CPA Trendlines Podcasts

Analytics, automation, and AI will reshape audit roles—and that should excite CPAs.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrAudit is notorious for long hours, terrible work-life balance, reliance on endless checklists, and repeating the same mind-numbingly tedious procedures year after year. But some, like Kathryn Horton, are creating a different path for success as an auditor.   At her solo firm, Kathryn K. Horton CPA, she provides outsourced audit and analytics consulting services to firms nationwide. As “auditor on call,” she steps into manager and senior manager roles for local, regional, and national firms, helping them increase capacity while reducing staff burnout.  MORE STREAMING: Chang: Killing SALY, One Agent at a Time | Vanover: 5-Star Firms Don't Bill by the Hour | Kless: Profit Is a Result. Flourishing Is the Purpose | Whitman: Build Culture on 'Progress,' Not Change | Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel | During her eight years in public accounting, Horton says, “I did struggle with burnout at various times, where the work-life balance really wasn't a balance anymore.” A significant factor was the hyper-connectedness of today's technology, where “we're essentially on call 24/7” responding to emails and calls, which made it “really hard to unplug and just recharge the batteries.” Another factor was demanding clients. “I realized that 80% of my stress was coming from 20% of my clients,” Horton recalls.  In her desire “to find an environment where I was happy,” where she could continue the work she enjoyed and “where I would be able to establish that work-life balance,” she realized she was the best one to create that for herself.  

Firms that translate AI-driven data into clear insight will lead the next era of advisory. By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™For CPA TrendlinesFew people have been able to bridge the gap between emerging technology and the accounting profession the way Dr. Sean Stein Smith does. A CPA, researcher, Forbes contributor, and professor at Lehman College, Stein Smith serves on the advisory board of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance and has spent more than a decade helping practitioners make sense of blockchain, crypto, and artificial intelligence.  MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management MORE Dr. Sean Stein Smith | Crypto Tax Planning – Beyond the Basics & What Practitioners Need to Know Going Forward | Dec. 11, 12:30 p.m. ET | On-Demand “The whole blockchain conversation has moved from the back burner to the front [burner],” he says. “Every major financial institution is entering the on-chain space.”And CPAs can no longer afford to ignore it.  

Poor onboarding frustrates clients, burns out staff, and kills profitability.It's Not Just the NumbersWith Penny Breslin and Damien GreatheadFor CPA TrendlinesWinning the client is exciting—but in Client Accounting Services (CAS), that's just the opening act. The real work, and the real success, depends on what happens immediately after a prospect says “yes.” MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead MORE Advisory & Consulting BUY "It's Not Just the Numbers" In this episode of It's Not Just the Numbers, hosts Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead make the case that onboarding is one of the most overlooked, underdeveloped, and business-critical functions in CAS firms today.“Too many firms have no clue what actually happens when a client walks in the door,” Breslin says. “You sold the work, but what happens next? What experience does the client have? And what does your team do first?”

Two-thirds of current firm leaders risk being obsolete within three years.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownA stark warning is shaking the accounting profession: 65% of current firm partners will be considered “digitally obsolete” within three years. The unsettling part? Private equity (PE) investors are not planning to retrain them—they are preparing to replace them. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown On the latest episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast, host Rob Brown uncovers how private equity–backed firms are redrawing the profession's leadership map. The digital divide is no longer theoretical. It is already defining who will lead the future of accounting and who will be pushed aside.

Partners who cap their own comp can solve staffing, retention, and motivation in one bold move.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA TrendlinesWhen public accounting firms talk about “leadership challenges,” the conversation often turns into a soft focus on communication styles or vague culture issues.Michael Meihaus goes straight for the hard truths.On Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Capstone Marketing president Jean Caragher, Meihaus—owner of Meihaus CPA in Escondido, California—lays out the structural leadership failings he sees across the profession: outdated ownership models, harmful work expectations, broken incentives, and leaders who resist change because the current system works for them, even as it burns everyone else out. More Gear Up for Growth here. | More Jean Caragher here |  Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here |  More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here “It's simply that we don't change unless we have to,” he tells Caragher. In a profession that's been “stable, profitable, successful” for decades, too many people at the top have little incentive to transform how firms actually operate.  One of Meihaus's most provocative arguments is that many “partners” aren't really owners in any meaningful sense. 

“Being efficient got me more work, not more money. So I left.” Big 4 TransparencyBy Dominic Piscopo, CPAFor CPA Trendlines When Mike Maksymiw first joined the Big 4 Transparency podcast, listeners were struck by his candor, clarity, and willingness to challenge the profession's long-standing norms. Now, as host Dominic Piscopo welcomes him back as the show's first repeat guest, Maksymiw brings even more insight—this time shaped by Aprio's rapid growth, his own unconventional career path, and a message for accountants who feel stuck in roles that no longer fit.  MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Private Equity | MORE Pay & Compensation Maksymiw currently serves as executive director of the Aprio Firm Alliance, a national network of nearly 100 firms that share resources, expertise, and support across specialties and geographies. And—thanks to Aprio's recent acquisition of the PS Plus Alliance from RSM—the Alliance has nearly doubled in size.“It broadens how we can go find answers,” he explains. “Now there are a hundred people you can ask, and maybe fifty have done what you're trying to do. Maybe there are seven different ways to make it work.”

