Cosmos

It’s a pleasure to welcome back my fellow extraordinary  Americans to the show. Today, we have a special guest, David Peters. David, a financial advisor and the founder and owner of Peters Professional Education and Peters Tax Preparation and Consulting PC, brings a wealth of experience from his unique 15-year journey in the financial services industry, which includes a significant stint in the hedge fund sector. His diverse experiences, unique insights, and honed expertise will undoubtedly enrich our discussion on the necessity for financial education in America.

David, our esteemed guest, is not just a financial advisor and business owner, but a dedicated educator. He runs a professional education website and conducts courses in accounting, finance, insurance, financial planning, and ethics across the United States. His commitment to education, demonstrated through [specific example], is further evident in his significant contribution to Amazon Books’ strategic growth for leaders: 10 success keys to elevate you to the next level. His diverse experiences and expertise make him an exceptional American, and I’m privileged to have him on the show. David, are you with us?

David

I sure am! It’s great to be here, and I appreciate you having me on the show.

Cosmos

I’m so grateful you took the time to do this podcast for me, David. Can you tell the audience more about yourself, your background, and how you started?

David

Sure. So, as you mentioned, I’m a CPA and a financial advisor. I am also an educator. I teach and speak nationwide, and I’ve had the pleasure of writing, making some TV appearances, and discussing financial issues throughout the United States. I do a lot of continuing education courses and other things. Like that, you know, I got started in financial services. My journey in the industry, which began with [specific experience], has been a unique one. I’m not sure that anybody gets started in financial services in a straight line. I think a lot of times, you know, people kind of fall into their profession. 

And I was certainly no different. I started by doing a completely different major in college. Then, after, you know, talking with some people, and once I kind of got started at Valparaiso University, I switched majors to accounting. 

My dad said that it was a very practical degree, and so on. So that’s kind of what got me started, and then my career just took a lot of different directions. I found myself, 

I was laid off after working at a hedge fund for three years in 2009. You know, the economy was rough. I got laid off and worked for a startup insurance company, which was one of the best things ever that happened to me. Looking back, I worked at an insurance company for a little while and was one of the folks who helped start Elephant Auto Insurance. 

And then I started to do more in the financial advising world, and finally decided, you know what I like? I want to do this independently to enjoy what I do. I love talking with people, working with them, and helping them with their problems. I think that, especially in the world that we live in, we need to feel like we have control over our financial future. And you know, if I can play a small part in doing that, that makes me feel really good.

Cosmos

Yeah, David. Financial education is so important, especially regarding all the crashes that happened in 2008 and just the talks of recession that’s going to happen that’s happening right now. 

People have to be more aware of how money, finances, monetary systems, banks work, and all of that. And one of the questions I wanted to ask you. What was your strategic goal when you got laid off, like from the hedge fund? What was your mindset and strategic goal in the future that led you to where you are today from that point, which must have been a low point to now?

David

Well, so when I got laid off, you know, I was still very young. I had just gotten started in my career. I had only been out of college for a few years. And so, what was my first thought? Scared, not knowing what the future held. 

And just looking for an opportunity, you know, anywhere where I could, just where I could work and where I could make some money, and you know, be able to afford my mortgage, and you know, just get by. What appealed to me was that Elephant Auto Insurance had just started in the United States. They were in Richmond, which is my hometown, and they were looking for accountants. And I said, you know what I said, starting with, you know, working with the startup, I could probably learn a lot and learn a lot about business. 

Sometimes, I think, especially in startup companies. You end up doing things just because there’s no one else to do them, you know? So, there’s no saying. Well, I am not usually the one that handles that. Well, it’s all your job. I mean, you know, it’s because we’re all kind of in it together. And for me, there was something very freeing about just working for a company where, you know, I was helping in a very real way to see it grow and to see it develop, and just, you know, having a part of that, I think, was big. And that set me off on more of an entrepreneurial path. 

