Fixed Income Academy Scholarship Winner Works Toward Big Goals

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One of the winners of last year's "Back to Basics" scholarship contest, sponsored by Fixed Income Academy and The Bond Buyer, is putting his knowledge and experience to work in the real world of municipal finance.

Andrew Hicks is Chief Deputy to Franklin County, Wash., Treasurer Josie Koelzer. In his role, he oversees investments, tax collections the general running of the office.

The award was given to an outstanding individual who was new to the public finance sector. Hicks received a fully paid scholarship to the Fixed Income Academy's bond school along with a six-month free online subscription to The Bond Buyer.

Hicks completed the entire program and received his Certified Fixed Income Practitioner (CFIP) designation.

Hicks told The Bond Buyer last week that he was very appreciative of the scholarship.

"The program was really great from the way it started out, teaching about monetary policy and the Federal Reserve to all the way through to the end when it talked about the municipal, Treasury and other markets," he said.

Previously, Hicks was a commercial banker, working at Community First Bank, Columbia Bank and Washington Trust Bank.

"I left a career in banking to work as Chief Deputy in the Franklin County Treasurer's office to make a difference," Hicks wrote when applying for the scholarship.

He is now working to modernize the county's financial methods, which at present do not allow the pooling of investments. He said he has set a goal of being able to modernize the county's financial methods, which at present do not allow the pooling of investments.

"Most municipal finance professionals wear dozens of hats, which is why we created an easy to use online platform where investors learn best practices and hone skills on their own schedules," said Susan Munson, Founder and CEO of Fixed Income Academy. "The added bonus is our growing community of like-minded individuals all benefiting by having a safe place to ask questions and get unbiased answers."

Hicks also said that reading The Bond Buyer helped him keep abreast of the latest news and trends that affected his job.

"I found the info really good," he said, adding that several stories about pooled investments were helpful to his work.

"We are proud to be part of the movement towards financial literacy, transparency and excellence in fixed income investing," Munson said, who designed the scholarship program to help in succession planning for finance officers in state and local governments by providing an introduction to the bond markets for new staff.

The next session of bond school starts on Oct. 1 and covers the basics of fixed income investing while shedding light on frequently misunderstood market concepts and practices. All courses are online and a student can earn a CFIP designation.

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