Laying the Groundwork for Financial Success While in College

For 15 years, Barrett Wragg has worked at T. Rowe Price in Maryland, currently serving as a divisional sales manager. When not working, Barrett Wragg enjoys speaking publicly, and has frequently addressed students on matters of personal finance and financial planning. Often, students wonder what they can do to prepare for future financial success while still in school.

In college, preparing for the future means investing in one’s own earning potential through networking opportunities and education. The focus should be less on saving money than preparing to be in a better position to save money after graduation.

At the same time, college students do have some control over their financial futures, especially in terms of debt. Students that focus on keeping their debt to a minimum will pay it off sooner after graduation and have more time to focus on saving for retirement.

College students should take advantage of their position and enroll in some finance classes that talk about money management and investing. The best time to learn about these fundamentals of personal finance is when individuals are still students, so that they can invest with confidence once they are gainfully employed.

Step Out Baltimore - Working to end Diabetes in Maryland and Beyond

As the newly appointed divisional sales manager for T. Rowe Price, Barrett Wragg partners with financial advisors to help clients meet financial goals. In addition to serving the company for nearly 15 years, Barrett Wragg finds time to volunteer with charities, including the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes in Baltimore, Maryland.

In order to raise money to fight diabetes, the American Diabetes Association hosts the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes in major cities each year. Thousands of caring participants come together to fundraise, helping to further research toward an eventual cure for diabetes.

The Step Out Walk is made up of fundraising teams, who work together to solicit donations from family, friends, and coworkers. It gives special recognition to “Red Striders,” or participants who are living with diabetes themselves. Red Striders and their advocates come together to raise money, celebrating their success with the three- to six-mile walk.

Step Out: Baltimore will be held on October 2 at Canton Waterfront Park. Registration is open now.

The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education

 


Divisional Sales Manager Barrett Wragg provides unparalleled customer service for T. Rowe Price, where he has worked for nearly 15 years. Dedicated to improving conditions for Maryland’s students, Barrett Wragg also works with the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) to help local students succeed.

Created in 1992 with the goal of helping Maryland students achieve more, MBRT would like to see every Maryland student graduate from high school ready to succeed, whether in a university setting or in his or her future career. MBRT recognizes certain problems within Maryland schools and works in partnership with local businesses and state government to enact positive change. Members identify key issues and work with local leadership to address these issues.

Students directly benefit through new curriculum as well as mentoring from MBRT members. In one of MBRT’s greatest achievements, visiting speakers from the Maryland Scholars Speakers Bureau address students from time to time. These volunteering business leaders motivate students, encouraging them to work hard now for great rewards later in life.

Changing Lives through INROADS Internships

In addition to serving as a divisional sales manager for T. Rowe Price, Barrett Wragg works to support Maryland students in several ways. Barrett Wragg works with INROADS, helping local students land internships with prominent companies.

Recognizing an underrepresentation of people of color in executive-level roles in corporate America, INROADS aims to close the professional achievement gaps that are present in many industries in the United States. Since 1970, INROADS has been dedicated to giving qualified candidates a leg up into the professional world.

Paid internships through INROADS help undergraduate college students from underserved backgrounds get their foot in the door in their chosen career. The organization matches interns with partnering corporations, and then continues to provide them with support and mentoring throughout the internship.

INROADS considers its goal met when an intern is hired by his or her sponsor after graduation. More than 90 percent of INROADS interns have achieved this happy outcome over the last few years, demonstrating the program’s success.

Investing as a College Student

A seasoned investment professional with more than a decade of experience, Barrett Wragg functions as a divisional sales manager at T. Rowe Price in Maryland. Throughout his career, Barrett Wragg has taught several investment workshops, including a workshop on investing while in college that he conducted for members of the Black Business Association at the University of Maryland.

When it comes to college, students are generally more concerned about getting good grades and balancing academics with a job and extracurriculars than investing. However, the sooner you start investing, the more money you can potentially save by retirement. Before you start, take the time to think about why you want to invest. Investing is often a long-term process that requires patience and hard work. While it is possible to invest and maintain both good grades and an active social life, not every student will have the desire to do it.

As with most things, investing requires some preparation and knowledge. During your free time, read as many books and articles about investing as your can. Your school library will likely have plenty of books on the subject, and many articles can be found online. Beyond basic investing information, make sure you understand investor psychology. Most investors doubt themselves at some point, and as a college student, you may doubt yourself more than the norm. Unfortunately, this can lead to poor investment decisions, so it’s important not to underestimate the tendency.

Once you’ve prepared, you can choose a brokerage and start making your first investments. Do plenty of research into the brokerage account that is best for your situation and investment goals. It is not a good idea to borrow money to invest, and some professionals even suggest paying off some debt beforehand. When picking your investments, avoid focusing on just one area. Instead, diversify across different investment choices. Further, create a strategy that fits your schedule to ensure you have the time to complete any necessary analyses.

Improving One’s Chess Game

Barrett Wragg brings extensive leadership, organization, and consultative sales experience to his role as a divisional sales manager for T. Rowe Price. He has given several presentations on various financial topics over the years and conducted a number of workshops. In his free time, Barrett Wragg enjoys playing chess.

Chess is a popular activity for many people who enjoy the cognitive challenge of the game, but improving one’s skills can often prove elusive. Following are just a few things players can do to get better at chess:

- Improve visualization: the ability to foresee moves on the board is key to figuring out the best moves to make during a match. As players improve their visualization, they can imagine multiple combinations of moves. This makes it easier to evaluate as many outcomes as possible based on different moves.

- Learn from mistakes: no one likes making mistakes, especially when a mistake is made during a tournament game. However, mistakes are some of the best learning tools around. Players looking to improve their chess game should take note of any mistakes they make and evaluate why they happened so they can avoid them in the future.

- Play against better players: one of the best ways of improving in chess is to play against a more skilled opponent. Even when a player loses, he or she learns new techniques and tactics from the more advanced player. Further, some advanced players are happy to share their knowledge with newer players.

The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education

Barrett Wragg is a vice president and regional investment consultant with T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, Maryland. Barrett Wragg gives back to the Baltimore community by supporting local students as a volunteer for the Speakers Bureau of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education.

The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education supports Maryland students from underprivileged backgrounds. The organization works toward education reform to give all Maryland students the skills they need to become successful community leaders.

The Roundtable brings local businesses, employers, and successful professionals together to help students succeed. They identify ongoing issues within Maryland schools, and find solutions to these problems. In the past, the organization has successfully made leadership changes in local legislature as well as the State Board of Education. It has improved school standards and graduation requirements across the state.

The Roundtable was instrumental in the recent creation of STEMnet, which promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs within Maryland’s schools. These STEM programs offer virtual courses, hands-on experiences, and special STEM field challenges to help students succeed.