Accounting Today Podcast

Consultant and technology thought leader Seth Fineberg offers a guide to finding, choosing, implementing and assessing the software your firm needs.

Bob Lewis and Doug Lewis of The Visionary Group dive into how everything about firm combinations -- from deal structure and their impact on staff, to how accounting and PE firms are identifying targets -- is changing, and will continue to change in the future.

Brannon Poe of Poe Group Advisors talks about how the current landscape of acquisition -- particularly the entrance of private equity into the field -- is impacting firms below $10 million.

AAM Hall of Famers August Aquila and Kristen Lewis examine the rise of marketing as a professional function in accounting firm -- and look ahead to where it's going.

All too often, what accountants are selling are services that clients have to endure, says Joe Woodard, a leading consultant to accountants and the impresario behind the Scaling New Heights Conference, and not the sort of thing that they really value. To succeed in the face of automation, AI and other changes in the profession, accountants need to find new ways to create value in the mind of the client.  

Accounting firms all across the country are adopting alternative practice structures as private equity investment sweeps across the profession -- but who knows what an APS really looks like? William Kelly, chief counsel at PE-backed accounting firm platform Ascend dives into the details.

What will the firings at the IRS and other developments in Washington mean for tax season? Neil Fishman, returning president of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, dives into these and other major tax issues.

The new head of the AICPA, Mark Koziel, shares his thoughts about the profession, his plans for the organization, and more.  

Kim Blascoe, senior director of CAS professional services at CPA.com, shares some of the highlights of their most recent CAS Benchmark Survey -- from the area's extraordinary growth rates to the key practices of a high-performing CAS practice.

Neil Fishman, returning president of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, shares the issues his members are paying attention to as they head into tax season -- and what they're keeping an eye on for the rest of the year, too.  

Accounting Today editor-in-chief Dan Hood outlines the major trends and developments that accountants should be keeping an eye out for over the next 12 months.

As the profession grapples with lower numbers of people becoming accountants and CPAs, discussions about what it should take to become a CPA have proliferated; in this episode, Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs CEO Jennifer Cryder dives into why and how new paths to getting licensed are opening up.

On the eve of his retirement, longtime AICPA chief Barry Melancon turns his eagle-eye to the future, talking about the challenges and opportunities facing the profession, and what it needs to do to get ready for both.

As he prepares to step down from his long tenure as president and CEO of the American Institute of CPAs, Barry Melancon looks back at how the institute – and the accounting profession – have changed over the past 30 years.

As firms grow, they need to move their sales pipeline from inside their head into a more formal process, says Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting, to gather the right data and hold everyone involved accountable for growth.

Private equity can solve many of a firm's problems –– but not necessarily all, according to Phil Whitman of Whitman Transition Advisors, and there are alternatives.

Private equity is a solution to many accounting firm problems -- but not for all accounting firms. Allan Koltin of Koltin Consulting Group dives into who might be a good fit for PE, and what they can expect if they do.

Private equity presents a lot of opportunities for accounting firms -- but comes with a great many questions, too. Bob Lewis of the Visionary Group offers answers and valuable advice for accountants looking at this major trend.

What keeps employees engaged is changing rapidly, and accounting firms can't afford to fall behind, according to Tina Wang, division vice president of HR at payroll and HR giant ADP, and Darren Root, a major thought leader in the profession and Co-founder of Better Every Day.

Too many accounting firms are relying on outdated or inappropriate data to measure their success, and Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting lays out a much more forward-looking set of data for them to work with.

Melanie Lauridsen, vice president of tax policy and advocacy at the AICPA, and Cynthia Rijo Sanchez, president of the Puerto Rico CPA Society, discuss the boom in demand for tax and accounting services, and what it takes to successfully serve this market.

Terrell Turner of the TLTurner Group explains his firm's unique process for upgrading employee reviews and keeping staff performing at the levels they need.

John Napolitano of Napier Financial takes a long look at the host of unusual investment opportunities available to your wealthier clients, and how to tell what will work from what won't.  

Michael Bannon of ESOP investment banking advisors CSG Partners explains which accounting firms might want to look into employee stock ownership plans -- and why.

AICPA chair Carla McCall talks about the opportunities and challenges facing the profession, and how accounting firms need to work together so they can all thrive separately. 

And that should be their firm, says David Wurtzbacher of PE-backed accounting firm platform Ascend, so they can spend the vast majority of their time working on the business, rather than in the business.

