Michael Lohr is about to finish the master’s program in Texas Tech’s School of Financial Planning and looks forward to helping others better their financial prospects.
When Michael started his undergraduate work at Texas Tech University in the mid-2010s, he was pre-med, until he figured out that was someone else’s dream, not his.
Now with a bachelor’s of business administration in management from the university’s Jerry S. Rawls College of Business, he is working full-time as a financial planning consultant at Fidelity Investments in the Dallas area while pursuing his Professional Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning through the School of Financial Planning in the College of Health & Human Sciences. The advanced degree is offered in partnership with the university’s Graduate School, Texas Tech Online and Texas Tech DFW.
Choosing by Example
Michael’s brother Matt earned a finance degree from the Rawls College in 2010, and Michael had been observing him from a young age, since Matt is 10 years older than he is. When it came to college, Michael knew he wanted to be far enough away from home so that his parents couldn’t just show up, but close enough to go home on the weekends if he wanted to.
“I saw my brother get to do that when I was younger,” Michael said. “I was like, ‘Oh, he’s getting to go off and do all this fun stuff – I want to do that, too.’”
When Michael visited Texas Tech during his senior year of high school, he fell in love with it. In-state tuition had much to do with the decision as well, since he had to borrow money for the undergrad degree. Going to a private or out-of-state institution was not on the table for him.
About a year and a half or so in, he knew he was not on the right path; pre-med was not what he wanted. He was a second-semester sophomore and realized he needed to get a degree and begin his career.
“I knew of the reputation of the Rawls College of Business and knew I could make a living in the business field,” Michael said.
Again, following in Matt’s footsteps, Michael joined Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity but didn’t have a lot of time to be involved. His last couple years he worked as a bartender and a server at Chuy’s restaurant and was kept busy with his time split between school and his job.
But he wasn’t too busy to fall in love. He met Emily Lippmann in classes at the Rawls College. They both graduated in August 2021, she with a BBA in marketing, and they actually got to walk the stage one after the other, which Michael said was pretty cool. She works from home doing research for venture capitalist firms. Right out of college, before she got that position and Michael started at Fidelity, he was doing door-to-door sales for AT&T, and she was pitching Spectrum cable service at Walmart.
“We both were doing basically 100% commission jobs before this,” Michael said. “Yeah, it was fun – not.”
Financial Discovery
Michael didn’t discover financial planning until he got to Fidelity. His first role was as a customer relationship advocate helping clients with account maintenance, security trades, wire transfers and password resets. He realized what little knowledge he had about the topic, and he saw that their clients had even less knowledge about the industry. That inspired him to be an advisor and learn what he is doing now.
Michael never thought he’d pursue a master’s degree, mostly because it took him five years to get his bachelor’s, which also earned him quite a bit of debt. Trying to buy a house and start a life, he wasn’t sure about being more in the red. As a financial planner, he said there was no way for him to justify taking on more student debt.
Also, he had been out of college since 2021, and he knew he wouldn’t be up for taking a traditional master’s program, disciplining himself and studying through the topics. He had seen many associates and colleagues try to do it themselves: Life happens. They push it off, and they never get it done.
Then Michael discovered Fidelity’s tuition reimbursement program for employees wanting to pursue post-graduate education. When Michael heard about Texas Tech’s professional master’s program and that it was offered in a hybrid format, he knew he had the mechanism to go all in. With additional help from his family, he was able to begin the program.
“I figured, ‘Hey, I love Texas Tech. Why not get another degree from them, my alma mater?”’ Michael said. “And it’s structured. I know I have to get stuff done in a certain amount of time. Before we get married and have kids, I need to get it all done now. The program will help me prepare for the CFP® exam in July. I never thought I would get my master’s degree, and I’m so close to being done.”
When the Texas Tech hybrid program started in Fall 2017, it was exclusive to Fidelity employees. The School of Financial Planning was able to recruit large cohorts because it was allowed to use space for teaching at the Fidelity site in Westlake, near Dallas. The plan was beneficial for Fidelity, as employees seeking the degree could wrap up their workday and then go to class. It expanded to all Red Raider applicants in fall 2024.
Sonya Lutter, professor of practice and director of Financial Health & Wellness in the School of Financial Planning, has been overseeing Texas Tech’s master’s program.
“The professional master’s degree program provides in-person collaborative discussion and experiential learning that helps busy students be successful,” Lutter said. “Students can sit in the classroom at Texas Tech DFW for one Saturday per month and earn their master’s degree as they complete the rest of their work online when it fits their schedule. It is a rigorous program, so the monthly touch points help students stay on track.”
She describes Michael as a dedicated student who has overcome life challenges and remains committed to helping others achieve their goals.
But for him, staying on track has been challenging. Michael explained that he held three job titles just in 2024 because of two promotions. He supports two advisors, a vice president and a financial consultant. He builds financial plans for people and gives recommendations about different products. He has an hour commute each way to the office, but he has three dogs and a cat who wake him up early. He also trained for a half-marathon during the holiday season.
He and Emily got engaged last April and have had all the planning going on, with a wedding date set for early May this year – not long before he graduates May 16. His future sister-in-law is graduating the weekend after the wedding; he takes his CFP® exam in July.
Michael admitted he was exhausted, but he's excited for what his future holds after graduating.
Possible and Attainable
Being so close to the completion of his master’s, Michael is still wide-eyed at what has transpired in the short time he’s been working on it. But he knows he could not have accomplished it without Texas Tech and the School of Financial Planning in the mix.
“When I look back two years ago, at this time I’m in a completely different situation in my life, and I’m still the same person, which is crazy,” Michael said with a grin.
“No matter what you are studying at Texas Tech or where you come from, as a Red Raider, you can achieve anything you want in your career. I started college studying biology and graduated with a business degree. Now, I am a financial advisor at an amazing firm that truly makes a difference. I would not be where I am today without Texas Tech.”