David Bromelkamp
Putting pen to paper
September 19, 2025
From a young age, having a strong understanding of personal finance was a key factor in David Bromelkamp’s life. He was, after all, part of a family with nine boys.
“I was introduced to accounting when I was registering for classes as a freshman at Saint John’s University in the fall of 1978,” he said. “Initially, I wasn’t sure what classes to sign up for, but my older brother, Dan, suggested I take an accounting class because it was practical. That turned out to be great advice!”
After getting his degree and his CPA license, he enjoyed the variety of work and clients he worked with while in public accounting. Eventually, he decided carry what he learned during his time in public accounting to shift to a career in financial planning and investment management. Initially, he was met with some pushback when hunting for a job, with some rejection letters claiming, “CPAs can’t sell.”
“My transition from public accounting to working in an investment securities brokerage firm required me to learn new sales and marketing skills,” he said. “But I must admit that the strong accounting background gave me a significant edge over other financial advisers.”
With more than three decades of experience that spans the worlds of accounting, business and financial advising, David took on a new challenge that not many CPAs get a chance to try: He wrote a book.
Bringing financial knowledge to the people
Making sure clients have the information they need to make informed decisions has been paramount in David’s career. The more he worked with these clients, the more he realized that most people simply did not have the knowledge they needed to pick a financial adviser to work with — let alone make financial decisions on their own.
Though he already wrote articles and blog posts intended to educate readers, it became apparent that delving into these topics more deeply would require more space. To prepare for this goal, he created his company, AdvisorSmart, in the hopes of providing investors with the education they need.
“I wanted to publish a book that I could hand to a friend or family member who was looking for an intelligent process for selecting a financial adviser,” he said. “The topics I chose were generated by thinking about the hundreds of questions that investors had asked me over the years.”
In April 2025, he published his first book, “AdvisorSmart for the Individual Investor: Your Guide to Selecting a Financial Advisor to Get Better Financial Advice.”
While there’s a lot about investments in the book, David did not forget his CPA roots; he was sure to include glossary entries for Certified Public Accountant, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Personal Financial Specialist, as well as acronym entries for CPA, AICPA and PFS!
Like the process of becoming a CPA, the process of publishing a book is a task that requires diligence and hard work.
“Publishing a book is like running a marathon,” David said. “I started the first book project in 2018 thinking that it would take about two years, but the book just got published in 2025.”
While he is celebrating the culmination of a yearslong project, David is already focusing on the future, with another book in the works and even more ideas about how to continue to share his knowledge with the world.
Topics: Member Profiles
Julia Shiota
Julia Shiota is the MNCPA’s communications coordinator, bringing her passion for storytelling to members through content development, media relations, and covering member accomplishments and events. Outside of her work with the MNCPA, Julia enjoys knitting, reading, and keeping track of all the birds she encounters on nature walks. You can reach Julia at 952-855-5533 or at jshiota@mncpa.org.
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