40 Under 40 Honoree: Dawn Willis, MBA, CFP, CSA – 34

Education – MBA, Texas Woman’s University; BS,
Univ. Central Arkansas
Hobbies & Interests – Golfing, entertaining friends
and family, reading, and singing at weddings and special events.
Professional Affiliations – Financial Planning Association,
Society of Certified Senior Advisors.

What peers, clients and friends say about Dawn:
Dawn is able to quickly connect with a lot of different types of people; to
her, everyone’s a friend. If she were a baseball player, she would be
the utility infielder, noted one friend, because she can play many different
positions and thrive at every one of them. She’s constantly working on
a million projects at one time. Of course, she has the messiest desk on the
planet, can break into song at any moment, and is extremely competitive when
it comes to board games at parties.

What technology or business process does Dawn see affecting the tax
and accounting profession in the next five years?
“With more than 76 million baby boomers entering retirement, clients will
continue to look for ‘one-stop wealth management’ from someone they
trust. CPAs and tax professionals, with their intimate understanding of the
client’s finances and extensive financial knowledge, are uniquely positioned
to help these clients determine a financial course to help them pursue their
goals. The challenge then becomes one of business management. How do you run
this type of business profitably and efficiently? The technology, support, training
and practice management systems that companies like H.D. Vest provide make offering
additional services a viable possibility.”