Embracing empathy helped build a healthier, more profitable firm with a smaller, stronger team. The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrAfter decades in public accounting, years emceeing national conferences, and a long stretch coaching college softball, Dawn Brolin has learned something most leadership books bury in footnotes: empathy drives performance.“Empathy is, to me, the number one characteristic that a leader should follow,” she told host Liz Farr in her return to The Disruptors. Her latest book, The Elevation of Empathy: Leading for the W.I.N., digs into why the accounting profession needs a different kind of leadership—one rooted in awareness, humanity, and intentional care.  MORE STREAMING: Chang: Killing SALY, One Agent at a Time | Vanover: 5-Star Firms Don't Bill by the Hour | Kless: Profit Is a Result. Flourishing Is the Purpose | Whitman: Build Culture on 'Progress,' Not Change | Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years Accounting firms often reward technical strength or revenue generation with leadership titles. But Brolin argues those metrics don't create leaders; they create what she calls “appointed leaders.”“You could be appointed a leader because of a skill or the amount of revenue you bring in. That doesn't mean you are one,” she says.Real leadership, in her view, has less to do with credentials and more to do with emotional intelligence, personal responsibility, and daily behaviors that elevate the people around you.*Originally published August 2025

Culture isn't an initiative—it's a strategy that drives retention and results.MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesIn this episode of MOVE Like This, host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk talks with Stacie Kwaiser, CPA and CEO of Rehmann, about the firm's nearly three-decade journey toward building a culture where people stay, grow, and lead. MORE MOVE Kwaiser began her career in public accounting at Coopers & Lybrand before joining Rehmann, a firm that now employs more than 1,100 professionals across 22 offices. She rose through the audit practice and into firmwide leadership roles, ultimately becoming CEO in 2023. Along the way, she experienced—and helped shape—Rehmann's evolution into one of the profession's most recognized firms for women and equity leadership.Rehmann's reputation didn't happen by accident. Nearly 20 years ago, the firm launched its Women's Career Advocacy Program to address attrition among rising female professionals. That effort has since expanded into a firmwide Career Advocacy Program that embeds mentorship, sponsorship, and structured development into daily culture.Kwaiser is clear that these supports aren't optional. “You can't treat talent development like an initiative that comes and goes,” she says. “It has to be part of how you operate.”Originally published October 2025.

Get more value from the technology you already own. It's Not Just the NumbersWith Penny Breslin and Damien GreatheadFor CPA TrendlinesWhen accountants and bookkeepers talk about building a scalable, profitable firm, the conversation often jumps straight to technology. Which workflow app is best? Should we move payroll into a dedicated platform? Is our practice management system due for an upgrade? But as Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead emphasize in the latest episode of It's Not Just the Numbers, software is only as good as the processes that support it. Without consistent policies and documented procedures, even the most advanced tech stack will fail to deliver efficiency or profitability.  MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead | MORE Advisory & Consulting | BUY "It's Not Just the Numbers" This lesson is especially crucial for firms offering Client Advisory Services (CAS). Advisory work depends on reliable, timely data and standardized outputs. If every accountant on the team closes the books differently, it doesn't just create inefficiency; it undermines the consistency and trust that clients rely on. 

Podcasts now serve every level of the profession, and intentional listening helps professionals grow faster.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownThe accounting podcast world is no longer a niche corner of the internet. It is a sprawling ecosystem of news briefings, exam prep guides, leadership conversations, and tech trend breakdowns. For today's professionals—from students to senior partners—the shows they follow influence how they think, how they show up, and how they lead.In this episode of Accounting Influencers, host Rob Brown breaks down the types of accounting podcasts in the market today and explains why some help you grow while others simply drain your time. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Not all accounting podcasts are built for the same audience. Some exist to help students pass exams. Others help partners stay current on regulatory changes. Some deliver tech deep dives. Others humanize the profession with personal stories.Understanding these differences helps listeners choose wisely and avoid content that feels irrelevant or repetitive.

Collaboration, transparency, and independence drive BeachFleischman's growth.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA TrendlinesWhen most people picture a CPA firm CEO, they don't envision a former marketing director in the big chair.That's exactly what makes Eric Majchrzak worth listening to.Majchrzak, CEO and Principal of BeachFleischman—Arizona's largest locally owned CPA firm and a Top 200 firm in the U.S.—has been named multiple times to Accounting Today's “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” and is an Association for Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame inductee. More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More Gear Up for Growth More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here On Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Capstone Marketing president Jean Caragher, Majchrzak pulls back the curtain on how his growth-minded, marketing-first lens is reshaping BeachFleischman's strategy, culture, and business model—and what other firms can steal from that playbook. If you're wrestling with growth, private equity pressure, talent shortages, or AI-driven disruption, this is a conversation you don't want to miss. 

