Jeff DeLarme watched his father sometimes work 80 hours a week as a Xerox repairman to make a better life for his family. The way his parents thought about money had a lasting impact on a young DeLarme, who grew up wanting to help other families make the most of their finances.

“I remember the stress around money growing up, so I knew I wanted to learn about personal finance,” he said. “I was also drawn to a certain freedom that comes from taking control of your financial picture.”

Along his professional journey, DeLarme completed the UCLA Extension Personal Financial Planning (PFP) program, which prepares students to pass the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification exam. He later became an instructor, and just this year, funded a scholarship for students with a similar drive to make a change in someone’s life.

DeLarme is an advocate of public education. He proudly attended the Los Angeles Unified School District and then took night classes at California State University, Northridge – teaching golf during the day.

“I did everything I could to not go into debt and still cover my expenses,” he added.

By his senior year he knew he wanted to go into personal finance. He graduated with a degree in business administration and was hired right out of college by Edward Jones, which helped train him and pay for his licensing. At a very young age, he was realizing his professional aspirations.

“I wanted to help people be more confident in money and make smart decisions,” DeLarme said.

So at age 22, a fresh faced DeLarme went door-to-door building to build a client base. And as he grew, he realized he needed more educational backing.

“If I was going to take this career seriously, I was going to need to become a certified financial planner, and that’s what led me to UCLA Extension,” he said.

In 2011, he enrolled in the PFP program, and things really clicked.

“I felt like I found my people,” he said. “These were like minded individuals, at similar points in their careers, trying to better themselves on behalf of their clients.”

Upon completion, DeLarme passed the two-day CFP certification exam. In 2016, he took his business independent. And in 2024, he launched DeLarme Wealth Management, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm. Today, DeLarme has more than 17 years in the business and manages over $200 million for a client base of more than 100 families and business owners. He became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) in 2021, after which he took a job at UCLA Extension to teach investment planning.

“I thought it would be really neat to come back and try my hand at academia – to see the next wave of financial planners coming through,” he said.

As he continued to teach, DeLarme could not help but want to do more. At a time when students’ careers are just blossoming, affording the program can be a challenge, he added, noting that he himself put off the program for a few extra years because of finances.

“Getting your CFP certification is the gold standard, but not enough people, in my view, get it,” he said. “I wanted to make it more accessible and, in turn, diversify the industry. So, we launched the scholarship.”

The Jeff DeLarme Personal Financial Planning Scholarship is awarded annually each summer to three qualified students. Awardees have the cost of completing their next three courses in the PFP program covered by the scholarship.

To DeLarme, the certification has a certain nobility to it – they have a fiduciary duty to put the client first, which isn’t always assured elsewhere in the business. And he takes that responsibility very seriously, and he hopes his students do, as well.

Going through the UCLA Extension program can be transformative. DeLarme recalled how his time at a four-year institution was useful, but it always felt more theoretical. In the classes he teaches, it is the opposite.

“You have an instructor who is living this profession,” he said. “I worked with a client today, and this is what happened. We can show students real life case studies.”

DeLarme said he is inspired by his students every quarter – even to the point that he returned to school for a master’s in business taxation. Down the road he may even pursue becoming a full-time educator.

“It’s nostalgic to go back and remember what it was like to be at that point in my career, where I didn’t know as much,” he added. “It’s fun to see it click for students like it did for me. They’ve heard about the concepts, but it’s really rewarding to see them actually put it into practice.”