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THE LAST WORD / Susan M. Tillery, CPA/PFS
THE L AST W ORD

Susan M. Tillery, CPA/PFS,
is president and co-founder
of Paraklete Financial Inc.
and co-owner of Financial
Planning Advocate LLC, both in
Kennesaw, Ga.

Favorite food: I enjoy a Mediterranean
diet because it’s so healthy. But I also
love Italian because it’s not.
Favorite music: I love jazz. Miles Davis is
one of my favorite artists.
Favorite books: Harkening back to my
original desire to join the FBI, I love mys-
teries, especially historical mysteries.

For personal financial planners, ‘the opportunities are

limitless …’

Learning the tax code for the greater good: When I went program, which is used by CPAs to take the exam to become a
to college at the University of Georgia, the only advice my credentialed Personal Financial Specialist.
father gave me was, “Make sure you enroll in the business
school.” On the day I arrived, I walked into the business school Becoming a personal financial planner: CPAs who have a
and said, “I’m here to register.” When asked what I wanted to desire to assist their clients with their retirement, investment,
major in, I shared that I wanted to join the FBI. The enroll- insurance, estate, and cash flow planning will need to pursue
ment officer said an accounting degree was one of the degrees education in each of these subject areas. People skills, listening
the FBI requires, as well as a law degree, so I decided to get a skills, and coaching skills are also critical to the process.
degree in accounting and later go to law school. The next step is to obtain your PFS designation, which says
I took my first tax course, and everything changed. In my in- to your clients and to the public that you have the requisite
troductory tax textbooks, the preface said, “The tax code is used skills, knowledge, and competency to provide personal financial
to affect and change society.” I had an epiphany. I realized the planning services. You then determine the types of services to
tax code’s significant impact on society and I wanted to master offer your clients. The opportunities are limitless.
it. I went to work for Arthur Andersen in the tax department
and later worked with the estate planning group, which led me Dealing with a volatile market and economy: Our clients
to my love for personal financial planning. ask questions about what they hear in the news. We remind
them that the market is cyclical [and] that we considered their
Helping clients and CPAs: Fifteen years ago, my husband risk tolerance when we determined their asset allocation plan.
and I decided to start Paraklete Financial, a personal financial We also encourage them to be wise with spending and prepare
planning firm. Our business model does not offer investment for the ups and downs in the economy. Preparation is impor-
management. We provide holistic integrated personal financial tant and provides individuals with a sense of being in control
planning services by educating our clients about all things of their own destiny.
financial in their lives. It is rewarding to empower clients to PHOTO BY PHIL SKINNER/AP IMAGES
make financial decisions that bring them peace of mind. We — As told to Teri Saylor, a freelance writer based in North Caroli-
started Financial Planning Advocate in 2012 as an education na. To comment on this article or to suggest another subject for Last
company for CPAs. We also wrote the AICPA’s certificate Word, contact Courtney Vien at Courtney.Vien@aicpa-cima.com.

40 | Journal of Accountancy August 2022