Topic: An Executive’s Story:  Financial Abuse Beyond Financial Literacy

Speaker:  Stephanie J. Bond, CPA, VP of Accounting & Finance, Perot Development Company

Presentation;

- Financial Abuse Is Not a Knowledge Gap – How coercive control, trust, and emotional leverage can override even advanced financial expertise and professional judgment.

- Why High-Performing Executives Are Not Immune – The intersection of power dynamics, role compartmentalization, and identity that makes financially sophisticated professionals vulnerable.

- Red Flags We Don’t Learn in Finance or Risk Management – Subtle behavioral and relational warning signs that fall outside traditional fraud, compliance, and governance frameworks.

-  The Hidden Cost of Silence – Professional, financial, and personal consequences when financial abuse goes unrecognized or unspoken—especially for leaders.

- Reframing Financial Abuse as a Risk Issue – Why financial abuse deserves the same seriousness as fraud, ethics violations, and control failures.

- What Financial Leaders Can Do—Personally and Professionally – Practical awareness takeaways to protect themselves, support others, and broaden how risk is defined and discussed.

Speaker's bio:
Stephanie J. Bond, CPA is a graduate of the University of Illinois and holds a Master’s degree in Real Estate Studies from Georgetown University. She has spent the majority of her career as a senior executive in Commercial Real Estate Accounting and Finance, leading complex portfolios with a focus on financial discipline, governance, and risk management. Known for her strategic insight and technical expertise, she built a career reflecting the highest levels of financial sophistication. 

In her presentation to the Financial Executive Networking Group, Stephanie shares her personal experience as a survivor of financial abuse; an experience that occurred not because of a lack of knowledge, but despite it. Her story challenges the assumption that intelligence, credentials, or professional success provide protection from coercive financial control. By bridging her executive expertise with lived experience, Stephanie reframes financial abuse as a serious and often overlooked risk rooted in power and trust, offering financial leaders a perspective that is both sobering and essential.