AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)

What happens when a widely used tax strategy suddenly comes under IRS scrutiny? For advisors working with clients who hold concentrated stock positions, that question has become very real. In this joint episode of the PFP Podcast and Tax Section Odyssey, Cary Sinnett talks with nationally recognized tax expert Bob Keebler about recent IRS guidance affecting certain Section 351 ETF conversion strat...

What does it take to uncover the financial truth behind a multibillion-dollar securities fraud case? In this episode, Cary Sinnett talks with forensic accounting expert Chris Davis about his work supporting plaintiffs' attorneys in a multibillion-dollar securities fraud case involving Elon Musk. Chris explains how forensic accountants analyze complex financial records and SEC filings, then transla...

AI is getting faster at producing technical answers. So, what will make clients continue to choose you? In this episode, Cary Sinnett and Brianne Smith explore how AI is reshaping financial planning and why human judgment, empathy and connection matter more than ever. Learn how advisors can use technology to spend less time on manual work and more time helping clients navigate the decisions that m...

A footnote in the Joint Committee on Taxation's Blue Book may create significant tax consequences for trusts and estates beginning in 2026. In this episode, Bob Keebler joins Cary Sinnett to explain why Footnote 102 has raised concerns about applying the new 2/37ths limitation to distributable net income, charitable deductions and other trust and estate deductions. They explore how the limitation...

The real challenge for planners is not always giving better advice. It is understanding why clients do not act on the advice they already have. In this episode, Cary Sinnett talks with behavioral finance expert Carl Richards about what gets in the way of follow-through. They explore why clarity, purpose and trust often matter as much as technical precision, and how planners can help clients move f...

The future of personal financial planning depends in part on whether today's professionals help the next generation see what the career can become. In this episode of the PFP Podcast, Cary Sinnett talks with Dr. Brianne Smith about how firms can expose students and early-career professionals to the human side of financial planning and give them meaningful opportunities to grow into advisory roles....

What can the latest research teach us about helping clients make better financial decisions? In this episode Cary Sinnett talks with Dr. Megan McCoy, who leads the personal financial planning program at Kansas State University, about bringing academic research and real-world financial planning practice closer together. They explore what emerging research in client psychology, communication and fin...

Technical expertise may earn a client's confidence, but human connection earns their trust. In this episode of the PFP Podcast, Cary Sinnett continues his conversation with Dr. Brian Portnoy, author of The Geometry of Wealth , exploring how CPA financial planners can move beyond numbers and into the conversations that truly matter. Together they discuss why "funded contentment" should be at the ce...

The months immediately following a client's death create one of the most important income tax planning windows in estate administration. While many practitioners focus on basis step-ups and beneficiary distributions, one election can fundamentally change how post-death income is managed: the Section 645 election. In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with nationally recognized tax expert Bob Kee...

Indexed Universal Life (IUL) insurance is often marketed as a "tax-free retirement income" solution, but how do these policies really work over time? To cut through the noise, financial planner Andy Panko, CFP®, RICP®, EA, decided to run his own real-time experiment. He bought an IUL, fully documented the structure, costs, and performance, and is openly sharing the results year after year. In this...

Most retirement plans answer one question: Can I afford to retire? But far fewer answer the question that often matters just as much: What am I retiring to? In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with renowned researcher and Harvard Business School professor emerita Teresa Amabile to explore the hidden psychological transition that accompanies retirement. Drawing from more than a decade of resear...

Some of the biggest planning opportunities in trust and estate taxation are also the easiest to miss. In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with nationally recognized estate planning authority Bob Keebler to explore three highly technical areas that can dramatically impact client outcomes: portability elections, fiduciary income taxation during periods of market volatility, and the often-misunde...

What does the future of the CPA profession look like as advisory, financial planning, and AI reshape client expectations? In this episode of the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Podcast, Cary Sinnett sits down with Sue Coffey, CEO of Public Accounting at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, to discuss the profession's transformation from compliance-focused work to holistic trus...