Use hope to shift stress, strengthen culture, and keep talent.  Know-How KornerWith Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationKnow How Korner, hosted by Donny Shimamoto, aims to translate peer-reviewed findings into practical actions for firms. In a recent episode, Shimamoto interviews Dr. Katelynn Hopson, assistant professor of accounting at Arkansas Tech University, whose dissertation quantifies a deceptively soft concept—hope—and links it to how public accountants experience stress and consider leaving their firms. MORE Know-How Korner Hope, in the research literature, is not vague optimism. Psychologist C. R. Snyder frames it as goal-directed cognition comprising agency (“the will”) and pathways (“the ways”). Hopson studies state hope—how hopeful someone is about a specific time frame or event—rather than broad personality-level trait hope. State hope moves; it can be built or eroded by experience and context.“People who have higher levels of hope are more likely to want to stay and less likely to feel burned out,” Hopson explains.

The deduction's previous cap of $10K jumps to $2.5M.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayIf you thought Section 179 was already generous, buckle up. Tax guru Art Werner is back with a Quick Tax Tip that dives into one of the most business-friendly changes proposed in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” — a massive, permanent expansion of the Section 179 expensing limit to $2.5 million.Click here for more Art WernerThat's right. The deduction, which once topped out at a modest $10,000 (yes, really), could soon allow businesses to expense up to $2.5 million of qualifying property immediately. According to Werner, this is not just another routine adjustment — this is a seismic change in year-one expensing power.And for the right business? It could be a game-changer.

Fieldguide's AI rewrites the rules that have held audit back for decades.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrLike many auditors, Jin Chang didn't enjoy the manual work. “Why did I get a four-year degree to do this matching exercise between evidence and samples being tested?” he recalls thinking. “Why aren't machines doing this better and faster?”   So he founded Fieldguide, “the platform I wished I had, and the AI agents that we're building are the AI team members I wish I had to collaborate with.” His mission with FieldGuide is to automate the tedious work that drives talented people away from audit, allowing human practitioners to focus on judgment, strategy, and client relationships so “they have a promising career that I didn't see as attractive back then.”  MORE STREAMING: Vanover: 5-Star Firms Don't Bill by the Hour | Kless: Profit Is a Result. Flourishing Is the Purpose | Whitman: Build Culture on 'Progress,' Not Change | Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | As Chang explains, with audit and assurance, “there's this rising set of client demands and expectations.” Clients demand quality assurance at reasonable fees. However, “quality assurance and reasonable fees don't often go hand in hand. They're often opposite levers.” This tension creates what he calls “a downward spiral of burnout,” where junior auditors struggle to deliver quality work within tight budgets. This results in auditors questioning their career choices. Adding to these pressures are uncompetitive salaries and unclear promotion paths. However, Chang views generative and agentic AI as a transformational technology that simultaneously enhances both quality and efficiency. 

The most dangerous day of retirement is a psychological challenge more than a financial one. By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™For CPA TrendlinesWhen most people think about retirement planning, they picture spreadsheets and savings targets. But as Dan Haylett, author of The Retirement You Didn't See Coming and host of the Humans vs. Retirement podcast, explains, the real challenge of retirement is not mathematical—it's psychological.  MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management “People focus on the numbers because they think that will solve all their challenges,” Haylett says. “But retirement is a complex human problem. Spreadsheets will not tell us who we are without a business card or what gets us out of bed in the morning.” Haylett distinguishes between “complicated” and “complex” problems. For instance, he says a tax return is complicated but solvable, while retirement is complex—filled with uncertainty, emotion, and shifting identity. That's a huge distinction, and Haylett argues that advisors who only solve the math side miss the messy human side of the client relationship. Haylett urges advisors to help clients plan beyond their finances – for instance, how they will structure their days in retirement, as well as their relationships and purpose. “Retirement is an emotional human transition,” Haylett says. “It requires people to think about who they are, what they are doing, and how their relationships might change.” 

Success depends on making deliberate choices.It's Not Just the NumbersWith Penny Breslin and Damien GreatheadFor CPA TrendlinesClient Advisory Services (CAS) remain the strongest revenue driver for accounting firms. Yet, building a thriving CAS practice goes far beyond adding bookkeeping or management reporting to your services. Success depends on how you select clients, manage teams, communicate value, and adapt to the realities of technology and outsourcing.  MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead | MORE Advisory & Consulting | BUY "It's Not Just the Numbers" In a recent episode of It's Not Just the Numbers, co-hosts Damien Greathead and Penny Breslin unpack some of the most pressing challenges facing firm owners as they scale CAS. Their conversation highlights practical lessons on team transparency, client selection, vertical specialization, and even how to address the growing role of AI. One of the key questions from listeners was whether firms should share profitability data with their teams. The consensus is that full transparency isn't always necessary, but clarity around scope and efficiency is critical. Instead of disclosing exact margins, Greathead and Breslin suggest teaching your team what makes a service profitable, and what erodes that profitability.

