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 research and interviews with retirees, she explains why many successful professionals fear retirement, why those fears are often misplaced, and how financial planners can help clients prepare for life beyond the balance sheet.

Whether you're guiding clients toward retirement or thinking about your own future, this conversation offers practical insights into identity, purpose, relationships, and creating a retirement that truly works.

Questions Discussed:

• Why do so many successful professionals fear retirement despite being financially prepared?
• What are the four psychological tasks every retiree faces?
• How can retirees preserve a sense of identity after leaving work?
• What role should financial planners play in preparing clients emotionally for retirement?
• What single question can advisors ask that helps clients begin designing a meaningful retirement?

Key Takeaways:

• Retirement is a transition, not a single event.
• Financial readiness alone does not guarantee retirement satisfaction.
• Many pre-retirees fear the unknown, but most retirees ultimately adapt successfully.
• Identity, relationships, and daily routines are critical components of a fulfilling retirement.
• Financial planners can add tremendous value by encouraging clients to think intentionally about what comes after their careers.

Resources:
Article: Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You
Webcast: Financial Planning for Aging Clients
Article: 4 Questions to Identify Your Retirement Needs and Goals

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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-misunderstood Kenan doctrine.

Bob explains where advisors commonly overlook opportunities, how missed elections may still be salvaged, and why funding decisions inside trusts and estates can create unexpected capital gains. Along the way, he highlights strategies that help CPA financial planners deliver more thoughtful and tax-efficient advice to families across generations.

Questions Answered

• How does portability work, and when can missed portability elections still be recovered?
• When should advisors favor portability versus bypass trusts and GST planning?
• What is the Kenan doctrine, and why can funding a trust with appreciated assets trigger capital gains?
• How does a Section 645 election change the taxation of trusts during administration?
• Equal inheritances are not always equal when embedded capital gains and basis differences are considered.

Resources:
The Adviser's Guide to Financial & Estate Planning - Vol 4
Generation Skipping Transfer Tax Chart
Estate Planning & Portability
Volatile Markets, Smart Estates: Keebler's Top Tax Plays

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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 trusted advisory.

Sue shares why trust has become one of the profession's greatest competitive advantages, how technology and complexity are accelerating change, and why CPA financial planners are uniquely positioned to lead multigenerational client relationships. The conversation also explores how education, credentialing, AI, and evolving firm models are shaping the next generation of CPA advisors.

Whether you are building an advisory practice, expanding into financial planning, or thinking about the future direction of the profession, this episode provides an inside look at where the CPA profession is headed and why the opportunity for planners has never been greater.

Questions Answered

• Why is the CPA profession shifting from compliance toward advisory services?
• What makes CPA financial planners uniquely valuable to clients and families?
• How are AI and technology changing the future of CPA advisory work?
• What separates firms that successfully transition into advisory services?
• Why did financial planning become part of the CPA exam evolution?
• How can firms prepare for the future of trusted advisory relationships?

Key Takeaways

• Trust remains one of the CPA profession's greatest differentiators in an increasingly complex world.
• Financial planning is becoming more integrated into the CPA identity and educational pipeline.
• AI is expected to enhance CPA capabilities rather than replace advisors.
• Successful advisory firms combine technical expertise, relationships, governance, and talent development.
• CPA financial planners are well-positioned to serve as the "quarterback" coordinating broader client advice teams.

AICPA Resources:

• Pathways to Practicing Personal Financial Planning
• Rise2040: Co-creating our profession's future
• National Accounting Day: What Trust Looks Like in Action
• Celebrating CPAs

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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, fulfillment, and meaning can lead to stronger engagement, clearer decision-making, and more intentional financial behavior. Together, Cary and Andrea discuss how CPA financial planners can integrate life planning concepts into existing client relationships without abandoning technical precision.

Questions Answered

• Why do some clients fail to follow through on financial advice?
• How can planners uncover what truly matters most to clients?
• Why do "soft skills" often improve technical planning outcomes?
• How can advisors begin incorporating life planning concepts into their existing process?

Key Takeaways

• Clients are more likely to act on recommendations when financial advice connects to personal meaning and purpose.
• Technical expertise becomes more powerful when paired with deeper discovery conversations.
• Human-centered guidance may become even more valuable as AI advances in technical planning.

Resources:
The why, what, and how behind legacy planning for your clients
Kinder Institute of Life Planning
Financial Gratitude: The Behavioral Advantage Every CPA Planner Should Leverage
Guide to Practical Retirement Planning

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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 stop and say, "Wait… I didn't know that."

If you want practical ideas you can use immediately to create value, strengthen relationships, and spark more meaningful planning engagements, this episode is for you.

Questions answered:

• Can clients really use 529 plans for professional credentials and Roth IRA funding?
• How can clients access retirement money before age 59½ without the 10% penalty?
• Are advisors overlooking powerful HSA planning opportunities for families?
• What charitable giving strategies work best for non-itemizers?
• How do clients find forgotten 401(k)s and abandoned accounts?

Resources:
Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database
National Association of State Treasurers
Health Savings Accounts Beyond the Basics
529 plan expansion boosts education and CPA access
Slott and Keebler on what to watch out for with SECURE 2.0

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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 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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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 financial planning shift from an add-on to a core part of a CPA's value proposition?
• What is one of the pricing models that can reshape both client behavior and advisor relationships?
• What practical first steps could a CPA take to integrate planning without disrupting their existing practice?

AICPA resources:

• Pathways to Practicing Personal Financial Planning
• Checklist: Building a PFP business
• Analysis of a Tax Return for Financial Planning Opportunities
• Guide to Investment Advisory Business Models

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

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 ready to expand their role and impact.

Key Questions Answered:

• What are the best firms doing differently that others still haven't figured out?
• Why do so many clients say, "I wish my CPA would go further," and what does "further" actually look like?
• What actually changes when you move from giving answers to guiding decisions?
• If you started over today, how would you build financial planning into your practice from day one?

AICPA Resources:

• Pathways to Practicing Personal Financial Planning
• Five tips for generating new service opportunities during busy season
• PFP Resources
• From Busy Season to Better Seasons: A CPA's Path to Planning with Deb Meyer

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.

Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.