AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)

In this final installment of Debra Taylor's Digging Deeper series, she focuses on tax planning. After reviewing the importance of a structured service calendar and proactive client communication, she outlines five essential steps for effective tax planning and highlights 20 key tax planning strategies. This is an approach to broaden your tax planning to addressing the financial planning needs of y...

In this episode, Lyle Benson and Karen Goodfriend discuss Karen's journey as a CPA financial planner, highlighting her transition from corporate aspirations to a focus on personal financial planning. Karen emphasizes the importance of integrating psychological aspects with technical financial planning, especially for clients experiencing sudden wealth. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, L...

As a follow-up to Debra's webcast Planning for Clients with $1-15M in Net Worth, she discusses a much more organized approach for tax planning.  A year-round planning calendar clearly shows how you apply tax planning to their financial decisions. The events encompassed in the calendar reinforce the key goals of a successful plan. As CPAs you talk tax planning, but here are ways to apply it with yo...

In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Bob Keebler, CPA/PFS discusses strategies for estate tax planning in anticipation of the TCJA (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) sunset on December 31, 2025.  The sunset, which will reduce the double exclusion amount from approximately $14 million to $7 million and many practitioners will need to evaluate gifting for their relevant clients.  Bob covers various tech...

As a follow-up to Debra's webcast Planning for Clients with $1-15M in Net Worth, she discusses some important practice management considerations.  An annual financial planning service calendar structures the delivery of client services and communication and is the foundation for adding valuable client relationships. Debra advocates for a systematic approach to client service, ensuring transparency...

Life inevitably presents us with forks in the road, whether chosen or forced upon us. These transitions can be uncomfortable, requiring us to leave the familiar and step into the unknown. Whether guiding your clients through their life changes or experiencing your own, having a strategy can make these journeys less daunting.  In this Deeper CPA Financial Planner Connections episode of the PFP Sect...

A recent CNBC survey of couples discovers that 64% admitted to being financially incompatible. A money date is a relaxed and open conversation about finances and goals. This is an important component to financial compatibility and avoiding potential conflict. It can benefit relationships of any length and open channels of communication with transparency and respect.  Dave answers questions like: W...

As we narrow in on the sunset of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, many practitioners will be suggesting that their relevant clients make gifts. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Bob Keebler, CPA/PFS, and Larry Brody, JD, discuss what needs to be known when valuing life insurance policies for the purpose of filing gift tax returns, including: What do we need to know about the IRS regulations? C...

The SECURE 2.0 Act opened new doors for the use of 529 plan funds.  Kelley Long discusses the impact of the changes on strategies available to clients using 529 plans.  Not only does Kelley review the rules of rolling 529 plan funds to Roth IRAs, but also takes a step further to address the numerous related questions she has gotten on this strategy and other creative ways to draw down 529 plan fun...

Kelley Long began her career in big 4 accounting like so many other CPAs. However, she had to quickly shift her path with the fallout that happened after September 11, 2001. Her roles as a bank trust officer and as a workplace financial wellness provider led her to her passion for coaching on the everyday money issues that clients have. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Lyle Benson inter...

In part 2 of this PFP Section podcast series, experts Lee Slavutin, MD, CLU, and Marty Shenkman, CPA/PFS, JD, LLM share planning details to help you guide your clients in the following areas: The different perspectives on long term care (LTC) insurance that goes beyond the numbers to the psychological benefits. Why it makes sense to have every client go through the process of evaluating LTC insura...

Qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trusts were created so that spouses could receive the benefit of the marital deduction while also setting aside resources for a surviving spouse and retaining control over what happens to the funds when the surviving spouse passes away. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Bob Keebler, CPA/PFS, and Paul Hood, JD, LLM, discuss the nuances of QTIP...

Do you want to be the trusted advisor who makes a meaningful difference in your client's life? One of the ways to do this is to get in touch with the qualities of being that you want to demonstrate consistently with your clients. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Steve Atkinson, Managing Director with Admired Leadership, shares the behaviors that admired advisors have that separate them...