Smarter, shorter, and more focused podcasts help firm leaders turn listening time into a competitive edge.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownIn today's crowded attention economy, time is the rarest currency. Every minute you spend consuming content needs to work for you. That's why accounting leaders are turning to podcasts—not as entertainment, but as a professional advantage.In this episode of Accounting Influencers, host Rob Brown explores how podcasting is evolving and what that means for accountants and firm leaders who want to stay sharp, visible, and ahead of the curve. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown The podcast industry is booming—worth an estimated $47 billion globally and projected to triple in the next few years. But as Brown explains, this growth isn't about quantity; it's about quality.“The best podcasts,” he says, “cut through the noise. They know who they're for, and they deliver the goods.”Listeners today average seven podcasts in rotation, but loyalty is increasingly tied to the relevance of the content. The most trusted shows focus on niche audiences and deliver actionable value.Gone are the days of meandering interviews and filler content. The top-performing podcasts are shorter, tighter, and built for multitasking professionals.Brown notes three key shifts redefining the medium.

When you're too tired to lead, step aside.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines“Leaders who realize they're too tired to keep managing change should recognize that it might be time to transition to somebody who has that energy,” says Carrie Steffen, CEO of the Iowa Society of CPAs, during her appearance on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “The longer you hang on when you don't have the energy for change, the more of a disservice you're doing, not only to your firm, but to the profession as a whole.”    More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More Gear Up for Growth More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here In addition to highlighting self-awareness as a key leadership skill, Steffen offered valuable insights for CPA firm leaders navigating today's dynamic environment. In her interview, two major takeaways stood out. 

Price discrimination segments customers by what they value most. Accounting ARC - Student-Led ConversationsWith Harshita MultaniCenter for Accounting TransformationOn Accounting ARC – Student-Led Conversations, host Harshita Multani interviews Ron Baker—author, educator, and sought-after speaker—about price discrimination and the psychology behind everyday pricing. Across coffee shops, hotels, streaming platforms, and movie theaters, Baker says the same principle repeats: value is subjective, so pricing must be, too.  MORE Accounting ARC: Don't Get Fired by Your Own Automation | What Amazon Doesn't Tell You | Royalties, Residuals, and Reality Checks | ARC-SLC | Free Speech Is a Right; Respect Is a Responsibility | Cash Bags, Casinos & Audits: How First Jobs Shape Us | Gen Z Redefines Careers | Bootleggers, Baptitsts & CPAs: Rethinking Licensure | CPA Firm Ownership Under Fire | Walking Violation: When Showing Your CPA Gets You in Trouble | Audit Bags to TikTok Tags, Gen Z Talks Success | Students Challenge Accounting's Traditional Career Path | True Grit: Recognizing Struggles That Shape Our Successes |More Admins, Fewer Students, No Plan | What Career Advice Gets Wrong for Gen Z - And How to Fix It | Your Identity is Not a Liability | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough Baker argues that pricing “behaves like art” because people don't act like predictable particles. The goal is not perfect prediction, but rather constant testing: offering options, observing behavior, and refining strategy. That framing aligns with a growing body of hospitality research that shows how subtle cues—like removing the “$” symbol—change spending patterns. Cornell researchers find diners spend significantly more when menus list numerals without currency signs, a choice many premium venues intentionally make.  

“We didn't plan to build a 100-person firm. We just wanted to work for ourselves.” Big 4 TransparencyBy Dominic Piscopo, CPAFor CPA TrendlinesWhat does it take to build one of Canada's fastest-growing cloud accounting firms? In this episode of the Big 4 Transparency, host Dominic Piscopo sits down with Mike Pinkus, co-founder of ConnectCPA and host of the Growth Tales podcast, to unpack the bootstrapped, contrarian story behind ConnectCPA's rise to over 100 staff and a fully remote, recurring revenue model long before it was trendy.  MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Private Equity | MORE Pay & Compensation Founded in 2014 by Pinkus and co-founder Lior Zehtser, ConnectCPA was born from a desire for more autonomy - both personally and professionally. “We just wanted to work for ourselves,” Pinkus says. “Everything else was a byproduct.” Yet within a few years, they found themselves leading a national, cloud-native firm with a deep bench of accounting, tax, and finance professionals serving scaling businesses across North America.The firm's early bet on recurring revenue and cloud infrastructure paid off, but the growth came with growing pains. As the client base exploded, the firm took on nearly everything that came through the door until the operational costs caught up. Pinkus openly shares how a lack of data visibility and over-hiring led to margin pressure and process gaps, eventually prompting the firm to hit pause, install time tracking for its accounting team, and rework its client roster toward a more focused ICP. 

Measuring impact—not hours—creates happier teams, better clients, and a stronger profession.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrWhat will it take to kill the billable hour? Chris Vanover, founder of CPAClub, believes it's not only “outdated and archaic,” but that today's age of AI and automation “is a recipe for the death of the billable hour.”    MORE STREAMING: Kless: Profit Is a Result. Flourishing Is the Purpose | Whitman: Build Culture on 'Progress,' Not Change | Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel | Woodard: Move Past Reports; Deliver Results CPAClub, formerly AuditClub, operates under a different model. As Hervochon explained in his first appearance on The Disruptors, CPAClub operates as a subscription service, where pass holders have access on a monthly or annual basis to a team of highly skilled auditors and accountants. This innovative business model undoubtedly contributed to the firm's recognition as CalCPA's Firm of the Year for 2025.  “CPAClub was launched back in 2022 with a mission to try to help improve the profession,” Vanover explains.  “Hours aren't necessarily something you want to buy, because ultimately, I could sell you 40 hours at a certain value per hour, but there's no guarantee that I would actually deliver anything with those hours,” Vanover explains.  

