I Talk About Money the Way Most People Won't
Over 20 years in finance taught me one thing: the conversations that matter most — about estate planning, retirement, succession, and business governance — are exactly the ones most speakers avoid because they're complicated. I don't avoid them. I make them clear.
Six Topics. One Consistent Message: Clarity Changes Everything.
Every talk I give is built on real advisory experience — not slides from a certification course. If you want someone who has actually structured estate plans for business owners, set up company retirement funds, and sat across the table from a BIR examiner, that's the perspective I bring. These are the topics I know from the inside.
Protecting What You've Built: Estate Planning for Filipino Business Owners
Most Philippine business owners have no estate plan. Not because they don't intend to have one — but because nobody has sat them down and explained, clearly, what happens without it. This talk does exactly that. It covers what the TRAIN Law's 6% estate tax means in practice, how company shares complicate inheritance, why probate takes years and what it costs families, and what the smart, proactive alternatives look like — drawing on the same estate planning work I do with clients every week. I use real scenarios — not hypotheticals — because the situations I describe are conversations I've had with actual clients.
What the audience leaves with:
- A clear understanding of how estate tax actually works under the TRAIN Law
- The three most common estate planning mistakes Filipino business owners make
- An honest assessment of whether they need to act now
- Practical first steps: what to do, and in what order
What Happens to Your Company When You Can't Run It Anymore
This talk is not about retirement. It's about the fact that most Philippine family businesses are held together by one person — and when that person can't come in, for any reason, the company either has a plan or it doesn't. I walk through what succession planning actually involves: leadership continuity, ownership transfer, governance structures, buy-sell agreements, and the insurance mechanisms that fund the transition. I cover why most plans fail (they exist only on paper), what makes them work (funded mechanisms and legal documentation), and how to start building one that will still hold up in ten years.
What the audience leaves with:
- A framework for thinking about succession in four dimensions: leadership, ownership, governance, and funding
- Common traps in family business transitions — and how to avoid them
- The role of life insurance in funding a succession plan
- A diagnostic: is your company actually succession-ready?
What CPAs and Business Leaders Need to Know About ESG Reporting in the Philippines
ESG is no longer a global trend that the Philippines can observe from a distance. The SEC already requires sustainability reports from publicly listed companies, Philippine banks are factoring ESG into lending decisions under the BSP's Sustainable Finance Framework, and the alignment with ISSB's IFRS S1 and S2 standards is already underway. This talk is built for CPAs and finance professionals who need to understand what's actually required, what's coming next for SMEs, and what role accountants and business leaders should be playing in this transition. I also speak specifically on ACPAFSI's national advocacy work as the organization's current President.
What the audience leaves with:
- Where the Philippines actually stands on mandatory ESG reporting — PLCs and what's coming for SMEs
- What ISSB IFRS S1 and S2 mean in practice for Philippine accountants
- How to start ESG data collection in a small or medium company
- The accountant's evolving role: from number-cruncher to sustainability advisor
How to Set Up a Company Retirement Fund — And Why Most SMEs Haven't Done It Yet
Most Philippine SMEs still use the "pay as you go" approach to employee retirement — which means one year, the cash just has to appear. This talk explains why that's a problem and what the practical, tax-efficient alternative looks like. I cover the difference between RA 7641 and RA 4917, how a company retirement fund works in practice, what BIR registration requires under Revenue Regulations No. 15-2025, and why the after-tax cost of doing this is lower than most business owners expect. This is a talk that moves people to action — consistently, because the numbers speak for themselves.
What the audience leaves with:
- The real legal minimum under RA 7641 — and what it actually costs when several employees retire at once
- How RA 4917 and group life insurance work together to create a funded, tax-deductible retirement benefit
- What RR 15-2025 changed in the retirement plan registration process
- What to do the week after the talk: a first step that any SME can take
Financial Clarity for Filipino Professionals: What School Didn't Teach You About Money
The Philippine education system produces graduates who can solve calculus problems but don't know the difference between a withholding tax and an income tax — let alone how to read a payslip or understand a life insurance policy. This talk fills in those gaps. It covers the personal financial decisions that matter most at different life stages: managing the first salary, understanding insurance, starting to invest, and beginning to plan for the future. It is practical, direct, and deliberately jargon-free. The goal is not motivation — it's a specific next step every person in the room can take before the end of the week. I also bring this material into structured training programs through the Entrepreneurs Accounting Academy.
What the audience leaves with:
- A personal financial checklist organized by life stage
- How to evaluate whether the insurance they have (or are being sold) actually fits their situation
- Three common money mistakes Filipino professionals make in their 20s and 30s — and how to correct them
- What estate planning has to do with them even before they own property
The Future of Accounting in the Philippines: From Compliance to Command
I didn't start a fintech company to get into technology. I started Quenta because I was sitting in advisory sessions every week watching Philippine SME owners make critical decisions without any real-time financial information — and nothing on the market gave it to them the way they actually worked. This talk is about what the future of accounting looks like from the perspective of a practitioner who has built on both sides: as a CPA and as a software founder. It covers where automation is going, what it means for accountants, how SMEs should be thinking about financial systems, and what the skills of the high-value accountant will look like in ten years. It's honest, sometimes uncomfortable, and always useful.
What the audience leaves with:
- Where accounting automation is actually heading in the Philippine context — and what it won't replace
- What the "command center" model of SME finance looks like in practice
- How to position yourself (or your firm) as a strategic advisor rather than a compliance processor
- What to look for when evaluating financial software for a Philippine SME
I Don't Do Generic Talks
If you've booked speakers who read directly from a slide deck, hedged every statement with qualifications, and left the audience with nothing specific to do, I want to address that directly: that's not what I do.
