Are you ready to gain insights that will shape the future of financial planning? Join us for a transformative day filled with cutting-edge knowledge and invaluable networking opportunities.
This conference is still being planned, so please check back for the full agenda.
This session is still being planned.
Dr. Daraius Irani serves as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research at Towson University. In this role, he fosters the development of partnerships between business, government, and education that contribute to the economic vitality of the greater Baltimore region.
For over 25 years, Irani has served in several senior leadership roles at Towson University. As vice president, Irani provides leadership and management to over 70 highly-skilled professionals who work on campus and in state agencies across the state. Collectively, his teams work to open the doors of the university to solve pressing problems, further community collaboration, expand learning opportunities, and generate economic development.
Irani is committed to Towson University and has set priorities that reflect that commitment. These include working to better integrate the Division into the University; advancing Towson University’s reputation as a leader in applied research, education, and entrepreneurship; and making positive impacts through university-community partnerships.
Additionally, Irani serves as chief economist for the Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) at Towson University, a policy group providing economic, fiscal impact, and policy analysis to state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sector firms. During his tenure at RESI, Irani has managed and served as lead economist on well over 500 research and analysis projects. He also has produced over 250 economic and fiscal impact statements for a diverse portfolio of clients.
Irani is often called upon to provide economic presentations to organizations across Maryland. He has appeared on CNN, the Marc Steiner show, WYPR’s Midday, and Maryland Public Television’s Business Connection. He is often quoted in articles published by Maryland Daily Record, Baltimore Business Journal, The Baltimore Sun, and Washington Post.
Dr. Irani holds a Ph.D. in economics from University of California, Santa Barbara; a M.A. in business economics from University of California, Santa Barbara; and a B.A. in economics from University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Irani is an avid bicyclist and golfer.
Hear the latest about the Maryland economy from Dr. Daraius Irani.
David Grau Jr. is the founder and CEO of Succession Resource Group, a succession and M&A consulting company for advisors. Prior to launching SRG, David was the leading M&A consultant for a well-known succession planning firm to advisors where he led and developed numerous programs for RIAs. Prior to this role, David served in the United States Navy.
David is a published author and accomplished speaker and has been interviewed and cited in dozens of publications over the last decade. He is currently one of the leading speakers in the financial services industry on M&A and next-gen building strategies, with over 200 presentations to his credit. In the past five years, he has spoken at a variety of the industry’s leading firms, including LPL Financial Services, Wells Fargo, Ameriprise Financial, ING, Independent Financial Group, Geneos, Swan Global, Advisor Group, Fidelity, Jackson National, Prudential, Raymond James, and regularly volunteers his time speaking for the Financial Services Institute (FSI) and FPA chapters around the country.
David holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Portland State University and has a Master’s Degree from Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management. David, his wife Kristen and their three children are long-time residents of Portland, Oregon, but take every opportunity to travel.
Fun Facts: David enjoys spending time with his family, reading, running, is an avid wine enthusiast and developing a taste for cigars, loves traveling, reading, he also enjoys snow and water sports and loves basketball (playing or watching). Prior to having three children and starting a business David had a beautiful head of hair. Now he doesn’t.
Luke Kiely is the founder and Chief Security Officer of ComplyWise, a managed security and compliance provider for financial-services firms across the US and UK.
Luke’s route into cybersecurity is anything but typical. Before ComplyWise, he spent 13 years as a detective investigating serious and complex crime, including cybercrime - work that shapes how he thinks about risk, evidence, and the difference between real threats and noise. That mindset drives his approach: evidence and risk-based security, not fear-driven. Rather than trading on the latest scary headline, Luke helps firms see what actually threatens a business and their clients, and what genuinely reduces that risk.
He works at both ends of the table, from hands-on technical implementation to boardroom risk conversations, and is a regular voice in the accounting community on cybersecurity and compliance.
Cybersecurity has quietly stopped being a differentiator and become the price of admission for being a financial profession. Failing to take it seriously is now being seen as borderline negligent. Drawing on twenty five years as a detective investigating fraud and cybercrime and working as a Chief Information Security Officer to financial firms, Luke Kiely walks you through the anatomy of fraud and the cyber attacks most likely to hit your firm. This leaves you with a handful of decisions, none of them technical, that help to stop it.
Ashley Murphy, CFP® GFP Fellow, is a tri-citizen of the USA, Australia and the UK. Ashley is the founder and Principal of Arete Wealth Strategists Australia, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm for Australian/American expatriates in the United States and Australia.
