He received his BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in risk management and insurance from The University of Georgia. His research areas of interest include asymmetric information, political risk, corporate governance and financial planning. Prior to returning to academics, Ruhland lived in Chicago and worked as an employee benefits consultant for Hewitt Associates, Aon Consulting and in private practice. Among others, outlets for his published research include Journal of Risk and Insurance, Journal of Insurance Issues, and Journal of Insurance Regulation.