Certified Public Accountants spend a lot of time during the summer attending incredible CPE conferences. Occasionally, I have the fun opportunity to present at these conferences to inform my peers about the benefits and opportunities that personal financial planning offers. This summer, CPAlliance™ had a number of speaking opportunities, each of which was incredible. So much so, I want to share my favorite highlights with you!
One of my favorite speaking opportunities is always with the great folks at MyCPE. I’ve given two presentations, both of which have been made into recordings and are available year-round. I routinely receive inquiries from folks wanting to learn more! If you’re looking for a great place to earn CPE credit, you can watch my “Burn the Time Sheet" or “Becoming a CPA Financial Planner" presentations on the MyCPE platform!
My first in-person session of the summer was the University of South Florida Accounting Circle Annual Conference. I was asked to speak to over 400 CPAs about what it takes to achieve personal financial independence. I shared the stage with dynamic speakers, including Shelly Weir, CEO of the FICPA, and Steve Presley, CEO of Nestlé Zone North America. This was the first time the USF Accounting Circle met in person since the pandemic, and both the conference and the feedback were fantastic.
My next in-person session this summer was a full-day Personal Financial Planning Bootcamp sponsored by the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) in Orlando, FL, which took place during their MEGA Conference. My partner Michael Riskin, CPA/PFS, CFP®, MST, and I discussed many of the topics necessary for a CPA to be successful in starting, running, and growing a CPA personal financial planning practice. It was a dynamic day of programming that spawned much discussion and hopefully helped a few CPAs gain the confidence to take on the world of Personal Financial Planning.
During the main sessions of the FICPA 2023 MEGA Conference, we were honored to participate in the TED-Talk style, fast-paced learning labs where I challenged attendees in the room to check in on their own financial independence and encouraged them to reach out the their advisors to be sure they are on track. I was also able to conduct the Achieving Financial Independence Session that was given at the USF Accounting Circle Annual Conference to a completely full audience, including some standing in the back! Even still, this group was smaller than the 400 at USF, which allowed for more interaction and audience participation. This meant that we dove deep, bringing up questions probably meant for the confidential space of a financial planner's office. This deep-dive conversation continued well after the session was over. After this, I hope each made an appointment with their advisor (or decided to do it themselves) to ensure they are on the right trajectory for retirement and their life plans.
Finishing summer on a high note, we had our largest and most incredible turnout at our 27th Annual CPAlliance™ Executive Roundtable. Read more about our awesome Roundtable that offered comradery, fellowship, and—of course—a great time.
While the summer is coming to a close and we're moving into the fall season, I spoke at one more session: The FICPA South Florida Accounting Conference (SFAC). I gave attendees a fresh perspective on how wealth is created along with another Ted-Talk style learning lab session on how wealth is a process, not an event.
If you stopped in on our summer CPE trail, we hope you enjoyed our talks and presentations! If you would like to learn more about the CPAlliance™ please reach out to me, Shawn McCabe, CPAlliance Director and Partner, at (863) 688-1725 or smccabe@cpalliance.com.
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Shawn J. McCabe | CPA/PFS, CFP®, MSA, MBA
CPAlliance™ Director | Partner