Brought to you by the African American Knowledge Circle, save the date for a special African American Knowledge Circle on March 3rd at 3 pm ET where we'll be joined by 2026 FPA President Elect, Crystal Alford-Cooper, for a town hall style discussion.  We'll also share some knowledge circle updates and initiatives for 2026. 

D. Crystal Alford-Cooper, CFP®, CDFA™, CRC®, Vice President of Planning

The educational goal of this program is to provide a richer understanding of how indexes are created and used across global financial markets in order to improve client outcomes. 

Brought to you by the PridePlanners Knowledge Circle, in a world where AI is replacing human interactions and where loneliness is epidemic, the ability to build rich, deep relationships is becoming a differentiator. By leveraging psychology, we can create transformational experiences for financial planning clients. In this interactive and engaging workshop, you will learn and practice two skills you can immediately apply with your prospects and clients to help them feel deeply understood by and connected to you.

Joy Slabaugh, CFP®,

Brought to you by the Business Success Knowledge Circle, this presentation will provide a clear and practical overview of how Medicare works, along with how Medicaid and related assistance programs can significantly reduce the cost of Medicare coverage.

Guest speaker Tom Connolly will begin with a straightforward explanation of Medicare—how it works, when it applies, and the key decisions individuals must make. He will discuss why it is important for individuals to set up and manage their own online accounts through the Social Security system and Medicare.gov, and how certified financial planners and advisors can play an important role in guiding clients through these essential portals. 

He will finish with a review of national strategies for reducing healthcare and prescription drug costs, including programs such as Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy) and the Medicare Savings Programs, which can help lower or eliminate premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket drug expenses.

Thomas Connolly, Independent Medicare and Health Insurance Specialist

Tax returns often reveal where proactive retirement tax planning was missing—and why earlier decisions matter. 

Join America’s IRA Expert, Ed Slott, CPA, for a focused discussion on the most important retirement tax conversations advisors should be having with clients right now. Drawing on current tax law, recent IRS guidance, and real-world planning scenarios, Ed will highlight where advisors commonly see missed opportunities and avoidable mistakes revealed during tax season. 

Key discussion areas include: 

• Planning years advisors commonly miss before RMDs begin 

• Roth conversion timing decisions that continue to raise questions 

• Recurring RMD and distribution issues 

• Rollover decisions that deserve closer scrutiny 

This session is designed to help advisors apply current retirement tax rules with greater clarity, identify common planning risks, and more confident client decisions year-round—not just at filing time. 

Ed Slott, CPA, President and Founder

Larry Pon wants to continue the tax conversation with you! Have questions? Larry has answers! Join us for a LIVE Q&A session where Larry answers your tax-related questions and provides up-to-date insight on laws and regulations. 

In March, Larry will be joined by Heather Liston and they will be discussing tax myths.

If you have questions ahead of time, you can send them to learning@onefpa.org. 

Lawrence Pon, CFP®, CPA, PFS, EA, USTCP, AEP, Pon & Associates

Join the Speical Needs Planning Community for more advanced, systems-level discussion on governance, continuity, institutional memory, and why long-term success depends more on structure and process than on documents alone.

Jeff Llewellyn, ChSNC®, CFA, CFP®,

Brought to you by the FPA Latino Knowledge Circle, join us for a new series where we will get to know different members of the FPA Latino Knowledge Circle community.  In March we will be joined by Rich Arzaga.