Poole Alum’s Gift Designed to Further Educate the Next Generation in Financial Literacy

By Caroline Barnhill

Winston-Salem native Will Goodson ‘05 grew up with a deep understanding of not only the importance of financial literacy but also the responsibility of giving back to the community. The son of a financial advisor, Goodson watched as his father, Thomas Goodson, spent years volunteering his time teaching a financial “life skills” course at a local business school helping college-age students gain a greater understanding of issues such as budgeting, investing, lending and more.

This is why when Goodson, who currently works as a private wealth financial advisor and senior vice president of investments for the Goodson & Nichols Financial Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, learned about the Barron’s in Education from Dow Jones program, he knew he wanted to pay it forward.

Their goal is to address financial literacy at the ground level by educating college students about the financial industry.

“In 2019, I was asked to attend a conference hosted by Barron’s and offered to top financial advisors from firms across the country. One of the breakout sessions was about a new program they were launching called Barron’s in Education,” Goodson remembers. “Their goal is to address financial literacy at the ground level by educating college students about the financial industry. Their mission really resonated with me and I knew immediately it was something I wanted to pursue.”

Goodson wasted no time in reaching out to his alma mater, the Poole College of Management, in an effort to give back to the school that was so instrumental in his personal and professional development.

His two-year gift provides Poole College faculty and students with 24/7 access to Barron’s, a leading financial portal and magazine, in hopes of spurring financial education, enabling students to learn from investing’s best minds and to foster their professional growth. The Poole College of Management is now one of 95 schools to have this unique access.

This very generous gift will really enhance the financial education of all students in Poole College by giving them access to real-time, high-quality news about the markets.

“This very generous gift will really enhance the financial education of all students in Poole College by giving them access to real-time, high-quality news about the markets,” says Richard Warr, Poole College’s associate dean for faculty and research. “As we’ve seen recently with the GameStop story, getting the facts behind the headlines is very important. Barron’s provides that information for our students.”

Goodson hopes faculty find unique ways to incorporate the materials into the classroom as they see fit. 

“Barron’s does an incredible job of providing timely and relevant information about a variety of business-related issues,” Goodson explains. “Not only that, as part of the program, students will have access to valuable resources like webinars with top investors and financial advisors to help them better understand how some of the issues they discuss in the classroom apply in the real world.”

While Goodson’s gift is a two-year commitment, he hopes the program will extend far beyond that timeframe.

“It’s my intention, if all goes well, to either re-up my commitment or to help find another Poole College graduate who works in the financial services industry and wants the opportunity to give back to the college by sponsoring this unique program,” Goodson says. “I’m really excited about the potential that comes with the Barron’s in Education program, and it’s a great way for me to engage with my alma mater by providing access to resources in an area that’s meaningful to me.”