Denise Appleby
Denise Appleby, MJ, APA, AKS, CISP, CRC®, CRPS®, CRSP, is CEO of Appleby Retirement Consulting Inc., a firm that provides IRA resources for financial, tax, and legal professionals.
A graduate of The John Marshall Law School where she obtained a Master of Jurisprudence in Employee Benefits Law, Denise is an author, consultant, trainer, and speaker on the tax laws and operations compliance that govern IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans. Denise earned and maintains six professional designations in the IRA tax law field.
Denise’s consulting practice focuses on protecting retirement savings accounts from costly mistakes.
She works with advisors to help clients avoid these mistakes by simplifying the tax code and other governing rules and regulations. In addition, when possible, Denise helps to correct errors that have already been made and has helped individuals save from a few hundred to millions of dollars by avoiding and fixing mistakes.
Denise writes and publishes educational and marketing tools for advisors available at http://irapublications.com, and is the creator of the free consumer website The Retirement Dictionary.
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Chet Bennetts
Department Chair and Associate Provost, Larry R. Pike Chair for Insurance and Investments, and Roger Hull/James S. Bingay Chair of Leadership at The American College of Financial Services
Chet R. Bennetts PhD, CFP®, ChFC®, CLF®, CLU®, RICP®, with over 20 years in the financial services industry, Bennetts has served in roles from customer service, to being a financial planner, to leading 80 advisors in over 5 states.
After serving in the Marine Corps for eight-and-a-half years, both as active and reserve, Bennetts was medically discharged when he returned from Iraq in 2005. In staying connected with the military communities, he serves as an on-demand DoD contractor, providing free financial counseling and planning services to servicemembers and their families.
Bennetts earned his M.S. in Family Financial Planning from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and also obtained his CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, RICP®, and CLF® designations. An adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, he is a course associate at Columbia University in their Master of Professional Studies in Wealth Management program. He is married with three children, all of whom are in college.
Recently completing his PhD in Personal Financial Planning at Kansas State University, Bennetts’ research focus and passion is in the area of behavioral finance — specifically how financial well-being affects physical and psychological well-being — and particularly among service members and Veterans.
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Christine Benz
Christine Benz is director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar and senior columnist for Morningstar.com. In that role, she focuses on retirement and portfolio planning for individual investors. She also co-hosts a podcast for Morningstar, The Long View, which features in-depth interviews with thought leaders in investing and personal finance. She is a frequent public speaker and is widely quoted in the media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, CNBC, and PBS. In 2020, Barron’s named her to its inaugural list of the 100 most influential women in finance; she appeared on the 2021 list as well. In 2021, Barron’s named her as one of the 10 most influential women in wealth management.
Benz is author of a forthcoming book called How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful, and Wealthy Retirement (Harriman House, September 2024). She also wrote 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances (Wiley, 2010) and Morningstar® Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success, published in 2005. Before assuming her current role in 2008, she served as Morningstar’s director of mutual fund analysis and was editor of Morningstar Mutual Funds and Morningstar FundInvestor.
Benz holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Russian from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is president of the board for the John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy. Benz is also a member of The Alpha Group, a group of thought leaders from the wealth management industry from across the country. In her free time, she works with underprivileged women to improve their understanding of personal finance concepts.
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Ben Birken
Ben Birken, CFP®, is the owner and founder of Pisces Financial Advisors in Chapel Hill, NC. He is an active member and volunteer for NAPFA, having served on the South Region Board (as president and chair), Leadership Development Committee and multiple national conference planning committees. Additionally, Ben serves as the Vice President of Customer Success and Engagement at Holistiplan, which provides tax planning software solutions for advisors. Ben was an early adopter and champion of Holistiplan at his advisory firm, before joining the company to help existing users maximize the substantial value that Holistiplan can bring to their practices.
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Andrew Biggs
Andrew Biggs, PhD is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Biggs previously was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration and in 2005 served as an associate director of the White House National Economic Council. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of its Blue Ribbon Panel on Public Pension Funding. In 2016, Biggs was appointed by President Obama to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, to which he was reappointed by President Trump in 2020 and President Biden in 2024.
Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, master’s degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.
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David Blanchett
Adjunct Professor of Wealth Management and co-host of Wealth, Managed Podcast at The American College of Financial Services
David Blanchett, PhD, MSFS, CFA, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®, is Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, and Head of Retirement Research for PGIM DC Solutions. PGIM is the global investment management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. In this role he develops solutions to help improve retirement outcomes for investors with a focus on defined contribution plans. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Wealth Management at The American College of Financial Services and Research Fellow for the Alliance for Lifetime Income. David has published over 100 papers in a variety of industry and academic journals that have received awards from the CFP Board, the Financial Analysts Journal, the Journal of Financial Planning, the International Centre for Pension Management, and the Retirement Management Journal.
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Thomas Brinker
Adjunct Professor of Taxation and Special Needs Planning at The American College of Financial Services
Thomas M. Brinker, Jr. JD, LLM, PFS/CPA, AEP®, ChFC®, is adjunct professor of taxation and special needs planning at The American College of Financial Services, where he is responsible for teaching and course development in The College’s Irwin Graduate School and Huebner School programs. He is also professor of accounting at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania, and is the executive director of the MBA program and for the School of Global Business. He has received recognition for teaching excellence, including the PICPA Educator of the Year Award and the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching.
A sought-after speaker, Brinker presents nationally and internationally on various tax topics. He also contributes articles to a variety of publications.
Prior to co-founding his CPA firm, Brinker was a member of both the audit and tax departments of Coopers & Lybrand along with Arthur Young & Company. He is currently a tax consultant for the special needs community and to local CPA and law firms in the Philadelphia area. His practice concentrates on tax planning and compliance for individuals and businesses.
Brinker graduated cum laude from Saint Joseph’s University in Accountancy and holds master’s degrees in taxation and accounting from Widener University. In addition to earning his JD from Columbia Pacific University, Brinker earned a Master of Laws in International Taxation from Regent University School of Law, receiving the distinction of “Outstanding Graduate” in his class and a Certificate in Estate Planning from Villanova University Law School’s Graduate Tax Program.
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Brandon Buckingham
Brandon Buckingham, PhD, is the Vice President for the Advanced Planning Group. He and his team of tax attorneys, Certified Financial Planners™ and retirement and life insurance specialists provide technical, marketing and sales support for all matters concerning variable annuities, individual life insurance, retirement, estate, gift and income tax planning, and other advanced market topics.
Prior to joining Prudential, Mr. Buckingham was an advanced planning attorney and national manager for John Hancock’s Advanced Markets department. Before that, he was an ERISA counsel for Putnam Investments in its Institutional 401(k) Plan department and a practicing attorney concentrating in ERISA, qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, and estate and income tax planning.
Mr. Buckingham is a frequent speaker and published author on subjects including IRAs, qualified retirement plans, annuities, life insurance and estate and income tax planning. His articles have been published in Investment News, Insurance News, Advisor Magazine, Advisor Today, Think Advisor, Life Health Pro, Wealth Management, National Underwriter, Financial Advisor, LIFE&Health Advisor, IRI Insight, and Trust & Estates Magazine.
After graduating from the New England School of Law (J.D., 1991), Mr. Buckingham earned a Masters of Tax Law from the Boston University School of Law (LL.M. 1995). He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona (1988). Mr. Buckingham is admitted to the Connecticut Bar Association, the United States District Court – District of Connecticut, and the United States Tax Court.
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Cheryl Canzanella
Cheryl Canzanella, CLU®, ChSNC®, CAP®, LUTCF®, is a seasoned financial services professional with over 25 years of experience. She expertly connects critical issues such as the opioid epidemic and home equity with financial strategies with the financial industry, aiming to expand conversations beyond traditional financial topics.
Driven by personal experience, Cheryl founded Coastal Life Strategies after losing her husband to an accidental opioid overdose. Through this initiative, she shares his journey through addiction and recovery, raising awareness about the opioid epidemic’s emotional and financial toll on families. Cheryl currently serves as a Retirement Solutions Partner at Movement Mortgage, where she collaborates with financial professionals to help individuals achieve their retirement goals by leveraging home equity for financial and estate planning.