What if the biggest barrier to client action is not the quality of the financial plan, but the lack of purpose behind it? In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with Andrea Millar to explore how life planning helps financial planners move beyond technical recommendations and uncover what truly matters most to clients. Andrea shares how deeper conversations around purpose, relationships, fulfillme...

Sometimes the biggest client wins start with a simple question. In this episode, Cary Sinnett and Jackie Cummings Koski share five fast, high-impact planning ideas that can instantly deepen client conversations and uncover bigger opportunities.  From forgotten 401(k)s and Roth-funded 529 strategies to overlooked HSA and charitable planning moves, these are the kinds of insights that make clients s...

Cary Sinnett sits down with Jackie Koski to challenge a core assumption in financial planning: strategy isn't the starting point—literacy is. They explore how foundational knowledge shapes better decisions, why behavior often overrides logic, and how financial professionals can expand their impact beyond client engagements. Questions Answered How does financial literacy change a client's path to f...

In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with Dr. Brianne Smith to explore how CPAs can turn tax work into fully integrated personal financial planning. Drawing on decades of experience leading both a CPA firm and an advisory practice, Brianne breaks down what really changes when you move beyond compliance and step into ongoing client relationships. They unpack the real barriers holding professiona...

This is a pivotal moment for CPA financial planners. In this episode, Leonard Wright joins Cary to break down why the convergence of tax, technology, and client expectations is accelerating the shift toward integrated financial planning. They explore how AI is reshaping compliance, why tax is the natural gateway to deeper planning conversations, and what the PFP movement means for firms of all siz...

Your client's kid just signed a D1 scholarship and an NIL deal. Now what? In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with Cameron Caprio, CPA/PFS and Founder of Venture Multi-Family Office, to unpack one of the fastest-growing planning challenges in the profession: helping young athletes (and their families) manage sudden, complex wealth before it slips through their fingers. The numbers are staggeri...

Financial literacy is not just a client issue; it is a national opportunity for CPA financial planners to lead. With only half of Americans understanding basic financial principles and many households living paycheck to paycheck, the profession is uniquely positioned to step beyond the conference room and into classrooms, community groups, and public conversations. In this episode, host Cary Sinne...

What is really happening with the PFS? In this episode, Cary Sinnett talks with Matt Kidd, Chair of the AICPA PFS Credential Committee, about the modernization of the PFS Credential, including updating the PFS experienced exam, building the PFP Champions program, expanding avenues to earn the PFS Credential like the PFS Live workshop, growing the visibility of the PFS credential nationwide by high...

Trump Accounts are here, and they come with a mix of opportunity and complexity. In this episode, Cary Sinnett (PFP Podcast) and April Walker (Tax Odyssey) team up with Sebrina Ivey, CPA/PFS, to break down the key rules and planning implications CPA Financial Planners need to understand. What's covered: ·        What Trump Accounts are and how they differ from 529s, UTMA/UGMA, and ABLE accounts ·...

Non-grantor trusts are stepping into the spotlight, not for estate tax, but for income tax planning. In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with tax expert Bob Keebler to explore how the One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1) reshapes the planning landscape. You'll hear how you can use trusts to reclaim lost SALT deductions, stack §199A benefits, shift income across generations, and even layer in QSBS exe...

Busy season does not have to define a CPA's entire year. In this episode of the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Podcast, Cary Sinnett sits down with Deb Meyer, CPA and founder of WorthyNest, to discuss her path from tax compliance to integrated financial planning. Deb shares why she merged her CPA firm and RIA, how advisory services changed her client relationships, and what CPAs should realisti...

Host Cary Sinnett is joined by Dr. Brianne Smith, a PFP practitioner, CPA firm owner, and accounting professor at Auburn University, for a timely conversation on artificial intelligence in financial planning. Artificial intelligence is moving quickly into financial planning workflows, but not all "AI" tools are created equal. For CPA financial planners, the opportunity is significant: increased ef...