Derek Tharp, Ph.D., CFP®, CLU®, RICP®

Derek is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and the founder of Conscious Capital, LLC. Derek has over eight years of experience helping clients plan for retirement and achieve their financial goals.

In addition to working with clients, Derek works as an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Southern Maine and serves as the Program Director of USM’s Financial Planning program.

Derek contributes to the wealth management section of the Wall Street Journal’s Experts Blog. He also blogs at Nerd’s Eye View, a leading industry blog for financial planners. Derek has been quoted in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

His research has been published in academic journals including the Journal of Financial Planning, Journal of Retirement, Financial Planning Review, Journal of Personal Finance, and the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.

Derek lives in the Portland, Maine area. He loves to go hiking with his family and explore all of the wonderful nature Maine has to offer. Derek is originally from the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area and regularly visits family and clients there.