Service line and practice offering leaders stand at the point where a firm's overall strategy meets the delivery of its actual services, and they have a unique role and set of responsibilities, says Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting.

Client advisory services Kane Polakoff of CohnReznick looks into the future of this fast-growing service area, and outlines the steps firms need to take to succeed in CAS's next iteration.

Many retirement plans are geared toward the specific date a person retires -- but clients will hopefully live long beyond that, and there are a lot of issues they'll need to consider, says John Napolitano, founder of Napier Financial.  

The National Pipeline Advisory Group's recommendations cover a wide range of ways to attract more people to the profession, and NPAG facilitator and ConvergenceCoaching co-founder Jennifer Wilson walks us through what everyone can do to bring in the next generation. If you're interested in helping, you can take the Pipeline Pledge here.

Laura Sprouse, the new CEO of Top 100 Firm Brown Edwards, shares her path to leadership, and where she's taking her firm in the future.

What it means to be an accountant is changing -- and that may be an important part of attracting more young people too the profession, says David Bergstein.

What clients value and what accountants think they value are rarely the same thing, and Joe Woodard makes the case that it's accountants who need to change their ideas around value, not clients.

Why work 80 hours a week when you can work 40? Why work 40 when you can work 25? Consultant Geraldine Carter explains why it's not the hours you work that matter, but what you and your clients get out of them, and shares strategies from her new book to help build accounting practices that take less of your time but deliver just as much value -- if not more.

The co-leaders of the Rosenberg Group, Marc Rosenberg and Kristen Rampe look back at three decades of change in the accounting profession — and what lies ahead.

Kelly Fisher, chief practice officer at Top 100 Firm Wipfli, offers a practical look at artificial intelligence, current use cases, and how accounting firms should be thinking about it.

The profession is seeing wholesale shifts in generational approaches across a range of areas, say Bob Lewis and Doug Lewis of the Visionary Group, as they dive into how best to navigate all those changes.

Accounting hought leader Seth Fineberg shares the three areas that public accounting needs to address: life-work balance, DEI and salaries.

The AICPA's Crystal Cooke talks about why the perception that companies are scaling back their diversity efforts is wrong, and how accounting can move forward in its pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion.

What goes into the recipe for accounting firm success? Randy Crabtree of TriMerit Specialty Taxes goes over the ingredients, and how best to combine them.

Okorie Ramsey, the chair of the AICPA and vice president of SOX at Kaiser Permanente, dives into how accounting firms can make the most of this important recruiting and career development tool, and the benefits it offers for both mentee and mentor.

Nela Richardson, chief economist of ADP, shares her thoughts on what's in store economically for the year ahead, what accountants should be worried about, and why the new normal will be anything but normal.

The first step is defining 'success,' says Nerd Enterprises' Seth David, before diving into how modern accounting firms can thrive.

It's not just hiring staff that's difficult -- managing them can be a major roadblock for growing businesses. One solution for that is the professional employer organization, and Kristen Appleman, senior vice president and general manager of ADP TotalSource, explains how they work and when they might be a good fit.

Frank Sands, president of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, shares the major issues that tax pros should be paying attention to in the run up to April 15, as well as expectations around IRS responsiveness, and the latest small-business trends.

With a radically new version of the test launching in 2024, the American Institute of CPAs' vice president of CPA examination and pipeline, Mike Decker, details the major changes, and shares valuable insights for how candidates can approach it.

Technology thought leader Randy Johnston of K2 Enterprises shares how firms should be building and thinking about their arsenal of tech tools.

As the flow of young people into the profession slows, and more and more old accountants are leaking away, Sue Coffey, the CEO of public accounting at the AICPA, and Lexy Kessler, chair of the National Pipeline Advisory Group, share what's being done in the short term and the long term to address this major problem.

Customer and client relationship management systems have come a long way, says Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting – and it's time for firms to give them a second look.

Construction companies love their accountants – and well they should, given the help they need on a range of compliance issues. Kit Dickinson of ADP shares the latest issues in the construction industry, and what they need from their CPAs.

Lots of businesses have claimed the Employee Retention Credit who don't actually qualify for it — and in many cases it's going to be up to their accountants to set them right. Randy Crabtree of Tri-Merit Tax Specialty Tax Professionals and the Unique CPA podcast dives into how you can know if a client qualifies, as well as the intricacies of some other major tax credits.