Michelle Eleanor Kruger

Education

Books

Kruger, M. (2023). The first fifty years of CFP^® certification: The standard for financial planning. Washington, D.C.: CFP Board.

Kruger, M. (2023). The psychology of financial planning: Practitioner resource guide. Erlanger, KY: ALM Global, LLC.

Byram, J. L., McCoy, M., Kruger, M., & Grable, J. E. (2023). Financial planning counseling skills. Erlanger, KY: ALM Global, LLC.

Grable, J. E., Kruger, M., & Ford, M. (2019; 2022). Fundamentals of writing a financial plan.

Erlanger, KY: The National Underwriter Company.

Grable, J. E., Sages, R., & Kruger, M. (2019; 2022; 2025). A case approach to financial planning: Bridging the gap between theory and practice, fourth edition. Erlanger, KY: The National Underwriter Company.

Job Description

Dr. Michelle Kruger, Ph.D., CFP®, teaches financial planning courses in the Online Master's Program in Financial Planning. Additionally, she serves as Director, Financial Planning with Focus Partners | Wealth in Atlanta, where she leverages her doctoral research and CFP® certification to shape comprehensive financial strategies and lead the centralized planning group.

Dr. Kruger received her Ph.D. in Financial Planning from UGA in 2019. She has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate financial planning courses, both online and on campus. She has authored several key texts in the field, including The Fundamentals of Writing a Financial Plan, The Psychology of Financial Planning: Practitioner Resource Guide, and The First 50 Years of CFP® Certification. Her research interests include risk tolerance, couples' financial management practices, and household wealth accumulation practices.

Journal Articles

Kruger, M., Grable, J. E., Palmer, L, & Goetz, J. (2024). Factors associated with couples pooling their finances. Contemporary Family Therapy. doi.10.1007/s10591-023-09666-9

Kruger, M., Palmer, L., & Goetz, J. (2023). Financial satisfaction: The role of shared financial responsibilities and shared financial values among couples. Financial Services Review, 31(4), 266-282.

Kruger, M., & Grable, J. E. (Sept2023). A test of the spender-saver perception scale. Financial Planning Review. https://doi.org/10.1002/cfp2.1170

Grable, J. E., Kruger, M., Byram, J. L., Kwak, E. J. (2021). Perceptions of a partner's spending and saving behavior and financial satisfaction. Journal of Financial Therapy, 12(1), 31- 50.

Grable, J. E., Hubble, A., Kruger, M., & Visbal, M. (2021). Predicting financial risk tolerance and risk-taking behaviour: A comparison of questionnaires and tests. Financial Planning Research Journal, 6(1), 1-19.

Grable, J. E., Joo, S., & Kruger, M. (2020). Risk tolerance and household financial behavior: A test of the reflection effect. IIMB Management Review, 32(4), 402-412.

Fallaw, S. S., Grable, J. E., & Kruger, M. (2020). The household CFO: Using job analysis to define tasks related to personal financial management. Financial Planning Review, 3(2), 1-27.

Grable, J. E., Hubble, A., & Kruger, M. (2020). Do as I say, not as I do: An analysis of portfolio development recommendations made by financial advisors. Journal of Wealth Management, 22(4), 62-73.

Grable, J. E., Archuleta, K. L., Ford, M. R., Kruger, M., Gale, J., & Goetz, J. (2020). The moderating effect of generalized anxiety and financial knowledge on financial behaviors. Journal of Contemporary Family Therapy, 42, 15-24.

Grable, J. E., Hubble, A., Kruger, M., Byram, J. L., Ford, M., & Clement, G. (2020). Risk tolerance: Beware when clients are in a bad mood. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 74(1), 46-55.

Fulk, M., Grable, J. E., Watkins, K., & Kruger, M. (2018). Who uses robo-advisory services – And who does not? Financial Services Review, 27(2), 173-188.

Fulk, M., Watkins, K., Grable, J. E., & Kruger, M. (2018). Who changes their financial planner?

Journal of Financial Planning, 31(8), 48-56.

Kruger, M., Grable, J. E., & Fallaw, S. S. (2017). An evaluation of the risk-taking characteristics of affluent households. Journal of Financial Planning, 30(7), 39-47.

Ford, M. R., Grable, J. E., Kruger, M., & DeGraff, A. (2017). Physiological arousal during couple financial discussions as a precursor to seeking financial planning help. Journal of Financial Therapy, 8(1), 1-21.

Grable, J. E., Joo, S., & Kruger, M. (2017). Wealth accumulation status: An exploratory study of the role saving and inheritances play in shaping wealth accumulation status. Korean Financial Planning Review, 10(2), 173-199.

Grable, J. E., Kruger, M., & Fallaw, S. S. (2017). An assessment of wealth accumulation tasks and behaviors. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 71(1), 55-70.

Grable, J. E., Heo, W., & Kruger, M. (2016). The intertemporal persistence of risk tolerance scores. Journal of Financial Planning, 29(8), 42-51.