The Ripple Effect: How Financial Literacy Shapes Generations
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
Release Date: 05/01/2026
The Ripple Effect: How Financial Literacy Shapes Generations
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 financial independence? Why do money beliefs derail sound financial decisions? How can advisors scale their impact beyond their client base? Key Themes Literacy as the...
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Transform Tax Season into Year-Round Client Value with Dr. Brianne Smith
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 professionals back, how the PFS credential accelerates the shift, and why the future belongs to advisors who can connect tax and planning into one seamless client experience. Key answers you’ll get: How can...
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The Inflection Point for CPA Financial Planners: Why Now Matters
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 sizes. Leonard also shares the work happening behind the scenes at the AICPA, from global fiduciary standards to the evolution of financial planning frameworks and offers a clear call to action for CPAs...
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Millions at 18, Broke at 30 (Unless a CPA/PFS Gets Involved)
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 staggering. The NIL market is projected to top $2.5 billion in 2026. Yet 60% of former NBA players are reportedly broke within two years of retirement. The opportunity and the urgency couldn't be clearer....
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From Knowledge to Impact: The CPA’s Role in Financial Literacy with Julia Bush
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 Sinnett discusses with Julia Bush how CPAs can turn technical expertise into measurable impact. Julia explains why financial literacy remains one of the most critical life skills Americans are often...
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What’s Next for the CPA Financial Planner with Matt Kidd
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 highlighting CPA/PFS Financial Planners. They discuss why tax is becoming the gravitational center of financial planning, how CPA financial planners are uniquely positioned to deliver integrated advice,...
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Trump Accounts are Coming - and You Need to be Ready
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 · The contribution, investment, and trustee rules during the “growth period” · Key...
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Bob Keebler on The Renaissance of Income Tax Planning
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 exemptions. If your clients are hitting phaseouts or facing high state taxes, this episode delivers advanced strategies to optimize their tax position now and into the future. Non-Grantor Trusts:...
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From Busy Season to Better Seasons: A CPA’s Path to Planning with Deb Meyer
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 realistically expect when adding financial planning to their practice. The conversation covers leadership, delegation, client trust, pricing evolution, and the personal motivations behind making the shift....
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Cracking the AI Code for CPA Financial Planners
AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP)
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 efficiency, deeper insights, and more client-centered communication. The risk lies in adopting technology without fully understanding what it does, how it works, and where human judgment must...
info_outlineCary 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 financial independence?
- Why do money beliefs derail sound financial decisions?
- How can advisors scale their impact beyond their client base?
Key Themes
- Literacy as the foundation for better planning outcomes
- Behavior, beliefs, and decision-making gaps
- Rethinking FIRE for real-world clients
- The late starter journey: from shame to action
- Expanding your role from advisor to educator
Why It Matters
Better-informed clients make better decisions—and better clients.
Your knowledge doesn’t need to stop at your client list.
AICPA Resources:
Financial Literacy resources
Financial Literacy Month Spotlight
CPAs role in Financial Literacy
PFP Champion Program
This episode is brought to you by the AICPA’s Personal Financial Planning Section, the premier provider of information, tools, advocacy, and guidance for professionals who specialize in providing tax, estate, retirement, risk management and investment planning advice. Also, by the CPA/PFS credential program, which allows CPAs to demonstrate competence and confidence in providing these services to their clients. Visit us online to join our community, gain access to valuable member-only benefits or learn about our PFP certificate program.
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