AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)

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...

 In this episode, host Cary Sinnett is joined by Jeff Levine, CPA, CFP, a nationally recognized tax planning thought leader, to examine one of the most persistent dilemmas in personal financial planning: the tension between income tax strategies and estate tax minimization. They explore why these two priorities often conflict and walk through practical examples CPA financial planners face when adv...

What happens when technical excellence meets deep human empathy? In this episode, Carl Richards, CFP®, author of Your Money and creator of the famed "Sketch Guy" column in The New York Times , joins host Cary Sinnett to explore how CPA financial planners can foster trust through simplicity, storytelling, and purposeful conversation. Carl shares how sketches can cut through complexity, how planners...

Artificial intelligence is transforming how CPA financial planners approach research, analysis, and communication. In this episode, Chris Benson shares how he moved from curiosity to confident integration of AI in his daily practice. He explains how AI helps him generate first drafts of client communication, brainstorm planning strategies, and reduce research time from hours to minutes. Chris also...

Jimmy Williams, CPA/PFS, shares how the role of the CPA is evolving from compliance technician to holistic financial planner. In this episode, Jimmy and host Cary Sinnett explore how trust, technical excellence, and human connection are converging in a new era of planning, and why CPAs are uniquely positioned to lead it. ·        Learn how CPAs can step into their fullest potential as advisors. ·...

Bob Keebler joins Cary Sinnett to unpack why this year-end is anything but routine.  With shifting tax thresholds and surprise penalties lurking under the surface, every decision matters more than ever.  This rapid-fire episode arms CPA financial planners with critical year-end strategies, from Roth conversions to trust distribution traps.  Don't miss your chance to finish strong and plan ahead wi...

Building wealth is one thing. Defining what wealth means is another. In this episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with Dr. Brian Portnoy , one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of money, to explore why the future of financial advice isn't just about technical expertise — it's about emotional intelligence, perspective, and purpose. Brian unpacks his powerful concept of "funded contentment...

When families look to CPA financial planners, they're often asking more than just tax or investment questions. They want to know: Will my kids be ready when it's their turn to inherit? In this episode, Cary Sinnett welcomes Mindy Kalinowski Earley , consultant to ultra-high-net-worth families and Chief Learning Officer at Family Office Exchange. With two decades of experience at the intersection o...

When business owners skip exit planning, the fallout can be brutal; value lost, families divided, legacies diminished. But with the right strategy, an exit isn't chaos, it's a launchpad: valuations climb, transitions smooth out, and owners step confidently into their next chapter. In this episode of the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Podcast, host Cary Sinnett welcomes Daniel D. Meiklejohn, JD,...

What happens when one overlooked detail turns a thoughtful estate plan into a multi-million-dollar tax disaster? In this episode of the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Podcast, nationally recognized tax and estate planning expert Bob Keebler joins Cary Sinnett to unpack the cautionary tale of Estate of Rowland v. Commissioner . Despite well-crafted trusts and modest estates, a simple misstep in...