Collective Conversations

The clock is ticking on 2025 tax opportunities, but there’s still time to make meaningful changes. Join us as we break down the strategies you should consider now and the planning habits that will make next year even easier.

HR 1 brings some of the most sweeping tax updates in years. We cover what’s changing, what’s permanent, what’s temporary, and how individuals and small businesses can prepare now for a smoother 2026 and beyond.

This week, we’re joined by Jody Dilday, Philanthropic Advisor with the Arkansas Community Foundation. As we approach the end of the year, we're discussing  year-end giving strategies like donor-advised funds, and QCDs, and how a community foundation can help keep your giving local and maximize your impact. 

Beloved client, Bianca Montoya, is back to share her personal money story and how financial coaching helped her step into her power and finally look at her finances head-on. We discuss how feelings of fear & shame can influence our money decisions but by striving for progress, not perfection, we can make small changes to our habits that add up to big changes.

We're joined by StillPoint Office Manager, Makayla Brazelton, who shares her insight handling sensitive client data, and the common scams and threats she's seen. Learn the common tactics we've seen scammers use to try to get access to your financial data, and our recommendations for how to keep your information safe! 

This week, we're diving into some of the latest AI tools making headlines to explore the tradeoff between convenience and privacy. Can AI really simplify domestic work and become your new personal assistant? Or are the tools not quite there yet to simplify your life?

In a follow-up to our first AI episode, we're continuing to explore the impact artificial intelligence is having on the workforce. As AI tools become more common, the rise of “workslop” and our need for real human connection remind us that accounting (and most work, really) is at its best when there’s a person on the other end.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the job market and entry-level positions may be among the first to go. In this episode, we're joined by Tiffany Benitez, head of Data Governance for Compass USA, Founder and President of Women In Tech NWA, and host of Women In Tech Trailblazers podcast to dig into what the future of work could look like as AI changes how businesses operate and hire. If entry-level roles disappear, how will we build seasoned professionals in fields like accounting, banking, and law? Inspired by the Axios article, "A White Collar Bloodbath", we're looking into the integration of AI into the business world and how we begin to adapt.

Hiring your first employee is a big milestone—but it also comes with new responsibilities. In this episode, we invite in Katie Campbell, attorney at the Friday Firm, to help us explore what small business owners should know about employment law. We cover the basics of when most employment laws kick in (hint: often at 9+ employees), what compliance looks like as your business grows, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Let's get into the psychology of spending! Making a purchase feels good - and the marketers know that! Having awareness of the physical reaction you get from spending, including how different it can feel to use cash vs a card, helps you make intentional choices and gives you control in your spending, allowing money to be a tool to support your goals and vision and not the be-all-end-all of your identity. Featuring data and analysis from William Burke's Personal Finance for Teens: Personal Finance For Teens | Goodreads