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.

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: Keebler explains how trust structures can sidestep phaseouts and help clients reclaim deductions previously lost due to high AGI.

The "Tax Trifecta Trust" Explained: Learn how to stack SALT deductions, layer multiple §199A deductions, and shift income strategically using non-grantor trust planning.

Five Strategies You Can Use Today

• Income shifting to lower-bracket heirs
• Stacking SALT deductions across multiple trusts
• Boosting §199A deductions with trust-level taxpayers
• Expanding QSBS exemptions via strategic trust ownership
• Reducing or deferring state income tax through out-of-state trust situs

Real-World Implementation Advice: Bob outlines guardrails around IRC §643(f) to avoid having multiple trusts collapsed into one. Hear how to structure trusts legally and practically for high-impact planning, and how to identify ideal client profiles for this approach.

What CPA Financial Planners Need to Watch For: Bob discusses state-specific issues, kiddie tax complications, trust drafting must-haves, and how CPAs can lead the planning process with confidence.

AICPA Resources:

Video: Decoding Trusts and Wills: Provisions for PFP Practitioners

Video: Year-End Planning Through the Lens of H.R. 1

Resource: Charitable planning post OBBBA rules

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.