Accountants Daily Podcast Network

According to recent data, banking and finance professionals are publicly perceived to be the least ethical professional service in the country. In this special episode of Accountants Daily Insider brought to you by the Governance Institute of Australia, host Sarah Kendell is joined by the general manager of policy and advocacy at the Governance Institute of Australia, Catherine Maxwell, PKF's principal, Kym Reilly, and Mathew Ronald, director of people and advisory services at EY. The panel break down the key findings of the Governance Institute's Ethics Index for 2019 pertaining to banking and finance professionals, suggest reasons for public distrust in the financial services sector, and provide advice for accountants to improve their ethical perceptions.

With the ATO now visiting about 10,000 Australian companies every year, should business owners have anything to fear? ATO assistant commissioner Peter Holt speaks straight from the source. Mr Holt joins host Adam Zuchetti in this episode of Accountants Daily Insider to share insights from the business visits program, dispel misconceptions around what employers can expect, and discuss the current trends in business compliance. Tune in as Mr Holt reveals why the ATO is making such a big deal about the black economy, what inspectors have discovered by visiting Aussie businesses, and what the Tax Office really thinks about discounts for cash payments.

According to Hot Toast founder and director Sarah Lawrance, CFO services are an essential offering of any forward-thinking firm. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, she joins host Sarah Kendell to discuss why accounting practices should incorporate CFO services, suggest ways of implementing them into an established firm, and detail how her company prices these capabilities.

Recent figures show that over 800,000 small businesses are currently on payment plans with the ATO to help them to pay off their tax debt in instalments. On this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Sarah Kendell is joined by My Business editor Adam Zuchetti to delve into the reasons why this statistic is so high, whether pervasive fears of the ATO from small businesses are justified, and how accountants and regulators can help support SME cash flow to create better outcomes.

On this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Sarah Kendell and Gary Weisz, director of strategic accounts and alliances for accountants at Sage, discuss how the implementation of customisable software can assist firms in bettering relationships with new and existing clients and improve efficiency, communication and collaboration. Mr Weisz also recommends ways that accounting firms can overcome resistance to technology, stemming both from clients and from within their businesses.

With the introduction of digital requirements such as Single Touch Payroll, accounting practices are being encouraged to embrace the paperless movement. However, not all firms are enthusiastic about the inevitable switch to digital. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, the strategic partnerships manager of Receipt Bank, Christopher McColm, shares his insights with host Sarah Kendell about how accounting firms can change their attitudes towards going paperless, talks about the importance of empathy for historical businesses that have already been through abundant change, and addresses the widespread misconception that accountants might lose revenue due to technology replacing so many aspects of their role.

CPA head of public practice Keddie Waller joins us on this week's episode of Accountants Daily Insider, speaking with host Sarah Kendell on the rising costs and regulatory burden for accountants providing holistic advice. Ms Kendell talks about the complex regulatory regime that currently exists, why the accountants' exemption is not the answer, and some recommendations to ease the burden on accountants.

BDO partner Ben Renshaw joins host Sarah Kendell on this episode of Accountants Daily Insider to discuss the resurrection of the SG amnesty bill. Mr Renshaw details key dates to take note of, explains why even businesses with the best intentions might make mistakes, and explores how the introduction of single touch payroll will give the ATO greater visibility over non-compliance than ever before.

On this week's episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman Karen Payne joins host Sarah Kendell to talk all things about her agency and unpack the IGT's corporate plan for the next four years. Ms Payne explains how her office can assist tax practitioners and clients with various issues, shares what compliant trends she is noticing at the moment, and explores some possible reviews in the pipeline.

On this week's episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser Sarah Kendall to discuss the current issues and challenges the SMSF space is faced with. Sarah and Katarina discuss the ATO's decision to look into diversification for SMSF's, the discussion around physical signatures versus electronic for documentation and the importance of broader estate planning.

On this special episode of Accountants Daily insider, R U OK? non-executive director Graeme Cowan explains what it means to identify, trust and act on the signs and symptoms of ill-health in the workplace - not just today, but every day.

This week's episode of Accountants Daily Insider sees host Katarina Taurian joined by Scottish Pacific chief executive Peter Langham, and Cohen & Krass director Tony Cohen to discuss why the new Business Funding Guide is useful for the accounting profession. Mr Langham explains why the Business Funding Guide was developed in conjunction with the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) and why it is such an important tool amid the credit crunch. Mr Cohen also talks on why the guide is so useful for his graduates and why the accounting education landscape has to change to accommodate the changing needs of small business clients.

On this week's episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by the honourable Bruce Billson, former minster for small business, to talk all things financing in the SME space. Bruce discusses the critical issues facing SMEs when trying to obtain funding, what life is really like for SMEs on a daily basis, and what needs to happen at a government level for changes to kick in. He also shares why some Australians are turning back to traditional forms of lending.

In this episode- brought to you by Accountants Daily sister title, Smart Property Investment Chief Economist from AMP Capital, Dr Shane Oliver joins host James Mitchell to discuss the recent rate cuts and the Australian share market. Dr Oliver discusses the current economic situation in Australia, the rate cutting cycle and the impact on the housing market. He also shares what impact the rate cuts will have on the share market and his main predictions for the Sydney and Melbourne markets.

CEO of Licensing for accountants Kath Bowler joins host Katarina Taurian on this week's episode of Accountants Daily insider to discuss all things FASEA and what it means for the financial advice space. Kath shares what steps accountants need to take to ensure they are able to continue to provide financial advice, reactions from industry professionals around the changes and her top 5 tips for nailing the implementation of the changes.

