If you financed a new car in 2025 or 2026 you may be able to write off the interest payment on your car loan. But before you celebrate this newer federal income tax break, let two CPAs walk you through the fine print.

Host: Susan Spears, CPA, CEO of the Utah Association of CPAs Guest: Matt Gardner, CPA, Tax Director for CBIZ in Salt Lake City, Utah

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is the CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Matt Gardner, CPA, is the Tax Director in the CBIZ Salt Lake City office. He is a CPA and attorney with 30 years of experience in public accounting and industry. His background includes Big 4 firm experience, serving as CFO of a biopharmaceutical company, leading as the tax director for the North American division of a Fortune 100 transportation company, and providing tax advisory work associated with private equity.

Matt specializes in tax advisory, tax credits and incentives, and state and local tax. He helps businesses identify opportunities to save money while making complex tax issues easier to understand.

Episode description: You want your donations to make a difference. In this episode two licensed CPAs, Susan Speirs and Stacy Weight talk about how to know you’re giving to a legitimate cause, how to flag a charity scam, and common misperceptions taxpayers have about claiming charitable deductions.

Host: Susan Spears, CPA, CEO of the Utah Association of CPAs Guest: Stacy Weight, CPA, Chief Administrat

ive Officer, Utah Community Action.

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is the CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Stacy Weight, CPA, is the Chief Administrative Officer of Utah Community Action, which runs 6 distinct programs, one of which is Utah’s largest Head Start program serving approximately 1,400 children and their families living in poverty. She also has served as Senior Innovator/VP of Finance for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Stacy has been a licensed CPA in Utah since 2009.

Could your tax return be waving a red flag to the IRS? In this episode host Susan Speirs, CPA, discusses top audit triggers and what to do and what not to do if you get flagged for an IRS audit. Susan also chats with longtime Utah journalist Debbie Dujanovic about the time Debbie got caught up in an IRS audit, why her tax return got flagged, and the lessons Debbie learned.

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Debbie Dujanovic spent more than two decades as a journalist in Utah. She retired from the profession in 2025 and now works as the member engagement director for the Utah Association of CPAs.

Talk To Your CPA is proudly powered by the Utah Association of CPAs.

Episode Description: Think a 529 plan is a waste of money if your kid doesn't go to college? Think again! Host Susan Speirs sits down with my529 CFO Troy Runnells to break down the hidden flexibility of these college savings accounts. Susan and Troy cover everything from how 529 accounts work, to basic tax perks, to qualified expenses. And they explain a newer option: the Roth IRA rollover, a powerful tool that pivots unused education savings into a retirement nest egg for your child.

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Troy Runnells, CPA, is the Chief Financial Officer for my529 in Utah. Troy has decades of experience as a Certified Public Accountant and has over 20 years of experience in education savings plans.

Talk To Your CPA is proudly powered by the Utah Association of CPAs.

Tired of losing sleep over your monthly spending plan that’s not going as planned? In this episode host Susan Speirs, CPA, shares a strategy she uses to stay in a CFO mindset when it comes to her personal finances. With input and ideas from Certified Financial Planner Shane Stewart, you will learn how to zero in on small ticket items that are draining your budget, how to make intentional decisions, and how to create a spending plan that helps to put you in control of your money.

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Shane Stewart is a Certified Financial Planner with Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has worked as a financial planner at DMBA since 2003 and is a frequent resource for Utah media organizations on personal finance topics.

Talk To Your CPA is proudly powered by the Utah Association of CPAs.

Get ready for a savings glow-up as host Susan Speirs, CPA, explores how to save money when life is so expensive. In this episode, Susan and special guest, Certified Financial Planner Shane Stewart, discuss strategies to look for meaningful savings opportunities in your current finances. This isn’t about giving up your occasional latte; it’s about identifying the big-ticket expenses that may be quietly draining your cash flow and finding ways to put those savings to work for your short-term needs and long-term goals.

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Shane Stewart is a Certified Financial Planner with Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He’s worked as a financial planner at DMBA since 2003 and is a frequent resource for Utah media organizations on personal finance topics.

Talk To Your CPA is proudly powered by the Utah Association of CPAs.

Get ready for a financial glow-up. In this debut episode of Talk To Your CPA, you’ll meet your host, Susan Speirs, CPA and CEO of the Utah Association of CPAs, as she lays the foundation to help you master your money and reclaim your peace of mind. Join Susan as she sets the stage for a jam-packed lineup of future episodes designed to tackle your biggest financial hurdles, help you build a better budget, and put money-saving tax strategies to work for you.

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

For this episode, longtime Utah journalist Debbie Dujanovic joins the conversation to help you learn all about this new podcast and host Susan Speirs.

Talk To Your CPA is proudly powered by the Utah Association of CPAs.

Ever worry you’ll get flagged for an IRS audit because you use payment apps like Venmo? Do you wonder if your tips from side gigs like driving Uber are taxable? In our premiere episode of Talk To Your CPA, two licensed CPAs tackle five of the most Googled income tax questions.

So, if you’ve ever wondered if you need to report payments you get through payment apps, if your tips or overtime pay is taxable, if Social Security income is taxed, or how you can avoid a huge tax bill every April, this episode is for you!

About Your Host & Guest

Talk To Your CPA host Susan Speirs, CPA, is CEO of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susan brings decades of firm ownership experience to the podcast.

Susan’s special guest, Chelsea Smith, CPA, is a partner at Squire, a nationally recognized accounting firm based in Orem, Utah.

Talk To Your CPA is proudly powered by the Utah Association of CPAs.