Chris Browning

Chris Browning serves BentOak Capital as a senior advisor, contributing experience and expertise to the firm’s Institutional Financial Planning Leadership Development Initiative. In this role, Chris works directly with client families to deliver customized, comprehensive financial planning aligned with their unique goals and circumstances. He also helps shape expert-driven content and supports leadership development within the profession.

Dr. Browning brings more than a decade of experience at the intersection of research, education, and applied financial planning. He is an Associate Professor in the School of Financial Planning at Texas Tech University, where his work focuses on retirement planning, professional development, and tailored advice for complex decision making. His research has been published in leading academic and practitioner journals, and his insights have been featured in national outlets including The New York Times, Bloomberg, Kiplinger’s, and USA Today. He has been recognized as one of InvestmentNews’ 40 Under 40 and is a multiple-time recipient of national teaching and service awards within the financial planning profession.

In addition to his academic work, Chris serves as National Director of the Financial Planning Academy, a nationally recognized pipeline program that introduces high school students to careers in financial planning and has been supported for nearly a decade by the Charles Schwab Foundation.

A native of West Texas, Chris was born and raised in Seminole, Texas, and is proud to call Lubbock home. He and his wife, Marcie, are raising three children, Grant, Libbey, and Isaiah, and are avid sports fans. Chris and his family enjoy traveling together and exploring a new destination each year, but their home base remains Lubbock, where they are actively involved in the community and enthusiastic supporters of everything Texas Tech.