I think you know, especially you know, once I had worked in startups and I had seen what that was like, and I felt that growth and that energy that comes from seeing something that you’re working on, seeing something that you’re sweating every day to try to help build to see that grow. That’s exciting. And that’s a feeling that I have. I think it has helped propel me forward and helped me start the businesses that you mentioned earlier. I think that that has been kind of key. If you don’t like that energy and don’t like building something and seeing it grow, startups aren’t the spot. For you.

Cosmos

So, David, as a continuation of this, many people might want to start a business one day, be involved in startups, or go to the financial sector, like maybe you’re part of a hedge fund. So, what are the key traits a person needs to have to be involved? And make a successful business grow or successfully handle the startup arena? Hedge fund space. Yes.

David

I think the first thing is that you can’t be afraid of making mistakes because you will make mistakes no matter how much you know about a particular industry or how much you have worked there. You’re going to find out things that you just didn’t know. 

And I think that’s being able to roll with those punches. And being able to make those mistakes, learn from them, and adapt—I think that is probably, first and foremost, the most important thing when you’re going out on your own. 

The second thing I would also say is don’t be afraid to abandon your plan and come up with a new one, so you know, because I think many people that I talk to want to, you know, start a business, and they want to be out on their own. But they have sort of one game. Plan and I can tell you that, you know, after starting a few different businesses at this point, it is? I don’t know if I’ve ever come through on the first plan. I mean, most of the time, you scrap that one and go to a second one, or you go to a third one, or you go to a fourth one. I mean, and I think being OK with that is also important. 

So, you know, I think those are the big things. I think traits that you know will help you, you know, because, especially too, I mean.

It’s work whenever you go out on your own. I mean, there’s much excitement that comes from it, too, but it’s much work. And so, if you don’t get energy off of that and don’t love it. It’s going to be hard to keep going forward.

Cosmos

So, David, one of the things that I noticed about successful businesspeople, myself and my own, is that they have a strategic goal and vision for their company. And everything. Whenever things will work out, they pivot and have to go. Seven iterations at least before they start to succeed, but many starting people need to realize that they made the tactic or the first thing. It’s like all in the thing, all in the first go itself, and then that doesn’t work out. They get discouraged. 

So, I don’t know. Have you experienced that with people around you? Who did the startups and all of that?

David

I think that you’re correct. I mean, I think that is the case. You must pivot, move, and be able whenever you build something. It would be best if you adapted because there are some things that, no matter how good your business plan is, there are always things that you don’t anticipate. And I think that is part of the fun. I think some people get excited about that. I think you will probably get excited about it. I get excited about it, but I think that uncertainty for certain people is not what they want. 

And yeah, I think you have to have a vision of where you’re going. Ultimately, I want to be able to pivot because there will be many things that don’t work. 

So, you know, when I went out alone, I started with a simple goal: I wanted to work with people I liked and have clients that I liked. 

And I wanted to build a business around it. For me, that was what was able to make it so that I could keep going, you know, late into the night, you know, working with my clients and being passionate about what I did is, you know, that ability to just love the people that I was around. And. And to also have this vision of a business where I don’t just do one thing because I like doing multiple things in my day. 

That was an important part of me, and I agree with you. If you don’t have that vision, that’s tough to overcome because you don’t know where to go with it. At that point, I mean, if you don’t have that vision, I mean, where do you go? When first you know the plan doesn’t work, I think that’s also important.

Cosmos

So, David, what you mention over there is that you already had your clients, and you started a business around it in many spheres, as they call it, monetizing your passion. 

So, there was something that you already wanted to do, and then you found a way to monetize it. But for the sake of the audience, many people, like, let’s say, they’re doing jobs and everything like they want to be able to do that, but they don’t know how to transition from their job or when they’re making a certain income and then transitioning to theirs. 

The thing that they’re passionate about is making a business. So, do you have an idea? Like a structured way of knowing how to transition from that place to where they want to go.

David

Yeah, I think that’s on that particular piece. Many people stay in jobs and don’t jump because they don’t know how to transition. There’s nothing that’s 100% safe. It is business; it is taking a chance, and it is starting something new. 

