The American Institute of Certified Tax Planners is an independent, not-for-profit corporation which trains and certifies tax professionals in the philosophy of proactive tax planning. The organization, which administers the Certified Tax Coach, Certified Tax Planner and Certified Tax Strategist designations, upholds a strict Code of Ethics to ensure the highest standards of integrity and excellence among its members. The organization also offers a network of resources, ongoing education, and joint venture opportunities to its members. Founded in 2009 in Cincinnati, OH, AICTP is the premier organization for helping business owners and investors keep more of what they earn.
AICTP is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of Continuing Professional Education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.
AICTP is approved by the IRS to provide continuing education for Enrolled Agents, Enrolled Retirement Plan Agents and other tax return preparers.
AICTP’s Vision, Mission & Values
Vision:
To affirm tax planning as a central discipline in financial services.
Mission:
We help trusted advisors develop their expertise and realize their value to build a thriving business that:
- Develops Strong Teams
- Improves Our Communities
- Energizes Our Economy
Values:
- Integrity: Maintain the integrity of the designation by emphasizing the power of ProActive Tax Planning within the bounds of the law.
- Inspiration: Inspire our members to realize their dreams by building the practice they’ve always wanted.
- Accountability: Hold members accountable to themselves and their clients.
- Education: To educate our members and their clients.
About the Certified Tax Coach Designation
The Certified Tax Coach (CTC) designation denotes financial expertise, tax planning excellence, and outstanding customer satisfaction. All Certified Tax Planners attend an intensive, three-day proprietary training academy, and are required to attend 24 additional hours each year of continuing professional education in proactive tax planning. Attendees become well versed in high-impact tax planning strategies, and are offered additional continuing education courses to expand their specialized knowledge. Professionals with the Certified Tax Coach designation know how to save their clients thousands of dollars that would otherwise be wasted on unnecessary taxes.
About Certified Tax Planners and Certified Tax Strategists
Certified Tax Planners (CTP) and Certified Tax Strategists (CTS) are tax professionals with advanced experience in proactive tax planning, who specialize in finding deductions, credits, loopholes, and strategies to help their clients pay less tax. Their additional time and experience is reflected in their advanced designations.
Meet Our Leadership
Dominique Molina, CPA, MST, CTS
Co-Founder and President
Dominique Molina is the co-founder and President of the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners (AICTP). As the driving force and visionary behind the San Diego-based company, Dominique set out to change the way tax professionals approach tax planning. In 2009, realizing that many tax professionals were missing government tax breaks that could save millions, Dominique began to create an elite network of tax professionals including CPAs, EAs and tax attorneys who are trained to help their clients proactively plan and implement tax strategies that can rescue thousands of dollars in wasted tax. Dominique has successfully licensed over 1,000 tax professionals as Certified Tax Planners across the country, creating a national network of highly qualified advisors.
Prior to founding Certified Tax Planners, Dominique successfully managed her own practice, a San Diego-based, full-service tax, accounting, and business consulting firm, serving hundreds of business owners and investors across the country for seven years, while having previously served clients for the largest independently owned CPA firm in San Diego.
Dominique received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree from San Diego State University and is a licensed CPA. Additionally, she has her Master of Laws – LLM, Tax Laws, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and is a Certified Tax Strategist (CTS) from the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners.
In 2020 Dominique Molina expanded her tax planning educational outreach by launching the online publication Think Outside The Tax Box. This bi-weekly publication offers tax reduction strategies for accountants, tax preparers, and small business owners.
And in 2022, Ms. Molina acquired MidasIQ, a leading tax educational company directly educating the public and taxpayers on how they can help to reduce their taxes. Educating the public on how to pay less in tax and save their hard-earned money has always been a deeply held conviction for Molina, and she relishes the chance to shine a light on the immense value of getting expert tax guidance from their local Certified Tax Planner.
Dominique is an accomplished keynote speaker, teacher, best-selling author, and mentor to tax professionals across the United States. Dominique routinely speaks for Surgent CPE and the AICTP Women’s Leadership Summit, among other leading professional groups. Realizing that many tax professionals were missing government tax breaks and loopholes that could save millions, she began teaching and writing to educate both individuals and tax professionals. Dominique is best known as the coauthor of six best-selling books, including Tax Breaks of the Rich and Famous and The Great Tax Escape. Dominique frequently appears as a tax expert and TV guest in regional television markets, including San Diego, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Honolulu. Dominique frequently appears in print, television, and radio programs, including CNN Money, and was named one of the 40 Most Influential Accountants by CPA Practice Advisor Magazine and a recipient of the 2014 Financial Services Champion Award from the SBA.
Meet Our Faculty
Tom Gorczynski, EA, USTCP, CTP
Thomas A. Gorczynski, EA, USTCP is a nationally recognized speaker and educator on federal tax law matters. He is the author of the Tom Talks Taxes online newsletter. He is also co-author of the PassKey Learning Systems EA Review Series, co-owner of Compass Tax Educators, and co-founder of the InCite Community.
He is an Enrolled Agent, a Certified Tax Planner, a National Tax Practice Institute Fellow, and admitted to the bar of the United States Tax Court as a non-attorney.
Tom earned a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University and a Certificate in Finance and Accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He received the 2019 Excellence in Education Award from the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the 2018 Member of the Year Award from the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners.
Tom’s tax practice in Phoenix, Arizona focuses on implementing advanced tax reduction strategies and representing taxpayers with complex tax problems before the IRS and in the United States Tax Court.
Michelle Weinstein
Michelle’s mission is to help accountants, EAs, CPAs and bookkeepers sell high-level services to their clients without the sleaze! She is the founder of The Pitch Queen and The Abundant Accountant.