From 2014 - 2017, Ashley taught in the CFP programs at UC Berkeley Extension and Golden Gate University. He served as a Knowledge Circle host for the Financial Planning Association's International and Cross-Border Knowledge Circle (2017 - 2019), and is a regular conference speaker. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning in Australia making him one of the few financial advisors qualified in multiple countries. Ashley has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and profiled in Financial Advisor Magazine.
Ashley lives with his wife Eliza, and daughters Elise & Jasmine in Minneapolis, MN. He enjoys cycling, reading and world travel. He is a futurist with interests in architecture, renewable energy and demographics.
You will gain actionable strategies for integrating tax and investment planning, focusing on:
Shane is the co-founder of Brooklyn Fi, a fully remote fee-only RIA servicing young (ish) clients around the world. He spent 3 years at PwC in Austin before 10 years in Brooklyn building the foundations of BKFi. He's now a semi-full time digital nomad. He specializes financial planning services for high income/high complexity tech professionals and creative small business owners. When he's not writing about himself in the third person, Shane enjoys drinking gallons of coffee, listening to podcasts while walking the Flea-E-O, and trying to catch up on the books he was supposed to read in high school.
By October 2027, AI will no longer be a novelty in financial planning, but a core layer of how advisors research, model, communicate, and serve clients. This session will examine where AI is creating real leverage, where it remains risky or overhyped, and how firms are using it across planning workflows, client service, compliance, and practice management. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for evaluating AI tools, redesigning advisor workflows, and adopting AI without sacrificing judgment, trust, or fiduciary responsibility.
Rebecca Sheppard, Esq. is a tax attorney and a Partner in the Special Credits practice group at Frost Law. Over the last two years, Rebecca has used her background in government practice to work with business clients across the country in helping them secure government funding from PPP, EIDL, and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). Unlike many other tax professionals, Rebecca has used her tax and legal background to closely follow the legislative changes and relief programs, giving her a thorough understanding of the complexities of how businesses from all industries can maximize their claims for refundable tax credits. Her efforts have allowed her to recover significant refunds for many small and medium-sized businesses around the country.
Rebecca previously worked for the Comptroller of Maryland as a tax attorney in the Hearings and Appeals Section. She conducted administrative hearings, issued binding legal determinations, and negotiated settlement agreements on behalf of the Comptroller of Maryland. Rebecca’s experience both in government and private practice allows her to effectively navigate how businesses can best make tax law work in their favor.
Peter Haukebo, Esq. is a tax attorney and a Partner in the Special Credits practice group at Frost Law. Since 2020, Peter has leveraged his background in tax and corporate law to work with business owners throughout the U.S. to help them claim much-needed relief from PPP, EIDL, and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). His familiarity with the ever-changing tax code and recent legislation allows him to provide second opinions for businesses even if they already filed a claim so that the business owner can properly maximize their tax credits received. His efforts have helped inform hundreds of business owners on the intricacies of ERC and allowed many to claim significant refundable tax credits.
Peter’s other tax and business law experience focuses on the areas of tax controversy, tax planning, and business transactions. He also manages a team of attorneys and oversees the Legal Innovation Department at the law firm. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, he practiced at Chaney | Haukebo LLP.
Education
This session is still being planned.
Jane Ryder, EA, CPA is the owner of Brass Tax Ryder Professional Group, Inc., a full
service tax and accounting firm. Brass Tax (not affiliated with Brass Tax Presentations)
has been providing tax and accounting services since 1980. Jane received a BS in
Business Administration (Accounting) from SDSU and is currently licensed with the
California State Board of Accountancy and with the Internal Revenue Service as an
Enrolled Agent.
Brass Tax is a business centric practice, preparing and consulting on the preparation of
Corporations, S-corporations, LLC’s, Partnerships, and Trusts. She also specializes in
IRS and state agencies collection problems, payment plans, audit appeals, offers in
compromise, and other compliance related issues.
Review tax issues for gambling clients; lotteries, casino gaming, online gaming, and professional gamblers all may benefit from tax savings related to these rules. Learn Same-day loss netting above the line deduction, multiple W2-Gs for the same taxpayer, winnings paid in prizes other than money, and other tax issues for the recreational gambler. For professional gamblers, we'll discuss bona fide business expenses pre-and post TCJA, hobby loss rules, and more.