Meet
Cecily VM Welch, CPA, PFS, CFP
Cecily Welch demystifies complex financial issues so people can make informed decisions and turn goals into financial action. She began her career as a national and international auditor. Cecily has continued to provide client focused accounting and financial expertise for both large and small CPA firms.Cecily is adept at helping people understand how their financial decisions help them meet their life goals. And because no financial decision should be made in isolation, she is dedicated to educating others on the impacts of tax policy as an advocate for taxpayers, earning her the moniker as “The Accountant I Can Understand®”.In addition to being a licensed CPA in both Illinois and Georgia, Cecily has more than 30 years’ experience as a certified financial planner (CFP®) and a public accountant. She earned her Bachelor of Accounting from North Carolina A & T State University and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.She is an active member of several non-profits and professional associations, including:
- City of Atlanta, Governing Board of the Inspector General (formally the Board of Ethics and Independent Compliance)
- AICPA IRS Advocacy & Relations Committee, Appointed
- Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA), Leadership Council, Tax Task Force – Former Chair, Former Board Member
- Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC) – Three year appointment (2011-2013) Sub-Chair Small Business and Self Employed
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA – CPA Ambassador, Tax & Personal Financial Planning Sections)
- National Black MBA Association, Lifetime member
- VOX Teen Communications, Former Board Member
- Atlanta Women’s Foundation – 2009 Destiny Fund and Grant Committee
Speaker:
- Cobb County Grant Webinars – Created the content, wrote script, presented the webinars
- 3-time guest, Georgia Public Radio/NPR On Second Thought with Celeste Headlee
- “Protecting Your Legacy” Power Rising Conference
- “CPE Instructor: Fiduciary Income Tax Workshop, Foxmoor Continuing Education
- The Business of Running a Business, Financial Empowerment Conference
- Running a Financial Household, multiple young adult and millennial programs
- Business Fundamentals 101, Turner Chapel Church, Panelist
- “The Examination Process for Employment Tax Returns”, IRS Webinar
- “Investment and Finance”, American Association of University Women
- Minding Your Money segment, Jazz 91.9FM, WCLK-FM, Atlanta, GA
Published:
- “CPAs: An Undervalued Profession”, GSCPA Publication Current Accounts
- “Voices: On Working with a Surviving Spouse”, The Wall Street Journal
- “Marrying after 50? Tackle these money issues first”, Online Market Watch, WSJ
- “Can I borrow a personal loan to invest money?”, Loans.org
- “Spring Cleaning, Get Your Finances in Order”, Online Fox Business
- “If I Had One Hour with Gabby Douglas, A fit of financial-planning advice for Gabby and those who receive a monetary windfall”, Online More Magazine