA.
All donations directly support the LIFEvest student scholarships. It is the Center’s goal to create an endowment or receive multiple year pledges from donors to provide LIFEvest program scholarships to at least 100 students annually. Together, we can create a brighter future – helping teens build a meaningful life plan by creating lasting financial and educational goals.
Black Tie Gala
Hearts for Children
Sponsor-A-Scholar ($2,100)
Endowed UCI CIWM LIFEvest Student Scholarship ($50,000)
Endowed UCI CIWM LIFEvest Financial Literacy Program Sponsor ($5,000,000)
My daughter is Raquel Ornelas and she participated in LIFEvest about 4 years ago. Since then Raquel was awarded a 4-year scholarship for high school over 200k! She still remembers the program and will take about it to friends from time to time. I myself believe that this is a great course for teenagers.
– Juana O. (Racquel’s Mother) –
The UCI LIFEvest Financial Literacy “blessed” my daughter Malia with incredible and priceless information and most of all, great insight into the financial industry. We are grateful!
– Gale N. (Malia’s Mother) –
What are the top 3 things you learned from the Financial Literacy Program and how have they helped you?
I learned about stocks and bonds and how to handle a business of my own. This program has helped train me to own my own business as well as how to build a strong relationship with the people you work with. You can't just show up to work and not interact with other employees, you have to show up and treat others with respect so that you can still operate your business successfully.
I learned to develop better speaking skills during the time that I was there and now I'm able to present in front of groups without being timid. I also learned how to work better in teams. The group project that we worked on helped me get a better understanding of how to manage a group, the time, and share responsibilities to get the job done. All these things that I learned have helped me become a better developed student.
I learned many things from the Financial Literacy Program that have currently helped me in many ways. One of the biggest things I learned at this program that will always stay with me is that it doesn't matter what situation you come from, if you have the willpower and put effort into everything you do, you can accomplish almost anything. Hearing other people's stories have really encouraged me and have made me work harder towards my dreams.
The Center helps LIFEvest alumni stay informed and connected by hosting various annual events, such as the UCI Basketball Homecoming Game in March and bowling in October. In addition, the Center sends out a monthly newsletter, “The Legacy” to all LIFEvest alumni and has initiated a mentorship program whereby LIFEvest Alumni are matched up with a current UCI Undergraduate Students so as to assist and guide alumni to be successful in high school and the college going preparation.
You will be notified when a decision has been made on your application and acceptance into the program. Thank you for your interest!
More information:
Liliana Lucas
949.824.2675
llucas1@uci.edu