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Roxanne Chang
Roxanne Chang, JD, has over 20 years in health care and assisting individuals with special needs and older adults, ranging from being a direct care worker, to a limited licensed psychologist, to an educator for healthcare providers and families, to an attorney.
She is a member of the Special Needs Alliance (SNA) Public Policy Committee, where she invests her time and resources toward policies that affect their clients and practices, while promoting SNA’s relationships with key partners and the Hill.
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Chia-Li Chien
Chia-Li Chien, PhD, CFP®, PMP®, CPBC, is a Succession Program Director at Value Growth Institute. Before her consulting practice, she held several senior management positions in Fortune 500 companies, including Diageo, ABB, CIGNA, and RSA Insurance Group. Dr. Chien frequently speaks about succession planning at national conferences and has published three award-winning books. She publishes research on succession & retirement topics in various academic and practitioner research journals. Dr. Chien serves on the boards of various national financial service associations. She holds a doctorate in financial planning and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Project Management Professional (PMP®), Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC), and Extended DISC Certified Professional.
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Joanna Craney
Joanna Craney, ChFC®,ChSNC®, WMCP®, is the co-founder of Empowered Financial Strategies and steadfast in building meaningful relationships with her clients, understanding their core values, and partnering with them to identify their evolving needs and financial objectives. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Gwynedd Mercy University. Thereafter, she received a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designation and Chartered Financial Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC®) designation from The American College. Joanna additionally holds a Life and Health license and FINRA Series 6, 63, 65 and 7 Securities Licenses.
She builds and implement custom solutions to help each client achieve their financial goals through all of life’s stages. Growing up with siblings with Down Syndrome and mental illness has offered her the ability to extend her services into the special needs community. She is keenly aware of the unique challenges of caring for loved ones with special needs and the specialized planning process necessary to ensure a secure financial future for people with disabilities.
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- Coming Soon!
Philip Cubeta
For 13 years Philip ‘Phil’ Cubeta, CLU®, ChFC®, MSFS, AEP®, CAP® was responsible for the Chartered Advisor of Philanthropy® (CAP®) Program at The American College of Financial Services.
Before joining The College, Phil served as Chief of Staff for The Nautilus Group, a service of New York Life Insurance Company, providing estate, business, and philanthropic strategies to affluent clients through 200 of the company’s top agents.
Cubeta’s original training was in English Literature. He earned a BA from Williams College. He then earned several master’s degrees. An MA in Philosophy and Psychology from Oxford University; an M.Phil in Philosophy and an MA in English Language and Literature from Yale University; as well as a Masters of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from The American College of Financial Services.
In 2022, Cubeta was inducted into the Charitable Gift Planners Hall of Fame. Earlier, he was honored with the Fithian Leadership award by Advisors in Philanthropy. He also has been recognized with the “Power of the Purse” award (Advisor category) from Texas Women’s Foundation. He serves on the Planning Giving Board for The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Foundation. He has served on the Board of National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and he is a member of The Leadership Institute of CGP.
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Sophia Duffy
Associate Professor of Business Planning and Program Director, Tax Planning Certified Professional® (TPCP®) Program
Sophia Duffy, JD, CPA, AEP® is an Associate Professor of Business Planning at The American College of Financial Services. Duffy teaches classes in estate planning, small business planning, and taxation at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Duffy has published research on a variety of issues related to financial planning, including Discrimination in AI-based Insurance Underwriting, Vulnerability of Aging Investors, and award-winning research on Social Security Planning for High-Income Earning Women.
Duffy earned a Juris Doctorate from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and an Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®).
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Jason Early
Jason Early is the Founder & CEO of RISR and has spent his entire career in financial services solving problems for financial advisors. RISR has been named by Investment News “Best new technology” and Jason as one of their “40 under 40”.
He started his career with an advisory firm in Philadelphia where he spent seven years as a Managing Director. From there he joined an e-learning & consulting firm and prior to founding RISR, he was the President of a leading wealth tech firm that pioneered private company valuation services. He is a former alumni advisory board member of the American College of Financial Services, and board chair of the Brian H. Early Foundation. He and his wife Molly are most proud of their daughter, Isla.