Tailored to your audience
I talk to business owners differently than I talk to CPAs, and I talk to CPAs differently than I talk to young professionals. Before any engagement, I ask about the room — who's in it, what they already know, what they're worried about, and what you want them to walk away with. I adjust from there. The topic title might be the same; the actual talk isn't.
Specific, not inspirational
My goal is not to leave your audience inspired. It's to leave them with a specific thing to do. Every talk ends with at least one clear, concrete action that is realistic for the people in the room. Inspiration is nice; action is better. The sessions I'm most proud of are the ones where attendees come up afterward and say "I'm calling my lawyer on Monday."
Built on real experience
Everything I say on stage has come from actual advisory work — real estate plans, real retirement funds, real BIR examinations, real succession conversations with families that were grieving and overwhelmed. I don't teach from textbooks. I teach from cases. That's why the examples land the way they do.
Keynote, Workshop, or Training — Whatever the Event Needs
Keynote
A focused, single-topic talk built for an audience of mixed backgrounds and attention spans. I anchor the talk with a real-world scenario, cover the key points without jargon, and close with specific next steps. Keynotes work best when there's a clear theme — "estate planning for our members," "ESG readiness for Philippine CPAs," "financial literacy for our employees" — and an audience that has a genuine reason to care about that theme. I handle room setup guidance, visual requirements, and pre-event coordination directly.
Workshop
A working session rather than a presentation. Workshops include structured exercises, group discussion, case analysis, and time for participants to apply concepts to their own situations. I design workshops to be genuinely interactive — not "turn to your neighbor and discuss" interactions, but actual work that people take home. Half-day workshops cover one topic in depth; full-day workshops can cover two related topics or take one topic from concept to implementation. Workshop materials are provided to all participants.
Training Session
A structured training session for a specific, defined group — company employees, a department, a cohort of new CPAs, or a defined professional group. Training sessions are more structured than workshops and typically involve learning objectives, assessment components, and follow-up materials. I also provide training through the Entrepreneurs Accounting Academy (eaa.edu.ph), where TESDA-accredited programs in bookkeeping, payroll, and financial management are available on a scheduled basis.
The difference between a practitioner and a presenter.
Anyone can talk about estate planning. Not many people have structured estate plans for company owners, set up group retirement programs for Philippine SMEs, sat on the board of a national CPA sustainability organization, built a fintech company from the ground up, and taught TESDA-accredited accounting courses — and then walked up to a microphone and connected all of it for a room of business leaders.
That's the perspective I bring.
Professional Designations
- CPA — Certified Public Accountant
- RFC — Registered Financial Consultant
- FChFP — Fellow Chartered Financial Planner
- CTEP® — Chartered Trust and Estate Planner
- CMC — Certified Management Consultant
- MDRT — Lifetime Member, Court of the Table
- GAMA — Lifetime Member
Active Memberships & Roles
- MAP — Management Association of the Philippines
- FINEX — Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines
- ACPAFSI — President (2026), Association of CPAs for Sustainability Inc.
- InspiraLife — Licensed Financial Advisor
- UP Alumni — BS Accountancy & Management, University of the Philippines
Recognition
- Global FWN100™ Class of 2014 — Most Influential Filipina Women in the World
- Presidential Leadership Scholar
Frequently Asked Questions
Sarah speaks on six core topics drawn from her advisory work: estate planning for business owners, succession planning for family businesses, ESG and sustainability reporting for CPAs and corporate boards, company retirement and benefits programs, financial literacy for professionals, and the future of accounting and finance technology in the Philippines. Each talk can be tailored to your audience and event format.
A keynote is a focused, single-topic talk (30–60 minutes plus Q&A) built for a large, mixed audience — ideal for conferences and conventions. A workshop is a half-day or full-day working session with structured exercises and group discussion, best for associations and corporate training. A training session is a more structured 1–3 hour program for a specific group, such as employees or a CPA cohort, often repeated across multiple sessions.
Fill out the inquiry form on this page with details about your event — the audience, date, format, and topic of interest — or reach out directly by email or WhatsApp. Sarah typically responds to speaking inquiries within two business days with a clear sense of fit and next steps.
Yes. Sarah is based in Metro Manila and speaks at events nationwide across the Philippines. For online events and webinars, she is available regardless of geography.
No rates are published because every engagement is scoped differently depending on format, duration, and travel. Share your event details through the inquiry form and Sarah will respond with a clear sense of scope and cost.
Sarah's talks are built on real advisory work — not slides from a certification course. As a CPA, RFC, FChFP, and CTEP® who has structured estate plans, set up company retirement funds, built a fintech company, and led national CPA sustainability advocacy as ACPAFSI President, she brings a practitioner's perspective and ends every talk with specific, actionable next steps rather than general inspiration.
Let's Talk About Your Event
The best way to start is a short conversation. Tell me about your event — the audience, the date, the format you have in mind, and the topic you're most interested in — and I'll respond with a clear sense of whether I'm the right fit and what it would look like.
No rates are published here because every engagement is scoped differently. What I can tell you: I speak at corporate events, professional association gatherings, educational institutions, and government-organized forums. I'm based in Metro Manila and speak nationally. For online events and webinars, I'm available regardless of geography.
Or reach out directly:
- WhatsApp: Message on WhatsApp
- LinkedIn: View Profile
I typically respond to speaking inquiries within two business days.
Not sure if I'm the right speaker for your event?
Send me a short note anyway. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you — and I might be able to suggest someone who is.
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