Stephanie Yates

Dr. Stephanie Yates is a tenured Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Collat School of Business, holding concurrent Senior Scientist appointments in the School of Medicine and School of Public Health. As the founding Director of the Regions Institute for Financial Education since 2015 and holder of the Regions Institute Endowed Professorship, she leads initiatives advancing financial research and education across the Southeast. Her academic journey includes prior appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Hickey Financial Technology Center at Siena College.

Dr. Yates' research centers on financial inclusion, with significant contributions to real estate finance, market efficiency, and personal finance. Her work bridges academic rigor and practical application through initiatives like the UAB Personal Finance Research Symposium and community financial literacy programs. Current scholarship examines investor behavior, minority representation in finance, and the psychological dimensions of money management, reflecting her commitment to making finance accessible across socioeconomic groups.

Her recent publications demonstrate consistent output in high-impact journals spanning real estate economics, behavioral finance, and financial inclusion. Articles reveal evolving focus from mortgage market dynamics during the 2008 crisis toward contemporary issues like fintech adoption, diversity in corporate governance, and the intersection of financial wellness with life satisfaction. This trajectory highlights her ability to address both theoretical finance questions and pressing societal challenges.

• UAB President's Award for Diversity (2016)
• A.G. Gaston Community Service Award (2017)
• Fulbright Specialist Grant for South Africa financial literacy project
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP™), Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®)

Dr. Yates has secured significant funding including Alabama Securities Commission grants for campus investor education, Smith Barney funding for youth financial literacy programs, and NIH support for health-related financial behavior research. Her mentoring extends through UAB's Green & Gold Financial Analyst program and numerous finance internships, while her blog '365 Days on a Budget' translated academic finance principles into practical daily applications. She actively shapes policy through advisory roles with Alabama Asset Building Coalition, Junior Achievement, and TruFund Financial Services.

The Regions Institute for Financial Education serves as her primary operational hub, hosting annual research symposia and developing financial education curriculum adopted statewide. Her cross-disciplinary teams include medical researchers studying financial determinants of health, urban planners examining neighborhood financial resilience, and international collaborators advancing financial capability metrics.