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 expected to "teach themselves" and why that model continues to fall short, particularly for students. While 30 states now require personal finance education in high schools, funding and implementation gaps persist.

The conversation explores:

• The behavioral gap between knowing and doing in personal finance
• Why accountability and small actionable steps matter
• How CPAs can partner with schools, nonprofits, and community groups
• The impact of organizations like Junior Achievement
• Practical first steps financial professionals can take to create measurable change

For CPA financial planners, this episode is both a call to action and a roadmap for engagement.

AICPA Resources:

• Financial Literacy
• Junior Achievement Volunteer
• Invest in girls
• Institute for Financial Education and Prosperity

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 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, and what both seasoned CPAs and the next generation should understand about the power of adding the PFS.

Top Takeaways
• The PFS exam and Body of Knowledge are being updated to reflect real-world, tax-integrated planning.
• CPA financial planners have a structural advantage in delivering holistic advice.
• Raising awareness starts with proudly displaying the CPA/PFS credential.

PFS Resources:
• PFS Credential
• PFS Live Workshop
• PFS Handbook
• PFS Business Experience
• PFS Infographic
• Earning your credential info
• Engage 2026

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.

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 decisions at age 18, and how estate and tax planning converge
• · How to compare Trump Accounts with traditional irrevocable trusts
• · Planning actions to consider before the tax-free window closes

If you're advising families, this is one account structure you can't afford to overlook.

AICPA Resources:

• · Trump Accounts under Sec. 530A — Timeline and insights
• · IRS Form 4547
• · IRS Notice 2025-68
• · Planning for tax changes

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.