“A knee-jerk pullback can actually increase legal risk."MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesIn a climate where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs have become political flashpoints, employment attorney Aislinn Sroczynski of Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld joins host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk on MOVE Like This to unpack the facts behind the fear. The result is a grounded, no-nonsense discussion on how firms can remain inclusive, compliant, and confident—without compromising their values. MORE MOVE Despite the noise, Sroczynski reminds us that the legal foundation of DEI hasn't budged. Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and the Equal Pay Act still form the bedrock of U.S. anti-discrimination law. “What's changed,” she explains, “is the level of scrutiny.”That means employers should revisit—not rewrite—their programs to ensure they focus on fairness regardless of protected characteristics, not because of them.

"If they're consistently uncooperative, they're not a good CAS client, no matter how much they pay.”  It's Not Just the NumbersWith Penny Breslin and Damien GreatheadFor CPA TrendlinesIn the world of client accounting and advisory services (CAS), most firms focus on building internal teams, refining processes, and adopting the right technology. Yet, one crucial element often gets overlooked: the client. In a recent episode of It's Not Just the Numbers, co-hosts Damien Greathead and Penny Breslin explore why clients must be treated as integral members of the team, and what happens when firms fail to define the client's role in the process. Their conversation, drawn from decades of working with accounting firms around the world, provides a blueprint for CPAs and firm owners aiming to elevate their CAS practices.  MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead | MORE Advisory & Consulting | BUY "It's Not Just the Numbers" Traditionally, accountants position clients as recipients of a service; for example, the client would deliver documents once a year, and the firm would produce a tax return. That transactional model doesn't work in CAS, says Breslin. 

Automation isn't replacing accountants—it's exposing who can't evolve.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownArtificial intelligence isn't a future disruptor—it's already embedded in accounting. The profession's survival depends on how quickly firms adapt.“The robots are coming—scratch that—they're already here,” says Accounting Influencers host Rob Brown. “AI literacy isn't optional anymore. If you're treating AI as tomorrow's problem, you're already behind the curve.”The latest episode explores the seismic impact of automation on accounting and the urgent need for firms to transform their skills, strategies, and structures. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Citing a McKinsey report, Brown notes that nearly 80% of organizations already use AI in at least one core function. “It's pervasive now,” he says. “Reconciliation, data entry, transaction classification—AI eats those jobs for breakfast.”A 2023 OpenAI study even found that automation could impact nearly all tasks performed by accountants and auditors. Yet, surprisingly, the accounting job market hasn't collapsed. “Two years into the generative AI journey, most jobs haven't vanished,” Brown observes. “The danger isn't robots replacing humans—it's humans who fail to leverage robots being replaced by those who do.”

Growth doesn't always mean moving on—it can mean moving deeper.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines“I love Smith + Howard, and I loved marketing, but I didn't think I was the person for that role anymore,” says Julie Barnes, chief of staff of Smith + Howard, during her appearance on Gear Up for Growth, powered by CPA Trendlines, and hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “I didn't want to leave; I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be valuable to the firm and create value in whatever role I landed in.”  More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More Gear Up for Growth More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here Barnes shares how her 30-year journey at the firm has evolved through initiative, transparency, and a culture that supports growth from within. Her story offers two powerful takeaways for professionals in accounting firms.

Leaders tie AI to real workflows, not wish lists, and adoption follows. Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationAccounting leaders are accelerating AI deployment across tax, audit, and advisory—but three accounting veterans and hosts of Accounting ARC argue the difference between adoption and shelfware comes down to focus, guardrails, and relentless training. On the latest episode, hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA; dissect how large firms are approaching Microsoft Copilot and adjacent tools. They agree that leaders should start now, but do so strategically.  MORE Accounting ARC: Don't Get Fired by Your Own Automation | What Amazon Doesn't Tell You | Royalties, Residuals, and Reality Checks | ARC-SLC | Free Speech Is a Right; Respect Is a Responsibility | Cash Bags, Casinos & Audits: How First Jobs Shape Us | Gen Z Redefines Careers | Bootleggers, Baptitsts & CPAs: Rethinking Licensure | CPA Firm Ownership Under Fire | Walking Violation: When Showing Your CPA Gets You in Trouble | Audit Bags to TikTok Tags, Gen Z Talks Success | Students Challenge Accounting's Traditional Career Path | True Grit: Recognizing Struggles That Shape Our Successes |More Admins, Fewer Students, No Plan | What Career Advice Gets Wrong for Gen Z - And How to Fix It | Your Identity is Not a Liability | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough Patrick, CEO of VERIFYiQ and co-founder and educator at TB Academy, opens with a caution that resonates across enterprise tech cycles: many organizations feel pressured to adopt generative AI without clearly defining expected outcomes. He urges leaders to ask what success specifically looks like, whether that is fewer review points, faster cycle times on close, or reduced audit adjustments. 