And so, you can plan it, and you can say, I need this, I need that, or I need more money, or I need to make sure that I am a little bit further along in my career, or I need to make sure that my kids have gone off to college, or whatever that is. It happens to be. But the bottom line, though, is that there’s no such thing as perfect perfection. Safe jump. It’s, it’s a jump. You do have to get to the point. I think where it’s like, OK, if I don’t do this, I will question whether I ever could. That’s where I got to. I got to the point where I said, OK, I keep thinking about whether I could build a business myself. 

I got to the point where I said I needed to try this, and if I failed, I failed. But I needed to try because, in the end, I wanted to know if I could have done it, and I think that for many folks, that’s where you have to get to. Otherwise, you just stick with what you have and what’s safe.

Cosmos

Yeah. I mean, many people want to do what they want: to follow their dreams and passions. And part of this podcast is about realizing the American Dream. But, like, mostly like their own dreams. Right.  But many times, getting their dreams done requires much money. 

And for that, they got to start their own business. But there is this fear of financial loss, or it’s like uncharted territory. What I would tell people like that that I know in my community is that, you know, that’s how America was founded. It’s like the Wild West, where you have to go to uncharted territory, and business is like the Wild West. 

If you’re going there, a lot of the Times are new for the first time. But David. Yeah, go ahead.

David

No, I was just going to say I think you’re correct. I mean, somebody took a chance on everything that you see in America. Somebody at some point said I wonder if I could make this work. And I think that that is ultimately what drives us. It drives us. As Americans, it drives us to be entrepreneurs. Ours drives us. Is that passion? That passion is the thing that drives us. 

There’s never. I can tell you, too, that, working in startups, there always needs to be more money. There always needs to be more money. There always needs to be more time. There always needs to be more people. There always needs to be more resources. And so, that’s what I mean. I think when I say. There’s no such thing as a sure thing. There’s no such thing as a safe thing. You do it because you’re passionate about it, which will drive you. Because if it’s something else, I’m still trying to figure out why. Why would you keep going?

Cosmos

No. For real, I think it’s a lot for many people. Like they don’t do they don’t start a company because they’re passionate and want to make money. They see that they see the clientele, and they see an offer, but they go into this thing where they’re not passionate about it, or they’re just doing it because of the potential for making money.

David

Yeah. Yes. I agree.

Cosmos

Our market capitalization is a lot, but what are you? What are your thoughts on that? Uh, those types of people?

David

Yeah, I think you’re correct. I think that we have, uh, probably watched too many TV shows and too many Hollywood movies.

Where it’s like, you know, they go through, you know, this montage, and then all of a sudden, they’re sitting back on, you know, on their stacks of cash, you know, and you know. And so that’s not how real life works. And I think that if you’re. Yeah, I mean, because, I mean, let’s face it. I mean, I think that every entrepreneur can probably tell you at some point.

Cosmos

Now, did you put that out there?

David

They were so busy traveling that they needed help. They were struggling to figure out what to do next, and I think that that builds character, but those are lessons that we need to learn. It helps us appreciate the things that do go right. I think even that much more. But I don’t know that. I would never get into a business simply to make much money. It’s nice to make much money. I don’t know if that should be your number one thing because there are many cases where that just simply isn’t the case, and that’s where I think, you know, again, your passion has to be. What propels you forward is that I think back to the very first day after I quit my full-time job. I quit my full-time job, and I was sitting at my kitchen counter. I was looking around, and I was like, OK. Now what? What do I do? Well, how?

So, I’ve done this big thing. I have quit my full-time job. I removed the safety net from me. What do what do I do now? And the first thing I could think of was: I was like, you know what I’m like. I need to make some connections. I need to start telling people that I’m out on my own because if I don’t, then people aren’t going to know. And so, at the very least, I have to. I’ve got to get out there, and I need to tell people what I’m doing. I need to. Tell people what I’m thinking about, and I think that that was, for me, a very sobering moment because I all of a sudden realized just how. I was vulnerable. 

But I think that you have to go through that. You have to go through that, and that’s also true. I would say that money is good to get paid well. Ultimately, I don’t know that that necessarily makes us happy, and you know, it’s ultimately our passion and doing things we like that make us happy. The money is helpful, but it needs to be. If it’s the main thing, I’m not sure that that gets us as far as we want. 

