Benjamin Cummings, Ph.D. CFP(R)

Faculty Director, Master of Financial Planning & Analytics (MFPA) program

Orem UT UNITED STATES

Cummings is an expert in personal financial planning and behavioral finance

Media

Biography

Benjamin F. Cummings, Ph.D., CFP(R), is an Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Master of Financial Planning & Analytics (MFPA) program at Utah Valley University. He is also a Partner at Blue Barn Wealth. Benjamin has completed award-winning research and has been quoted in the media, including in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, MarketWatch, and USA Today. Previously, he taught at the American College and Saint Joseph's University and served as Scholar in Residence at CFP Board. Benjamin received a B.S. in Psychology from Utah State University and a Ph.D. in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University. When not working, Benjamin enjoys spending time with his wonderful family and volunteering for his church.

Areas of Expertise

Wealth Management

Financial Planning

Behavioral Finance

Accomplishments

AFCPE® Journal Article of the Year Award

Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) - 2015

Northwestern Mutual Best Paper Award in Insurance and Risk Management

CFP Board's Center for Financial Planning - 2019

40 Under 40

InvestmentNews - 2019

Education

Texas Tech University

Ph.D.

Personal Financial Planning

2013

Utah State University

B.S.

Psychology

2007

Media Appearances

UVU holds 4.01K race to promote a more secure financial future

Daily Herald online

2025-04-17

“It’s a way to remind you that we’re running a long-term race toward retirement,” UVU professor and Financial Planning and Analytics Program Director Benjamin Cummings said. “We’re just here to encourage and support each other. … This is a chance to increase awareness of health and wealth and show how these two things go hand in hand.”

How to save money on shopping during, after the holiday season

KUTV online

2024-12-10

Benjamin Cummings, associate professor in the financial planning program at Utah Valley University, is a strong advocate for using digital tools to stretch your holiday shopping budget.

'Buy Now Pay Later' apps gaining popularity as alternative to credit cards

KUTV online

2024-12-16

Benjamin Cummings, an Associate Professor of Financial Planning at Utah Valley University, cautioned consumers about the risks involved.

“There’s always a temptation to spend now, and then to deal with the consequences later,” Cummings said. “Do I see it growing? Probably. Is it a good idea? I’d be really cautious.”

Courses

Principles of Finance

FIN 3100

CFP Examination Preparation

FIN 5700

Wealth Management and Financial Planning Capstone

FIN 6800

Articles

Tubs, tanks, and towers: Donor strategies for donor-advised funds giving

Nonprofit Management and Leadership

2022-11-09

The increasing use of donor-advised funds (DAFs) creates challenges for nonprofit managers and fundamentally changes the way that many donors give to charity. We conducted 48 in-depth interviews with DAF donors to understand their strategies of how they give through a DAF.

Perceptions of Financial Advisors Regarding Factors That Affect the Development of Planning and Client Communication Techniques in Practice.

Journal of Financial Service Professionals

2022-01-01

This article seeks to provide insight about the development of financial advisors early in their career.

Distribution channel effects on advisor managed investment performance

Financial Services Review

2022-07-01

This study focuses on the effects that business models have on advisor managed portfolio per- formance by attempting to determine if advisors at Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firms pro- duce higher net investment results compared with advisors employed at dually registered Independent Broker/Dealer (IBD) firms.