Key changes to Sections 168 and 179 offer fresh opportunities for strategic deductions.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayIn the latest Quick Tax Tip episode, tax expert Art Werner dives into one of the most talked-about provisions in the new tax bill: the restoration of 100% bonus depreciation.“Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, bonus depreciation started to phase down from 100% to zero,” Werner explains. “For 2025, it was set at 40%. But this new bill retroactively restores 100% bonus depreciation — starting Jan. 20, 2025 — and keeps it that way through the end of 2029.”Click here for more Art WernerThat January date, Werner notes, is significant: “It happens to be Inauguration Day. So it seems the new administration is ushering in a new era for business expensing.”The move reverses years of gradual cutbacks and offers businesses renewed incentive to invest in equipment and property. According to Werner, this means tax practitioners can breathe easier — at least for now.

In the age of AI, conversations, not calculations, will define the future of the profession.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrEd Kless believes accountants can do much more than monitor the numbers. Together with Ron Baker, their latest venture, Threshold, is a community that aims to support professionals in facilitating transformations in their customers. As Kless explains, transformations occur when someone makes lasting changes in one or more of the domains of human flourishing.   MORE STREAMING: Whitman: Build Culture on 'Progress,' Not Change | Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel “The purpose of business is to promote human flourishing. Profit is the result of a business. And there's nothing wrong with that,” Kless says. “I think profit is good, but it's the result. It's not the purpose.” Drawing from Benjamin Franklin and economist Russ Roberts, Kless explains that human flourishing has four domains: making people healthier, wealthier, wiser, or helping them live with more purpose.  When accountants work with customers across these four domains, they are not merely providing accounting services but are also facilitating transformations. In a recent episode of The Disruptors, Ron Baker explained Joe Pine's model for economic value, which Pine described in his earlier book, “The Experience Economy.” In this model, transformations are the most valuable of economic offerings. 

A new generation of borrowers is emerging—and advisors need to be ready to serve them.By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™For CPA TrendlinesStudent loan debt is not just a problem for young professionals anymore. It is a challenge that increasingly touches families, near-retirees, and even retirees. With more than $1.8 trillion in federal student loan debt across 42.5  million borrowers, the issue is too significant for CPAs and financial advisors to overlook because more and more of their clients are directly affected. MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management On the latest episode of Holistic Guide to Wealth Management, Alex Bottom, CEO of Finology, and Ryan Galiotto, CFP®, CSLP®, founder of the Student Loan Help Network, discuss how new legislation, shifting demographics, and growing demand for guidance are reshaping this area of planning.“Student loan planning is essentially looking at a client's full financial picture and helping them find the fastest and cheapest way to eliminate that debt,” Galiotto explains. “[Student loan] debt is a massive issue within our country right now, and it is only going to get bigger.”

"The classroom is no longer a pipeline for work-ready professionals."Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownToday's accounting leaders are facing an alarming truth: the next generation of recruits may be the least “work-ready” in decades.They know their algebra, their Shakespeare, and their chemistry formulas—but not how to introduce themselves in a job interview, meet a deadline, or handle feedback. That's the provocative premise explored in the latest episode of Accounting Influencers Podcast, where host Rob Brown tackles the widening gap between what schools teach and what firms need.“The classroom is no longer a pipeline for work-ready professionals,” Brown warns. “And accounting firms are starting to feel the pain.” MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Brown, a former high school math teacher, speaks from experience. He spent years coaching students to pass tests—not preparing them for the real world. “The curriculum is built for exams, not for the workplace,” he says. “No one's teaching children how to build trust, handle tough feedback, or develop emotional intelligence.”That shortfall has far-reaching consequences. According to research cited in the episode, only 11% of business leaders strongly agree that graduates leave school ready for work. Eight in ten employers say that new hires lack not only technical proficiency but also critical soft skills, such as resilience, digital literacy, and time management.

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale, and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

Firms that want to stay independent must transform how they operate, lead, and plan for succession..Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines “The problem that a lot of firms have is they just don't pay attention to what succession really is until they get to the last few years,” explains William “Bill” Pirolli, executive vice president of firm services at Succession Institute, LLC, on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “It has to happen all throughout the lifetime of the firm in order to be properly established at the end.”  More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More Gear Up for Growth | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here Pirolli, a former AICPA Chair and longtime CPA firm partner, emphasizes that succession planning must begin on day one, not five years before retirement. He cautions that too many firms wait until it's too late to build future leaders or transfer client relationships effectively. He also challenges firm leaders who proudly declare their intent to stay independent but lack a strategy to sustain it. True independence, Pirolli says, requires more than avoiding private equity. It demands discipline, leadership development, and a clear operational strategy. 