I’m unsure if that makes you work on Saturdays or well into the night trying to make sure that or go to the client. Meetings on 4 hours of sleep. I think that passion does that. I’m not sure that money could necessarily make me do that.

Cosmos

No, I couldn’t agree more because many people do things for money, and they think it’ll make them happy. But in reality, like you have to, it’s all the second you know; it works around the thing you love, and you must find a way to monetize that.  And that’s when life becomes fulfilling. 

But David, one of the questions I wanted to ask you is, what has your career been like? Have you worked in startups or started your own business? What is the biggest lesson that you learned during all that? Time.

David

The biggest lesson I learned is that you need to approach your career with a high degree of humility because whenever you think you’ve got it down, you find something new, something you didn’t know, or some sort of challenge you didn’t even consider. I think that can be not easy. 

Again, I think we human beings like being comfortable, and we get very used to things. We form habits; as you know, we do the same things daily. And I think you should realize that you know every time something goes wrong. 

That’s something that you know that we should cherish, that we should say this is something that has happened, because I think that that is good, and it’s something that we should be thankful for because, again, I think, you know, approaching things with humility and with realizing that. We only know a few of the things that we wish we did. I think hindsight is always 2020, especially in business, and so I think there are probably many things that I wish I could have done better or wish I could have done better at the time. But I think that knowing that and going through those mistakes strengthens you. And I think it gives you a healthier approach to the business world.

Cosmos

David, I think you talk about humility, so it’s relevant, and I agree that humility must. Your humility must always exceed your ability or competence because that’s when you can attain feedback, which is important in business.

But many people, like many people, look at social media and look at. The most successful entrepreneurs are those who see Elon. Ask Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs, and I’m like, these people have big egos. I would like to like these people. 

What would you say is more like the reality of how to be successful and entrepreneurial than what they see with these high-powered, egotistical people who tend to be successful?

David

Yeah, it’s hard because I think that’s many times in the United States, especially when I think that we kind of glamorize the, you know, big ego and the charismatic leader that is taking up the entire room and very, very much commands the room. And the reality is that I think that you have a lot greater chance of success. If you’re not that way, and most of the time, even with those folks, I think that’s, uh, that you know, there was a time when they weren’t like that. 

They might have been confident in what they were doing, but I mean to think to yourself that they never had a tinge of doubt about what they were doing and were never unsure of themselves. I just simply don’t think that’s true. I think, naturally, a part of us has some self-doubt. Naturally, a part of us wonders if we’re doing the right thing. That’s why it’s called risk. That’s why it’s called. You know why it’s. Why going into business is a leap. It’s a leap out on, you know, something unknown, and it’s scary and intimidating at times. 

And so, I would say that, you know, that’s especially when you see those big charismatic leaders; they probably weren’t always like that, and that’s, you know, and that most of the time, I think that you tend to have success if you approach life with humility and also just being thankful for what you have and thankful for. What have you been able to do? I think that will get you far. Two.

Cosmos

Dude, I mean, the point you made is relevant, right? Once you achieve a certain level of success, it goes into most people’s heads, and then they become egotistical. Arrogant, and then. Yeah, that’s when their downfall starts happening. But it’s like a slow descent, and it. But usually, when you’re going to the top, that’s when. That’s when they had all the right traits, and then once they’re at the top, the next step is the beginning of the downfall. 

It’s hard not to be arrogant when people give you all that attention, but yeah.

David

Well, I think that you’re right. And I think that what you said earlier on, I think it’s spot on, is that you know that arrogance causes you to miss feedback, and that’s why that’s where that downfall that you’re talking about, I think, comes in. If you’re humble, you can hear feedback, even if it’s negative. And you can adjust, but if you’re arrogant and think you’ve got it down, you won’t listen to anybody else. And usually, that’s trouble. It’s usually that, you know, usually that’s a sign that there’s probably something that we need to be paying attention to and that we’re just not.

