Derek T. Tharp, Ph.D., CFP®, CLU®, RICP®

Derek T. Tharp, Ph.D., CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, is an Associate Professor of Finance and Program Director for the CFP Board Registered Program at the University of Southern Maine. Professor Tharp specializes in retirement and family economic well-being. His aging-related research includes factors that contribute to financial well-being among older adults, as well as tax and retirement income planning that promotes positive financial outcomes for those in and near retirement. Professor Tharp’s work has received awards such as the Robert O. Herrmann Outstanding Dissertation Award (2018), CFP Board’s Emerging Scholar Best Paper Award (2020), and the CFP Board’s Center for Financial Planning Best Paper Award in Diversity and Inclusion in Financial Planning (2021). He blogs at the Wall Street Journal’s Experts Blog and has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Professor Tharp is also the founder of Conscious Capital, LLC, and serves as a senior advisor to Income Lab.