AICPA Credentials' Program - Impact Stories
PFS™. CITP®. ABV®. CFF®. When any of these four acronyms appear after your name and CPA in your title, people notice. It means you’re a credentialed expert - a Personal Financial Specialist, a Certified Information Technology Professional, Accredited in Business Valuation or Certified in Financial Forensics. But apart from the prestige of having these letters follow your name, what else can they mean for you? We recently spoke to four credential holders across the country about the impact AICPA advisory service credentials have had on them and their businesses, and the resounding response was, “a huge impact.”
Jean-Luc Bourdon, CPA/PFS, is a principal and wealth adviser at BrightPath Wealth Planning, LLC in Santa Barbara, CA. Early on in his career, he developed a keen interest in personal financial planning, with a focus on looking holistically at a client’s entire financial picture. It was then he decided to acquire the AICPA PFS credential, which has had a positive impact on his business, while also connecting him with other CPAs in the PFS community. According to Jean-Luc, “CPAs do so much more. Clients are looking for a trusted adviser to ask those hard questions. When they find out that someone they already trust for their tax preparation can help them with their bigger financial picture, they are delighted.”
For Kevin Martin, CPA/CITP, MCSE, MCP+I, at Martin & Associates in Cincinnati, OH, melding his expertise in accounting with a passion for information systems was a perfect fit for the AICPA CITP (Certified Information Technology Professional) credential. Early in his career, he was microcomputer coordinator for a Big 8 firm, spending half his time in the “audit world” and the other half in the “technology world.” The CITP credential has been a great business driver for his firm. His clients, says Kevin, “know they are working with a professional who understands at the highest level the financial aspect and the technological aspect — to make complete sense of their data. It’s a wonderful, powerful 1–2 punch.”
For Jolene Fraser, CPA/CFF, CFE, principal with Ueltzen & Company in Sacramento, CA, pursuing an AICPA specialized credential was second nature. She’s always been good with numbers, and worked as an auditor in a Big 8 firm. After 10 years in public accounting, a colleague introduced her to forensic accounting. Right away, she knew this specialty was something she wanted to pursue as a career. To obtain an AICPA credential, you first have to be a CPA, and having the CFF credential increases Jolene’s stature in the courtroom. “Testifying as an expert requires a huge amount of credibility. The CFF credential, and the fact that it’s backed by the AICPA, gives me that credibility,” she says. It has also led to many referrals from attorneys, who are much more likely to call on CFF credential holders than non-credential holders.
Early on in her career, Sheri Schultz, CPA/ABV/CFF, Director of Litigation Support & Valuation Services at Fiske & Company in Plantation, FL, decided that working 70+ hours a week at a Big 8 firm and raising a family weren’t compatible. She became interested in the valuation field, left the firm and went to work for her father, building a successful boutique litigation and valuation firm. As soon as the AICPA offered the ABV credential, she and her dad both took the exam and passed. As Sheri says, “It was important to me that the AICPA backs my CPA certification and my credential. Both those have a major impact on my credibility and the way I’m viewed in this profession.” The credential has also had a positive impact on her business. “CPAs call on me to do their business valuation work since they know I hold the credential. To get constant referrals from other CPAs is a significant driver for our financial success.”
To learn more about the value of all the AICPA credentials, and to find out if you qualify, go to aicpa.org/credentials.