Cosmos

No, for sure. One of the reasons we’re asking you is that I know you have a company that specializes in financial education. Extracting America is about financial freedom through financial education because American identity has always been about freedom. 

But, like, I did notice that there’s a hypocrisy between that and the reality for, like, the 99%, which is why I started this. But from your perspective, how relevant is financial education when it comes to freedom, and what kind of education should the masses in America have for there to be a change in consciousness?

David

Yeah, I think that’s a great question. So, financial education is important because it allows us to make the best use of our resources and do what we want. And I think that’s important. It allows us to dream big, too. And I think that’s. But that’s also part of it. My company, Peters Professional Education, Provides continuing education for CPAs, insurance agents, and financial advisors. We also have some courses for small business owners looking to go out independently and build their businesses. And they want to do some of the things. These things for themselves. 

And so, we have some courses that help them try to do some things in accounting, some things in compliance matters, and just some things that I think are helpful to know when you’re first getting started. 

So, you know, on some level, I view my website as a kind of being. The repository of things I wish I knew kind of looks back on things, so I try to share some of those things with folks. And so, we have that on the website. We also have several things on YouTube, where you can pick up various things we offer. Uh, some free resources as well.

Cosmos

Yeah, for sure. Education, education, education. I feel like education is relevant now that we’re talking about it because the traditional education they give in colleges does not prepare you for the real world—a lot of the time, especially with liberal arts degrees. 

And, like, you end up getting all this debt. And it’s a conversation I always have with business people and entrepreneurs. They’re. I don’t even know what they’re like; I don’t even know why these people spend all this money on this education unless it’s a STEM major or an engineering or doctorate field, in which case it’s relevant. Still, they spend all this money, which doesn’t even help them start a business. 

But from your perspective, should there be a revolution in which the education system is traditionally done? Or do you think the Internet, like what we’re doing to YouTube, or just online services are the best? Way to go forward.

David

I’m always slightly skeptical of what you see on social media. There are a lot of good resources out there, but there are also many bad ones. And I think that’s the difficult part for the average person. 

And I think at times. It’s challenging to differentiate between right and wrong, especially in areas where I’m less comfortable. What’s a good resource sometimes comes from what’s a bad resource. And I think that’s always the part that kind of makes me skeptical about, you know, the Internet being kind of the primary source of information. I do think that the traditional education systems still matter.

 However, to your point, I think that there are probably needs. There needs to be some rework there. How do you know people are coming through school? Because you’re right, people are getting out. With four-year degrees that need to prepare them for the job market, they’re not preparing them for the real-life challenges they will have. One of the things that I do to try to address that, at least in a small way in my community, is that I am a part of a council at one of the universities at Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU, in Richmond. Our whole goal for the committee. It is to try to prepare accounting students, at least, for that example. For the real-world challenges that they’re going to face, try to make sure that there’s a balance between what employers are expecting and what, you know, we’re teaching. 

There needs to be a conversation, I think, between the universities on what their curriculum is and what employers are looking for. And I think until you get more of it. I think you’re going to run into the situation you discussed. People will come out of school with a four-year degree and need help to get a good job in an area they like. And you know, student loan debt. I don’t know if we will go a day without hearing anything about the crushing amount of student loan debt—the United States.

Cosmos

No, I mean, it’s like student loan debt, and it’s also like, just like, people are consuming and consuming. But we know that as entrepreneurs, you have to produce; you have to produce more than you consume. But we’re just like we have reached this point in America where there’s such a culture of consumerism and materialism that the original ideals we had of being entrepreneurs and hustlers. 

What got us to that level, you know? It’s the very thing that we talked about, right? Yeah, America symbolized that. Entrepreneurs that went to the top and then, in their pride and arrogance, like there is a descent and a downfall, and then that’s what’s become like the consumers of materials that go into debt and all that you know like you didn’t do that.

David

Yeah. I think you’re right. I mean, I think that, you know, there is this consumerism mentality. I think in the United States, if we look at some academic research that’s out there, we’re typically bad savers. I mean, we’re the richest country in the world, and we’re bad savers, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because that means that we just spend and spend and spend and kind of assume that there’s not going to be any consequences for doing that. 

