Profile of Barry Watts
Barry Watts is the Director of Springfield Operations with the Foundation for Financial Education.
Barry has a diverse background rooted in Southwest Missouri where he grew up on the family dairy farm before graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in Agricultural Economics. He’s been involved in leading enterprises in the financial, non-profit, brokerage, insurance, real estate, & agriculture industries. His education has taken him through a graduate degree in Theology from Campbellsville University and to being awarded the prestigious Certified Financial Planner™ designation from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
Barry draws on 31 years of experience in financial and retirement planning to coach individuals on the best strategies to minimize the destructive effect of taxes on their income and estate, and to protect their assets from devastating investment decisions. As an educator he’s taught courses at the University of Missouri, Missouri State University, Drury College, College of the Ozarks and led workshops for a wide array of organizations including the Missouri Department of Highway and Transportation & the National Credit Union Executive’s Society.
Students in his courses and participants in his workshops come away saying “I didn’t know THAT….” and commenting on the new grasp of “how money works” because of—not only what Barry teaches—but his uncanny knack for putting complex financial principles into everyday language and illustrations easy for everyone to grasp.
Barry and his wife Kelly reside on a farm resembling Noah’s Ark outside Springfield, Missouri where they raise cows, horses, goats, chickens, ducks, llamas, and donkeys. One daughter plays tennis for Webster University, while the other is a musician at Missouri State University and a worship leader.
