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LEARNING RESOURCES

transaction fees on stocks, and many now offer frac-
AICPA Town Hall Series
tionalized investing,” he observed, “both of which
The AICPA Town Hall Series is the profession’s have combined to lead to more customized investing
resource for timely and critical information, which options for consumers.”
includes real-time interpretation and analysis, “Direct indexing and customized investing are
along with a broader discussion on strategies and already playing out, and I expect it to continue to
capabilities to drive long-term success.
expand over the next year,” he said.
WEBCAST He added that many asset classes now are avail-
able for people to invest in that used to be available
only to high-net-worth investors, and companies are
Digital CPA Conference 2022 allowing individuals to buy small shares of real es-
Dec. 4–7, Austin, Texas, and live online tate, rental properties, artwork, collectibles, and other
items. These have been popular investment products.
For over a decade, the Digital CPA Conference “There has been a flood of money pouring into
has been the premier event for forward-thinking
accounting professionals who are ready to shape the these types of companies, and investors need to tread
future of the profession. carefully,” he said.

CONFERENCE ACCOUNTING EDUCATION
The coming year, marking the final months before
the revised CPA Exam comes online in 2024, will be
AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE 23 a year of transition for many college and university
June 5–8, Las Vegas and live online accounting programs, said Houston-based Jan
Taylor, CPA, CGMA, Ph.D., academic in residence
At this event, you’ll gain exclusive insights, develop and senior director–Academic & Student Engage-
practical skills, and network with your unique
professional community over four energizing days. ment at the Association of International Certified
Professional Accountants, representing AICPA
CONFERENCE & CIMA.
“Educators, as they continue to prepare students
for the changing environment of the profession and
For more information or to make a purchase, go to aicpa.org/cpe-learning
or call the Institute at 888-777-7077. the revised exam, will be working to incorporate
available technologies and how they are used in
practice into their curriculum,” she said.
Among the areas faculty will place greater focus
on are data analytics, cybersecurity, risk manage-
ment, and other topics graduates will be expected to
PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING be familiar with when they enter the profession.
The turbulent economic environment, including And students will need to know how to tap into
inflation, rising interest rates, and the Great Res- technology including advanced Excel, machine
ignation, will continue to affect personal financial learning, RPA, and data visualization software,
planning as we head into 2023, said Chris Benson, she added.
CPA/PFS, principal at L.K. Benson & Company in AICPA & CIMA have spent months helping
Towson, Md. educators prepare to teach these newer topics.
Pending legislation will also be at the forefront of “Now, and into 2023, educators can participate
CPA financial planners’ minds, with the SECURE in webinars, faculty discussion hours, and they
Act 2.0 (the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, can access a resource hub to locate materials we’ve
H.R. 2954) a piece of legislation likely to be passed curated, including articles, case studies, white papers,
late this year or next year, he added. and other content,” she said.
“From an economic perspective, I think we are Taylor expects 2023 to be a growth year for the
all curious to see how long the current inflationary CPA Exam as a greater volume of students are likely
environment stays in place and how much longer the to sit for the current exam rather than take the new
Fed will increase interest rates and whether this will one in 2024.
push us into a recession,” Benson said. “We know that whenever an exam goes through
Customized investing is also a growing trend, he any significant change, there is often a spike in par-
said. “Investment brokerage firms have eliminated ticipants before that change takes place,” she said. n

10 | Journal of Accountancy December 2022