And that’s the part where I think you’re right. I think that there is definitely. It needs to be that we take a step back. I think we need to take a step back as a society and help you, especially if you’re in financial services. You need to help people take that step back and look at what they’re doing because I think many times people just don’t even realize it, and then they find themselves in such a deep hole that they’ll have trouble getting out.

Cosmos

No, many of the reasons we’ve become bad things are because we’re in a fiat monetary system where purchasing power is being eroded by inflation. So, it’s a system that does not incentivize saving. And on top of that, getting a credit card is so easy. And just like you had this 0% interest rate for the longest time.

To 20 tens of decades, right? So, you could just get a credit card and pay 0% interest for 15 months. Is it so tempting to just rack up debt? Spend now. Then you can think about it later, and that’s the culture we’ve created in the past few decades.

David

I think you’re right, and we are paying for that, you know, for the, you know, pardon the pun there. But I mean, I think we’re paying for it right now. I mean, we’re paying for it. Credit card debt is as high as ever in the United States. 

And I think that even though we’ve gone through COVID, many people were really. I was struggling during. COVID, and you would think that we would have learned our lesson after that about how to conserve resources and ensure that we weren’t overspending and overextending. I’m not sure that we necessarily did that. In many ways, I think we kind of reverted to our bad habits, especially in a heavy inflation environment, which I think the last couple of years has been. It’s compounded the problem, and you find people who are now just in a really deep hole that will struggle to get out of financially. And I think that’s a shame. I think that’s just not paying attention to what you know about what we’ve been through. 

And not learning our lessons and so on. So that’s where I think, especially financial advisors, CPAs, and financial services industry folks—the professionals who do this daily. I mean, that’s a place where we can make a difference. We can make a difference in people’s lives by showing them some things that we know they could do better and helping them see what they’re doing. Is, you know, again, I think many times people just aren’t aware of, you know, kind of what they’re. Doing.

Cosmos

I mean, dude, that’s why what you’re doing is so relevant and important. I’m so glad you took the time to come to this podcast and share your wisdom. Yeah, we need to know how to plan financially. We have to get good with our finances because otherwise, if we’re not, if we don’t do that, we’re not going to be free, and that’s just like a fact, you know, and if we’re not free financially, it affects us. Everything else is in ours. 

And so, David, on another note, I wanted to ask you about this book that you contributed to, right? So, I know you contributed to this Amazon book, Strategic Growth for Leaders: 10 Success Keys to Elevating It to the Next Level. Could you tell me a little bit more about that, that chapter, and what you talked about? The premise of it.

David

Yeah. So, it was much fun contributing to a book like that because I’m collaborating with other folks in the business world. That’s also been successful. And so, that was great. My chapter is about winning additional business and monetizing your existing client base. 

So, you know. So, in many cases, we often focus on new clients when we are in business. The problem with that is that if we forget the clients that we currently have and just kind of take them for granted or let the conversations with them get stale, I think we are missing an opportunity. But two, I think what’s even worse than that is that they get frustrated with us and leave. And so that’s really what my chapter was all about trying to sort of help us see that there are growth opportunities from the client base we already have.

But if we take things and we sort of make them too transactional, if we water things down to just, Here’s another product, here’s another product,” Here’s another product. Here’s another product that ultimately makes it a very transactional relationship. It becomes very stale. 

And there’s no substance to that relationship. To all, and I think that relationships still matter, I think, especially you know, that these days, when we do more and more things over Zoom and, you know, video conferences and we’re talking with people you know in ways where we’re not in the same room, it’s more important than ever for us to establish. 

The relationships—and that’s really what that chapter is all about—are just establishing relationships and trying to utilize them to ensure that those existing client relationships stay consistent and that people are satisfied with you. I will also give some techniques and thoughts on how to do that.

Cosmos

The ultimate irony, David, is that the age of social media and the Internet has allowed us to get closer together and has eroded the era of authentic relationships. As a result, you would have thought they would have made people go closer, but people are more isolated in today’s world for some reason.