The tables are turned on Lyle Benson, CPA/PFS, in this episode of the PFP Section's Deeper CPA Financial Planner Connections series. Dr. Haesun Moon, communication scientist, educator, and author, interviews Lyle to pull out the gold threads of his professional story. They discuss: Lyle's story of beginning in tax and his why behind diving into financial planning at age 29 and starting his own fir...

CPA financial planners help clients live meaningful lives and pass on their legacy. Often, estate planning is heavy on the practical and complex elements that can be seen as the housekeeping of who gets what and when. What we don't always explore is the deeper why behind the estate planning. The good news is that you can coach clients to discover their legacy so that it can be communicated and so...

Proper insurance planning is one of the most overlooked areas of personal financial planning. In part 1 of this PFP Section podcast series, experts Lee Slavutin, MD, CLU, and Marty Shenkman, CPA/PFS, JD, LLM share planning details you will want to know, including: Buying the adequate amount of life insurance Using whole life insurance as a way to save, to diversify client portfolios, and to protec...

PFP Executive Committee (PFP EC) chair, Brooke Salvini, CPA/PFS, and PFS Credential Committee (PFS CC) chair, Oscar Vives, kick off the New Year in this episode of the PFP Section podcast. They answer the following questions: What did you learn in 2023 that was meaningful to you personally and professionally? What were the PFS CC and PFP EC milestones in 2023? What is the PFP Division celebrating...

Jim Shambo is one of the pioneers of the CPA financial planning profession, the PFP Section, and the PFS Credential. He has a lot of insight to offer on many topics that can be useful takeaways for listeners. In this episode of the Deeper CPA financial planner connections PFP podcast, Lyle Benson facilitates a discussion with Jim to share the highlights of his story. The conversation includes the...

Ed Slott, CPA, and Bob Keebler, CPA/PFS, discuss the complicated inherited IRA RMD rules and what is required in 2023 and 2024 in this episode of the PFP Section podcast. Ed and Bob provide clarity in the following areas: An easy formula to use to get clear on all of the elements that need to be considered  The only scenario in which penalty relief is available when the RMD is not taken Who must t...

150 million Americans live with chronic illness. And yet, disability and long-term care (LTC) insurance are often overlooked in planning with clients. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, experts Lee Slavutin, MD, CLU and Marty Shenkman, CPA/PFS, JD, LLM share the most important considerations for client planning, including: What three riders are important to have on a disability insurance...

You can give your clients tremendous value by guiding them with their life insurance planning, even if you're not an insurance expert. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Ed Mendlowitz, CPA/PFS, interviews expert Lee Slavutin, MD, CLU to share strategies for businesses. Ed poses the following questions to Lee: What are the advantages of having life insurance in a qualified plan for a busin...

This is part 2 of the PFP Section podcast that marks our CPA financial planning history and celebrates the journey of where we've been to take us into the future. We once again invited other AICPA volunteer leaders into the discussion to help us share our story. In this episode, Lyle Benson, CPA/PFS, Andrea Millar, CPA/PFS, and other CPA financial planners discuss: What are the investment adviser...

As with any profession, it's important to understand how we got to where we are today to take us into a successful future. In this 25th episode of the Deeper CPA Financial Planner Connections podcast series, Lyle Benson, CPA/PFS, and Andrea Millar, CPA/PFS discuss how the CPA financial profession got started and led to building a thriving community and resources from there. They also invited other...

In July, California Governor Newsome signed legislation that disallows the incomplete gift non-grantor trusts (INGs) as a way to avoid CA state tax income. The law is retroactive to January 1, 2023. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Bob Keebler, CPA/PFS, interviews CA attorney, Kirsten Wolff, to guide CPAs on how to proactively plan with this new legislation. Bob poses the following ques...

You can give your clients tremendous value by guiding them with their life insurance planning, even if you're not an insurance expert. In this episode of the PFP Section podcast, Ed Mendlowitz, CPA/PFS, interviews expert Lee Slavutin, MD, CLU to share strategies to consider for your individual clients. Ed poses the following questions to Lee: What strategies would you recommend to make use of the...