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” — the idea that true wealth is the ability to live a meaningful life, not just grow a bigger balance sheet. He shares practical ways advisors can help clients escape the hedonic treadmill, have deeper conversations about what matters, and reframe financial planning around purpose before numbers.

They also dive into how AI and technological disruption are reshaping the advisor’s role, pushing EQ skills like empathy, self-awareness, and connection to the forefront of practice. As the financial landscape evolves, the ability to understand and guide clients as humans, not just portfolios, is becoming a defining skill.

Key Topics Covered

• The difference between being rich and being truly wealthy
• How to help clients define their future selves and avoid future regrets
• Why financial conversations should start with meaning, not money
• The advisor’s evolving role from mechanic to guide
• Why EQ is becoming an essential advantage in the age of AI

AICPA Resources:

PFP Podcast: How emotions affect financial decisions

PFP Learning: Emotional Intelligence

PFP Learning: MBAexpress: Emotional Intelligence

PFP Podcast: Turning Panic into Trust with Dr. Lurtz

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 of family dynamics and education, Mindy challenges planners to move beyond balance sheets and into legacy stewardship.

Together, they explore:

· Why preparing heirs is about purpose, values, and emotional intelligence—not just financial literacy.

· How advisors can help design learning experiences that build resilience, trust, and stewardship across generations.

· The hidden lessons families pass down through behavior and how advisors can help surface values more intentionally.

· Practical ways to start the conversation about rising-generation education with clients.

For CPA financial planners, this conversation offers insight into one of the most complex and rewarding areas of planning: ensuring that wealth transitions are not just tax efficient, but truly human-centered.

Resources:

Podcast: How to talk to your kids about your estate plan

Podcast: Guiding families in their philanthropic endeavors

Article: Talking to your kids about money

Video: Financial independence: Rethinking retirement

Video: Discover how to have impactful legacy conversations

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.

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, CPA, PFS. With his rare combination of legal, tax, and financial planning expertise, Daniel helps business owners turn exits from reactive scrambles into deliberate successes, covering everything from succession and valuation to wealth transfer and legacy planning.

Listeners will learn:

· The #1 risks owners overlook before selling

· Why building the right advisory team changes the outcome

· How early planning boosts valuations (and reduces stress)

· Where CPA financial planners fit into the exit conversation

· Practical ways to help clients start planning today

This episode is a must-listen for CPA financial planners who work with business owners—or anyone who wants to sharpen their edge in succession and legacy planning.

AICPA Resources: https://www.aicpa-cima.com/cpe-learning/webcast/business-exit-planning https://pfplanning.libsyn.com/business-exit-transitions-for-cpa-financial-planners https://www.aicpa-cima.com/professional-insights/article/pcps-succession-planning-survey

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 making the portability election led to the loss of $3.7 million in estate tax exemption. The case underscores the reality that “substantial compliance is not enough” when filing Form 706—and the reputational and financial risks that follow.

You’ll learn:

• Why the IRS and courts denied the portability election—and what it means for practitioners.
• How valuation, appraisals, and strict filing compliance can make or break an estate.
• What CPA financial planners can do to collaborate effectively with attorneys and safeguard clients from hidden estate administration landmines.
• Practical risk management steps firms should adopt to prevent similar outcomes.

Listen in to protect your clients’ legacies, preserve your professional reputation, and avoid the quiet traps buried in estate planning compliance.

Resources:

Guide: Guide to Financial and Estate Planning Vol. 4

Podcast: Estate Planning & Portability

Learning: Estate Planning Certificate Program

Video: Critical Income, Estate and Trust Planning for 2023 and Beyond

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.

Jeff Levine joins us to break down one of the most surprising features of the new tax law: a brand-new type of deduction that could significantly change the way we think about AGI thresholds, phaseouts, and entity planning.

In this episode, we unpack how the latest changes in the tax code are opening up advanced strategies for clients, and where financial planners need to stay sharp to avoid stealth cliffs and missed opportunities.

Key Topics Covered:

• The new above-the-line deduction and who can benefit
• Planning around AGI phaseouts and stealth tax cliffs
• Leveraging non-grantor trusts for charitable and income planning
• Avoiding estate planning complacency amid exemption increases
• Rethinking entity structure in light of expanded QSBS rules

Resources:

• Planning after tax changes
• Podcast: BBB Crossover Special
• A summary for tax 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.

The pipeline is aging—and the profession is feeling the pressure. But what if Gen Z isn’t just the next wave of talent, but the spark that transforms your practice?

In this energizing episode, Cary Sinnett sits down with Sherron Permashwar, CPA and founder of The Modern Savvy CPA, to unpack why recruiting Gen Z isn’t just important—it’s essential. Sherron brings her insight as a 27-year CPA veteran with a digital-native following to explore:

· What Gen Z really wants from a career in financial planning

· How to move from a “hierarchy” mindset to a “community” culture

· Why high schools and colleges are missing the mark—and how you can fill the gap

· Content strategies CPA firms can use to build credibility and trust on TikTok, YouTube, and beyond

· How purpose, flexibility, and mentorship drive Gen Z retention

If you’re ready to future-proof your firm and attract the next generation of purpose-driven professionals, this episode is for you.

Resources:

• Article: Mentoring at CPA firms fosters strong leaders
• Article: Notable gaps between what Gen Z expects and what employers offer
• Toolkit: CPA Pipeline
• Article: Learn more about the Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop

When disaster strikes—wildfire, flood, earthquake—will your clients’ finances survive the storm? In this episode, host Cary Sinnett speaks with Mitch Freeman, CPA/PFS, a nationally recognized advisor with firsthand experience navigating the financial aftermath of natural disasters.

Mitch shares practical insights on:

· Proactive steps to prepare clients financially for disasters

· Insurance challenges in high-risk areas

· How private adjusters can ease post-disaster stress

· Essential documents and checklists every client should have ready

With over 60 years in the profession, Mitch offers hard-won wisdom and actionable advice to help CPA financial planners build financial resilience into every plan.

Resources:

• Disaster preparedness
• Aftermath of a natural disaster checklist
• Dealing with catastrophic property loss
• Disaster management essentials for CPAs
• A primer on disaster planning, relief, and recovery with a CPA
• Disaster Relief Resource Center
• State Disaster Tax Relief Guide
• AICPA Benevolent Fund – Disaster Support Application

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.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is no longer a proposal, it’s the law. That means CPA financial planners must shift gears fast.

In this special crossover episode of the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Podcast and the AICPA Tax Odyssey Podcast, host Cary Sinnett is joined by nationally recognized experts Bob Keebler and Mark Gallegos to break down what the new law really means for your clients and your planning strategies.

From the permanent TCJA tax brackets and QBI deduction to enhanced SALT caps, PTET elections, and new income exclusions for tips and overtime, this episode delivers high-level insights you can act on immediately. You’ll also hear forward-looking guidance on Roth conversions, entity structure decisions, estate and gifting strategies, and what Medicaid reforms mean for clients with multigenerational care responsibilities.

This is the must-listen briefing every CPA financial planner needs right now.

Resources:

• 2025 Reconciliation charts
• Planning for tax changes and tax reform
• 2025 House tax bill

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.