David

Yep. I agree with you. I think that’s what we realized, if nothing else, during the pandemic. I think a lot of us realize that. We need each other. We need each other. We need to talk to other people. We need to have other people in the same room with us. We need to see people. 

And I think that that was something I think, at least I’ll say for myself. That was certainly something that I experienced during the pandemic. You may have as well. But I think that’s something. That we. It’s probably figured out, but at the same time, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do things over video conference and things like that. I think we have to, but at the same time, there are ways to build relationships that are not just transactional and things like that. 

And so that’s really what my chapter is about—trying to go deeper than just that. It’s transactional-level relationships with clients because I don’t think those last. I think that those are very easy bonds to break. And I think that’s why we ended up losing our established business. That part’s really important, especially if you want to grow as a company.

Cosmos

No. For sure, David.   Relationships are important, but we must do our best to have authentic ones, right? Because, like in today’s world, it’s just really superficial. But David, can you tell me and the audience a little bit more about Peter’s professional education and the premise of how it got started?

David

Yeah, as I mentioned, I teach and speak nationwide to CPAs, financial advisors, and insurance agents, and the education part of my business developed over time. I was starting to speak in front of more and more groups. And I realized that I had gotten to the point where there just wasn’t enough me. 

So, I wanted to make sure that, besides doing some in-person speaking and speaking to live groups over the Internet, there was also an information source that people could go to if they were interested in learning more about some things. I talk a lot about tax issues. I also talk a lot about those who are CFOs or controllers; we have a lot of continuing education resources for those folks, financial statement analysis, etc. Risk management courses and things like that, as well as data analytics. I also decided that I wanted to do some things for financial advisors, so I have some estate planning and financial planning courses. These are just basic courses for those folks who are just starting. I also have some tax planning courses there. As I said, I worked for a startup insurance company for a while, so I also put some things out there for folks who want to dig deep into insurance issues because there are typically few resources. 

So, I wanted to give people high-quality CPE and continued education content they could count on. I also wanted to give them something. It’s a little more interactive and hopefully more engaging than some of the CPs that’s been out there many times. Continuing education can be kind of boring, and I didn’t want that. I wanted people to be engaged and excited about the profession that they’re in. 

And so because, as I mentioned, I love what I do and hope other people love what they do, too. And so we film all of our courses in high definition, and they’re all professionally edited, and we put them to music and things like that to try to make them so that it’s a good experience for folks and that, you know, they’re learning the content, but they’re also. You know, having a good experience that they’re excited about and engaged in. And so that’s really where Peter’s professional education kind of developed. It was just an idea that, you know, I was starting to get to talking to so many groups that I decided that we better have a website, too. And so, that’s kind of what we did.

Cosmos

That is amazing, David, and I recommend that anybody looking at it check out your website and get to it if they are looking for education. Regarding these matters, you know, because we all know that financial education is a priority in today’s world with inflation and the loss of purchasing power. Like how the economy is going, this is important for your happiness. And David, how can our audience connect with you and learn more about you, your work, and everything you do?

David

Sure. So, you’re welcome to reach out to me via e-mail. My e-mail addresses are david@petersprofessionaleducation.com, all one word, and david@petersprofessionaleducation.com. 

You’re also welcome to check out our website, PetersProfessionaleducation.com. You’re also welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. I guess we’re not calling it Twitter now, right? But ex. And I still struggle with that one. But yes, X, if you want to reach out to me that way, that’s also fine. We also have a good YouTube channel. You’re welcome to check it out, too, and if you want, you can also just Google me, David Peters, CPA, Richmond, VA, and I’m sure I will come up. But I’d love to connect with you through some of our audio. Here.

Cosmos

That is amazing, David. I’m so glad you took the time to do this podcast with me and share your wisdom. I do hope you come to this podcast later.

David

Absolutely. I’d love to. I love to come back. Thank you so much for having me.

Cosmos

And I want to conclude this episode by letting my fellow extraordinary Americans know that, hey, look, there’s something extraordinary within every one of us, and we must awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.