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale, and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

“Waiting this one out is not an option. The rate of change is too fast.”Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationArtificial intelligence is not replacing accountants; it is replacing the parts of accounting that accountants least want to do. That is the consensus of Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, who devote the latest Accounting ARC to reframing AI as an accelerant for professional judgment rather than a threat to jobs. MORE Accounting ARC: What Amazon Doesn't Tell You | Royalties, Residuals, and Reality Checks | ARC-SLC | Free Speech Is a Right; Respect Is a Responsibility | Cash Bags, Casinos & Audits: How First Jobs Shape Us | Gen Z Redefines Careers | Bootleggers, Baptitsts & CPAs: Rethinking Licensure | CPA Firm Ownership Under Fire | Walking Violation: When Showing Your CPA Gets You in Trouble | Audit Bags to TikTok Tags, Gen Z Talks Success Patrick, CEO of VERIFYiQ and founder and instructor for TB Academy, begins with a familiar refrain from social media: AI will put accountants out of business. Mason, CEO of High Rock Accounting, answers with little patience. If a practitioner's value is “typing numbers into a screen,” she says, then replacement is inevitable. The hosts argue that firms win when they let technology handle the typing and redeploy human time to analysis, communication, and decision support.The panel notes the pattern is not new. Mason recalls first-year work in paper binders and shoeboxes of receipts. Today's first-years receive organized digital feeds and tagged PDFs. Roles change; the need for human professionals does not. The hosts expect a similar shift with AI: fewer manual steps, faster cycles, and more conversations that translate data into business choices.

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale, and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

"You can write off lingerie?" Learn how one accountant built a judgment-free firm for the adult industry. Big 4 TransparencyBy Dominic Piscopo, CPAFor CPA TrendlinesWhen Katherine Studley posted a short TikTok in 2021 with the line “Boobs aren't a write-off,” she wasn't trying to build a firm - she was trying to prove a point. Now, the founder of The Only Consultant and Prisma Tax is one of the most in-demand accountants for adult industry professionals across North America, having helped thousands of creators, dancers, and sex workers file taxes, get compliant, and navigate financial systems that too often shut them out.  MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Private Equity | MORE Pay & Compensation In this episode of Big 4 Transparency, host Dominic Piscopo speaks with Studley about how she carved out one of the most unusual and underserved niches in accounting and scaled it to a fully remote, growing firm with a waitlist and a social following that fuels constant inbound interest. Studley's journey started after leaving the CPA firm grind, working in coffee shops, and being recruited into a government intelligence role. But it was a viral conversation during the pandemic that unlocked a huge market: OnlyFans creators and exotic dancers who were suddenly earning six figures with no idea how to file taxes or whom to trust to help them.

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale, and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

Language, collaboration, and leadership training turned competition into cohesion.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrWhen Alan Whitman became Baker Tilly's CEO, he was caught between two warring camps. On one side were the legacy partners who had built the organization and “wanted to continue doing things the way that we've always done them because we've been so successful.” That side was afraid of “losing what they had built.” In the other camp were the new partners who wanted to change “to what they were promised, what they signed on to by becoming part of Baker Tilly.” The newcomers wanted “to move faster and do it differently.”  MORE STREAMING: Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel | Woodard: Move Past Reports; Deliver Results | As Whitman describes in his new book, “Break the Mold: How to Achieve Transformational Change Scale and Grow Simultaneously, the conflict was resolved over time, one conversation, one small meeting at a time. “It would be more evolution, not revolution,” Whitman says.  Whitman's book, part memoir and part practical guide, describes his time leading one of the largest accounting firms in the US through a fundamental transformation. “We're a storied profession, the CPA profession, and we are an incremental type of people,” Whitman explains. The transformation Whitman had in mind needed a different approach, as he says in his previous appearance on The Disruptors. “Break the mold is designing new ways of doing things to achieve results that we don't think can happen, or don't even think that are possible.”  

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale, and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

The profession's newest partners may be the most vulnerable.MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesMOVE Like This host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk sits down with Sarah Elliott, CPA, co-founder of Intend2Lead, to unpack what conscious leadership looks like in accounting—and why the profession's newest partners may be the most vulnerable leaders in the firm.Elliott, a former audit partner who left public accounting in 2014 to become an executive coach, argues that real change happens in a precise order: mindset, then skill set, then habits. Her “conscious leader” model centers on leaders who share power, elevate others, and stay curious, even when uncertainty invites fear.“Our best leaders are human-centric first,” Elliott says. “In a world of accelerating tech and change, we have to start with people—always.” MORE MOVE Intend2Lead recently surveyed 110 newly promoted partners (2023–2024). The results spotlight avoidable gaps that push rising leaders toward burnout—or out of public accounting altogether.

Gen Z won't fix your firm culture problem - they'll leave it.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownWhen the youngest professionals in accounting start saying “no,” leaders should start listening.In this episode of Accounting Influencers, the conversation turns to the one thing that could make or break your firm's future: how you treat your people, specifically, how you treat Gen Z.They're qualified. They're confident. And they've watched what the generations before them endured—burnout, long hours, micromanagement, and “be grateful you've got a job” culture. Their conclusion? “No thanks.” MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown This isn't softness. It's a strategy.Gen Z values mental health over martyrdom, meaning over money, and culture over compensation. They've seen the toll that toxic leadership takes, and they're unwilling to sacrifice well-being for tradition.Here, Rob Brown outlines five toxic traits that send young accountants running for the exits.