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Jason Fichtner
Jason Fichtner, PhD, Executive Director of the Retirement Income Institute, Alliance for Lifetime Income. His research focuses on Social Security, federal tax policy, federal budget policy, retirement security, and policy proposals to increase saving and investment.
Fichtner is a Member of the Puerto Rico Pension Reserve Trust, where he serves on both the Pension Benefits Council and the Pension Reserve Board. He is also on the Board of Directors for the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
Fichtner has university affiliations with Stanford University as a Policy Fellow with the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy (SIEPR) and a Research Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Financial Security (CFS).
Fichtner has significant government experience, having served in several positions at the Social Security Administration, including as Deputy Commissioner of Social Security (acting), Chief Economist, and Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy. He also served as a senior economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress and as an economist with the Internal Revenue Service.
He has held teaching positions at Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Georgetown University and Virginia Tech. He has testified on numerous occasions before the United States Congress and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, Barron’s, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, the USA Today, and other major media outlets, as well as on broadcasts by C-SPAN, PBS, NBC, NPR, and SiriusXM.
Fichtner earned his BA from the University of Michigan; his MPP from Georgetown University; and his PhD from Virginia Tech. Fichtner is the author of “The Hidden Cost of Federal Tax Policy” and the editor of “The Economics of Medicaid.”
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Azish Filabi
Managing Director, American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services
Associate Professor of Business Ethics, Charles Lamont Post Chair of Business Ethics, The American College of Financial Services
Azish Filabi, JD, MA, is the Managing Director of the American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services and the Charles Lamont Post Chair of Business Ethics and Associate Professor at the American College of Financial Services.
Filabi is an accomplished executive, board member, researcher, and speaker focusing on governance, business ethics and risk management in financial services.
She has written for various publications, including Fortune, Financial Advisor Magazine, Behavioral Scientist, the Journal of Business Ethics, NYU Compliance & Enforcement blog, Ethical Systems, and Thomson Reuters, among others, and is a reviewer for the Journal of Business Ethics. Filabi is a frequent speaker, having presented at various forums, including the OECD, the NY State Bar Association, the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI), Thomson Reuters, Finseca, IWI, and the Conference Board, among others.
She served as Chair of the NY State Bar Association International Section from 2021-2022, and is currently Co-Chair of the NY City Bar Association Presidential Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee on AI in Commerce and Finance. At the College, she leads the strategy and programs of the Center for Ethics, including its annual Forum on Ethical Leadership, and the Advanced Strategies for Building Trust certificate program, a workshop for leaders in financial services. Additionally, she designs and teaches in the College’s Masters in Financial Planning (MSFP), and the College’s financial services designations.
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Michael Finke
Professor of Wealth Management, WMCP® Program Director, Director for the Granum Center for Financial Security, Frank M. Engle Distinguished Chair in Economic Security at The American College of Financial Services
Michael Finke, PhD, CFP®, is a nationally renowned researcher with a focus on the value of financial advice, financial planning regulation, investments and individual investor behavior.
He leads the O. Alfred Granum Center for Financial Security at the American College and is a Research Fellow at the Retirement Income Institute and serves as a Trustee on the Pension Reserve Trust of Puerto Rico.
He is a frequent speaker at financial planning conferences and was named one of the 25 most influential people in the field of investment advising in 2020 and 2021 by Investment Advisor Magazine.
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- Behavioral Finance and Retirement Planning
- The Hidden Code of End-of-Life Decisions
- Investing in Behavioral Markets
- A Goals-Based Approach to Retirement Income Planning
- Quantifying the Impact of Tax Planning
- The Value of Permanent Life Insurance in Wealth Management
- The Future of Social Security – What Advisors Need to Know
Justin Fitzpatrick
Justin Fitzpatrick, PhD, CFA, CFP©, runs research and development at Income Lab, a software company that develops cutting-edge software for advisors to use in building and monitoring plans for retirement income and tax-efficiency. Justin’s research on retirement income planning has appeared in many well-known publications and he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.