A Missed Bus Led To A Meet Cute

It was a Maryland connection meant to be. Despite Lauren Niffenegger Lumpp ‘09 and Nick Lumpp ‘09 both studying at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Lauren in accounting and Nick in finance, it was a bus that never showed up during their first few weeks in College Park that brought them together. 

“We both lived in Denton,” Lauren said of their freshman dorm. “There was a whole group that was at the bus stop, and we all just ended up hanging out that night in the dorm.” They became close friends and the following year, fell in love. Today, they live on Kent Island with their two children, and both run their own businesses. Nick also just recently launched an exchange traded fund (ETF).

Lauren comes from a family full of Maryland Pride. The Calvert County native grew up attending events in College Park, even attending a summer soccer camp. Her father Robert (Bob) Niffenegger ’77 also went to Maryland where he studied accounting and played baseball for the Terps. Her acceptance into the honors college helped her decide to continue her family’s Terp legacy.

Nick broke tradition from his Pennsylvania roots and after a summer tour of the Smith School decided to try something different and become a Terp. 

Lauren and Nick said their time at Smith was valuable and they continue to be active with their University of Maryland network. Nick’s first role after graduation was with a company that had many Maryland alumni and actively recruited at Smith. “That got me started as an advisor and I worked there for a few years. I still have a really great relationship with them,” he said. After a little over three years, Nick went independent and launched RCN Wealth Advisors, Inc. in 2012, working in conjunction with Lauren and her parents’ tax business. This was also the year they got married. Lauren’s parents have been instrumental figures to Nick and Lauren in both life and their careers. 

Lauren spent many years working for her family’s tax and accounting firm, became a CPA in 2010, and then also launched her own business, Lumpp Sum Inc., in 2016. Seeing Lauren’s parents build and run a company made the entrepreneurial leap a no-brainer for the Lumpps and Lauren said what drives them is helping others. “Whether it's to grow their business, grow their financial assets, or help them do wonderful things in life. That's always been our ‘why,’” Lauren said.  

“It's not just about the numbers that are on the tax return. It's about the businesses that people are running and the families that are running those businesses,” Lauren said. 

Helping others is also why Nick remains engaged at Smith. He regularly speaks with Smith students and serves as a guest lecturer in Dr. David Kass’s BMGT 440 class because hearing from industry professionals was something he really valued while he was a student in Van Munching Hall. 

“It was so helpful to hear about different fields and get advice on what to look into and what path to potentially take,” Nick said. “When I graduated, I joined as a mentor just to continue giving back to the students.” On a recent visit to Smith, Nick told students that the curriculum is the foundation but the extra opportunities that Smith provides can help students find their path, discover new interests and build their network. He said it is why attending Smith is so valuable. 

The network Nick has grown, which he said Maryland has been a large part of, also helped him launch his ETF. He observed how the markets have changed and how he has also had to adapt his approach to portfolio management and managing risk. During a lunch with a colleague from his previous firm, Nick shared what strategies he had developed over the last 10 years. His former colleague was interested in learning more. This led Nick down the path of researching how to make these strategies available to other investors outside of his current clients and ultimately decided to launch an ETF. The ETF is called the RCN Pareto Strategic Allocation ETF, PRTO is the stock symbol. 

Smith helped Lauren and Nick not only launch their careers but build their life together. Lauren said they have wonderful memories from the University of Maryland and they continue to make new ones with their lifelong friends and their children. They return yearly to campus for football games and basketball games to reunite with their classmates. “It kind of feels like a part of me is home when I'm back there,” Lauren said. The Maryland students even helped her kids get their photo taken with Testudo during one of the football games. Lauren asked students if she could get into the front row with her children to see the Maryland mascot and those students made sure to get Testudo’s attention to help make the memorable photo happen. “[Her kids] still remember that. They still talk about it.” 

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