Her professional business journey started in finance, but selling became her expertise and specialty. Michelle’s 20 years of sales experience includes working with multiple CEOs at billion dollar companies, landing contracts with national retailers like Costco and The Vitamin Shoppe, and pitching her way onto ABC’s Shark Tank.
Michelle teaches how to have empowered sales conversations and overcome objections. She has successfully trained CPAs how to actually and efficiently IMPLEMENT powerful techniques adding $10k to $50k in additional revenue every month. Her students learn how to value their worth so they can earn more, work less, and have the life of abundance they deserve.
Ellie Pope
With a software engineering and telecommunication background, and over 20 years experience, Ellie Pope has always been intrigued by complex problems. Her fascination with how the brain affects our work makes her the perfect candidate to lead AICTP’s Mastermind groups.
Education alone isn’t always enough. Learning a new way to run your business is always hard, no matter how simple or life-changing that new path will be. Ellie focuses the Mastermind sessions on sharing first-hand experience rather than coaching. She has found that the diversity of each group has provided a wealth of information that helps members not only get questions answered, but then be able to transform their knowledge into action. Mastermind also helps people deal with their weak moments when they want to give up on their dreams. As the saying goes, old habits die hard. It is hard to let go of clientele, let alone change your business practices. So, you must surround yourself with people who are there to support you and understand what you are going through.
In Ellie’s experience with members, she has noticed the secret to successful tax planning, after seeing the change in so many members. “Persistence, patience, and a willingness to always strive for more have proven to be a recipe for success. They must keep asking themselves ‘now what’?’’
Lucien Gauthier, Esq., LL.M., CPA
Lucien Gauthier provides tax consulting services to CPAs, other tax professionals, and their clients in areas such as Section 199A, S corporations including converting from C to S, reasonable compensation, the accumulated earnings tax, purchases and sales of businesses, complete liquidations, the cash method of accounting and the expensing of inventory, the 3.8% tax on net investment income, passive activity losses, grouping, real estate professionals, valuation matters, abatement of penalties, and representation of clients on audit and at Appeals. Lucien has represented hundreds of clients at the examination and Appeals levels since beginning his tax practice in 1961 and has qualified as an expert witness on federal income tax matters in state court litigation on three occasions.
Lucien Gauthier is the founder of the Boston Tax Institute, Ltd. He spent 12 years as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Bentley College Graduate Tax Program, and has taught at many schools and professional organizations in the Boston area, including Boston University Institutes on Federal Taxation and the Greater Boston Association of Financial Planners. He is a graduate of Boston University College of Business Administration, School of Law (J.D), and Graduate Tax Program (MST), as well as George Washington University National Law Center, with a concentration in Federal Tax Law and Government Contract Law.
Heath Walters, CPA
Heath Walters is a strategic tax planning specialist with expertise in investment, and legal/estate strategies for high-net-worth clients. Heath brings over 10 years of experience as a CPA and Certified Tax Coach. He also conducts training seminars for financial and wealth advisors, Continuing Professional Education for CPA’s, and is a mentor for other CPA’s working toward converting their practice to an Advanced Tax Planning firm.
Heath is the founder and President of The Walters Way, LLC, where they save business owners an average 48% annually on their personal taxes. Heath was certified as a North Carolina CPA in 2000. He has been a member of The American Institute of Certified Tax Planners since 2019. Heath holds both a Bachelor degree in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting from Appalachian State University.
Mark Perlberg, CPA, ACD
Mark Perlberg is a CPA, Certified Tax Planner, and founder of Prosperl CPA, specializing in helping real estate investors and entrepreneurs achieve their financial goals through strategic tax planning. He has been a CPA since 2015, and since 2019, has served hundreds of entrepreneurs to create tax plans with savings as high as $2.5 Million in a single year through advanced planning methods. Mark and his team collaborate closely with clients to understand their unique goals and circumstances, evaluating all sources of past, present, and future financial events to guide them toward the most advantageous business and financial decisions.
Mark received his Masters degree in Accounting from North Carolina State University.
Matt Gaylor, EA
Matt Gaylor, EA, CTC has been serving clients in tax compliance, planning and resolution as owner of Gaylor Tax Services LLC since 2004. Matt obtained his Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arizona, subsequently obtained his Enrolled Agent credential, and in 2019 obtained his Certified Tax Coach (CTC) designation through the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners. In 2022, Matt was awarded CTP of the Year.
Matt is also a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the National Association of Tax Professionals.
Timalyn Bowens, EA
Timalyn Bowens is the owner and lead accountant for Bowens Tax Solutions. She is also affectionately known as “America’s favorite enrolled agent” by clients and colleagues across the U.S. She spearheads a team of industry specialists with 24+ years of collective experience serving clients and getting results.
Timalyn began her career in 2011 at a distinguished global accounting firm, where she fell in love with taxes and tax law. Her area of specialty lies in helping professionals navigate working with the IRS, as well as “filling the tax literacy gap one taxpayer at a time.” Timalyn has been praised for her ability to teach and for being knowledgeable, patient, and reliable by her peers and mentees.
Vanessa Wilde
At the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners, Vanessa supports accountants and advisors in discovering the tools, training, and community they need to grow a more profitable, planning-focused practice. Through a relational, trust-centered approach, she helps qualified professionals explore whether our programs and certification are the right next step.
From initial outreach to ongoing support, Vanessa’s focus is on building aligned partnerships, facilitating clear decision-making, and creating opportunities that lead to long-term success—for both the accounting professional and their clients.
Vanessa received her BBA from University of Phoenix, in Business Administration and Marketing.