Several students in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Business Program had their first experience giving a presentation before a group of professional CPAs, attorneys, insurance brokers and financial advisors when they participated in the Aroostook County Tax Seminar held at UMPI on Oct. 31.
The students delivered their income tax and retirement plans update presentation during a morning session. Other topics for the day included an update from the Social Security Administration on retirement benefits, an update on the Affordable Care Act, estate tax planning, and charitable estate planning. According to UMPI Assistant Professor of Business and Accounting Stacey Emery, this was an important training and skills-development opportunity for her students.
“It was a unique opportunity for the students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills learned so far at the University,” Emery said. “The UMPI Business Program strives to provide students with a wide variety of experiences that will prepare them for the workforce and we’re so glad the Aroostook County Tax Seminar extended this opportunity to them.”
Four students—Farren Sutherland, Nicholas Parks, Taylor Dwyer, and Brandon Bonney—delivered the presentation. The students spoke on a range of topics, from the new IRS regulations surrounding Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs) to the income tax changes for 2014.
After the presentations, Nicholas Parks said, “Now I will be able to go into a professional environment with confidence in my ability to speak to a large group of professionals. Most students will never get the opportunity to speak outside of the classroom environment, but the Aroostook County Tax Seminar, along with UMPI, has given us that opportunity. I couldn’t be more grateful!”
For several years, the sponsors of the Aroostook County Tax Seminar have invited UMPI students from the Business program to attend the event. This year, they suggested having the students present rather than just watch the seminar’s proceedings.
The Aroostook County Tax Seminar was started 39 years ago by concerned area professionals who saw the value of having experts come to Aroostook to speak on topics of interest. Today, it is still organized by a committee of professionals including an attorney, a life underwriter (insurance broker), a CPA and a financial planner.
Pam Scheppele, a member of the organizing committee, said, “It was very exciting having the UMPI Business students present to our group. It was amazing how organized they were and how professionally they presented themselves. I’m sure other seminar participants would agree with me when I say that I picked up a lot of useful information during their presentations.”
For more information about UMPI’s Business Program and the opportunities it provides its students, please visit www.umpi.edu or contact Emery at 207-768-9603.