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

Reserves, credit lines, and leadership pipelines fuel expansionGear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines“Fiercely independent isn't a strategy, it's a stance,” says John Geraci, managing partner of LGA CPAs & Advisors. “To truly remain independent, firms must be strategic about how they differentiate themselves, understand the threats posed by private equity, and have the conviction to invest in their people and future leaders.”  More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More Gear Up for Growth | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here Geraci and Jeff Call, managing partner of Bennett Thrasher, were guests on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing.  As private equity continues to reshape the accounting profession, both leaders agree on two critical factors for firms choosing to remain self-owned: independence must be intentional, and culture is the ultimate differentiator. 

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale, and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

Returns ripple through revenue recognition, inventory, and environmental reporting.Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationAccounting ARC hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, use a YouTube investigation into Amazon's return ecosystem as a springboard to examine the financial realities behind frictionless refunds. They agree that returns are a strategic cost center that must be engineered into product pricing, platform choice, and tax compliance from the start. MORE Accounting ARC: Royalties, Residuals, and Reality Checks | ARC-SLC | Free Speech Is a Right; Respect Is a Responsibility | Cash Bags, Casinos & Audits: How First Jobs Shape Us | Gen Z Redefines Careers | Bootleggers, Baptitsts & CPAs: Rethinking Licensure | CPA Firm Ownership Under Fire | Walking Violation: When Showing Your CPA Gets You in Trouble | Audit Bags to TikTok Tags, Gen Z Talks Success | Students Challenge Accounting's Traditional Career Path | True Grit: Recognizing Struggles That Shape Our Successes |More Admins, Fewer Students, No Plan |Higher return rates are the rule online. U.S. retailers estimated that 16.9% of 2024 sales—about $890 billion—were returned, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. The cost of reverse logistics, shrinkage, and fraud compounds the hit to gross margin. “If you want the increased revenue from Amazon sales, it's going to come with increased returns,” Shimamoto says. “You can't have the reach without the cost.”Fees require granular modeling. Amazon's seller fees are multilayered. Referral fees commonly range from approximately 8% to 15% by category and are typically accompanied by fulfillment, storage, and program charges. “Owners see the top line and assume they're making money,” Patrick says. “Reconciling marketplace statements to cash is a jigsaw puzzle—even for CPAs.”

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

The 199A deduction just got a second life — and a boost.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayWhen Section 199A was introduced under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it was hailed as revolutionary. For the first time, owners of pass-through entities — partnerships, S corporations, and sole proprietorships — received a significant tax break meant to level the playing field after the corporate rate dropped dramatically.Click here for more Art Werner“The idea was simple but powerful,” says tax guru Art Werner in the latest episode of Quick Tax Tip. “You lop off 20% of the income from flow-through businesses, making sure they weren't left behind when C corporation rates fell.”But that popular deduction — and many others tied to the individual provisions of the 2017 Act — was scheduled to sunset...Until now.

Poe Group Advisors; Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.Our clients love working with us, and we know you will too! Don't just take our word for it. Learn more about our client success stories and how we've guided buyers and sellers through a smooth transition with their bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA firms. Learn MorePoe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry with over 20 years of M&A experience. PGA was founded by Brannon Poe, a CPA with a Big 4 background. Buying or selling a CPA firm is one of life's most significant ventures for business owners. Qualified buyers looking to buy an accounting firm want to find the right CPA practice for sale and accounting practice sellers want to find the right buyer. This is where Poe Group Advisors excels time and time again in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity. Learn More

Private equity isn't the only way to scale.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrSteve Shein thought small accounting firms need a different option than private equity or the traditional M&A route. So he founded Franklin Alliance, which operates differently from either of those models.  Unlike traditional private equity models that typically focus on cost reduction and mandate immediate process changes, Franklin Alliance operates as an investment partner with a fundamentally different structure. "We're trying to build this intentionally, with the goal of being a differentiated partner, specifically for small firm owners who care about things like culture, autonomy, and their firm identity,” Shein explains. “We built this platform as an operating company specifically so we're not a fund,” Shein explains. “It's backed by venture capital and family offices, which basically means that the profile of the investors that we've taken capital from has a longer-term time horizon.”  MORE STREAMING: Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel | Woodard: Move Past Reports; Deliver Results This structure enables what Shein calls a “culture of growth rather than a kind of cost rationalization,” which is a better fit for many small firms. The approach contrasts with acquisitions by regional firms, where acquired firms are generally forced to adopt new processes, workflows, and technology within 90 days. 

Just make sure you and your clients understand costs, premiums, risks, and potential surrender charges. By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™For CPA TrendlinesLife insurance has long been misunderstood. Too often, advisors and clients alike dismiss it as costly, confusing, or underperforming. But as Keith Friedman, CEO and founder of FBO Strategies, explains on our recent podcast, permanent life insurance deserves a second look. When designed and communicated correctly, life insurance can be a flexible, tax-efficient asset that provides protection, liquidity, and even a hedge against long-term care costs.  MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management Friedman, creator of the trademarked Carbyne Allocation® approach, has built his practice on independence, analysis, and transparency. He believes the industry needs to move past outdated sales tactics and toward thoughtful integration of insurance into portfolio construction and holistic planning. “Permanent life insurance or cash value life insurance is frequently viewed as something that is expensive, rigid, and doesn't perform,” Friedman says. “Now some of those things are true—but over time the commissions and fees are actually less than if you paid an advisor to manage your money.”