This week on Accountants Daily insider Katarina Taurian is joined by Matthew Pisarski from Intuit QuickBooks to discuss change management and why it is so important for firms to be able to adapt to new technologies. In the accounting world technologies are forever evolving Matthew shares key themes in change management the importance of having a plan in place and how he tackles people who aren't as receptive the new technologies as others. They also discuss what is in the pipeline for intuit and technology in the accounting space.

Self-proclaimed hype girl for accounting apps and thought leadership finalist at this year's Australian Accounting awards Heather Smith joins host Katarina Taurian on this week's episode of Accountants daily insider. Heather shares her definition of thought leadership, why she lives by the saying "my practice lives in my handbag" and change for the next generation coming through the ranks. The pair also discuss the image of the accounting profession, why it is no longer appealing to students and the quality and relevance of what is being taught in schools and tertiary environments.

Founder and director of Hot Toast Sarah Lawrence has had a varied career. A love of storytelling saw her involved in everything from documentary making to children's television, and only a few months ago, Sarah was on stage accepting an award for CFO of the year at the Australian Accounting Awards. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Sarah joins host Katarina Taurian to reflect on this journey, explain how a mentor made her fall in love with the financial sector and unpack the role of a CFO. She also discusses the birth of the "Hot Toast" brand, the type of clientele that she is working with and why not every potential client makes the cut.

Public practitioner of the year Teddy Kosasih partner at Pitt Martin, joins host Katarina Taurian on this week's episode of Accountants Daily Insider to talk about what made him take the public practice path. Teddy reflects on taking out the practitioner of the year award at the Australian accounting awards, his thoughts on what makes a good practitioner, how he hires for public practice, the skill sets he looks for to be able to tap into different markets, and how he started his own practice.

In this week's episode of The Accountants Daily Insider host, Katarina Taurian is joined by Amanda Gascoigne, to talk about how she shifted her career as an accountant to coach and mentor small and solo accounting practices. Amanda shares her accounting journey and how she has gotten to where she is today, she talks about being awarded a Fellowship of Charted Accountants ANZ in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the accounting profession and she shares her secrets on how she encourages accountants to see their potential.

Grant Quick, Senior Solutions Engineer at Intuit QuickBooks, joins host Katarina Taurian in this episode of the Accountants Daily Insider to talk all things Single Touch Payroll (STP) compliance, what it means after June 30 and what is on the horizon for FY20. Grant reveals the key dates around STP compliance, how business will be affected, and his thoughts on how STP will streamline processes. The pair also talk about what is next from a tech prospective and why businesses need to embrace changes to become more efficient.

Chris Balalovski partner, Business Services at BDO Australia, joins host Katarina Taurian in this episode of Accountants Daily Insider to discuss key dates for end of financial year and why accountants are moving away from bread and butter accounting work into advisory. Chris reveals why accountants need to be diversifying their practices to cope with changes, considerations for property investors and the weirdest requests clients have attempted to claim.

Jonathan Tefal, director and senior accountant from Senior Advisory, joins host Katarina Taurian in this episode of Accounts Daily Insider to reveal how they are tackling the evolution of technology within the accounting sector, and to reflect on recently taking out the award for Boutique Firm of the Year at the Australian Accounting Awards. Jonathan reveals how they endeavour to continually set their firm apart from the rest, what's next for Senior Advisory, and his thoughts on creating the perfect balance between technology and human touch.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, finalist in the Thought Leader of the Year category at the recent Australian Accounting Awards, Edward Chan, joins host Katarina Taurian to discuss his career in accounting and reveal how he ended up running an accounting firm "almost by accident". Edward will discuss how setting up an accounting firm in a time when computers were just making their way into the industry differs from setting one up in the current technology climate, share his thoughts on what makes a strong leader, and how he is giving back to the sector through means of mentoring and coaching.

With the 1 July Single Touch Payroll deadline looming, Lielette Calleja, director at All That Counts, joins host Katarina Taurian in this episode of Accountants Daily Insider to reveal what she wished she had known when starting the planning process with her clients, and to discuss the exceptions for microbusiness. Lielette will reveal how she has approached an internal audit to best prepare herself for the changes, why she thinks it will be a learning curve for all involved parties, and will share a word of advice for those yet to start the process.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by a colleague and editor of both Momentum Media's suite of wealth titles James Mitchell to discuss their thoughts on the federal election campaign and outcome. James will reveal the sentiment on the ground within the financial advice community, why he believes the campaign did not convey clear messaging. He will also address how unexplained reform may have impacted the election outcome.

In this special episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by a colleague and editor of both Mortgage Business and The Adviser publications to reflect on the result of the federal election, with Scott Morrison holding his position as Prime Minister. They will reveal how outcomes of polls across their platforms for mortgage brokers and accountants always showed a clear swing in favour of the Liberal Party, begging the question: are accountants and small businesses a better barometer than traditional polling?

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by STP program lead at the Australian Taxation Office, John Shepherd, and director and founder of All That Counts, Lielette Callleja, to discuss the small business uptake of STP in light of the forthcoming July 1 deadline. Busting common STP myths surrounding business portals and myGov accounts, they unpack the employee benefits and capabilities that the myGov platform offers and discuss the opportunities that STP provides small business. Finally they address the special provisions for those without the supporting infrastructure to implement STP, and discuss the ATO app, which is now complete with voice activation.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, journalist for both Lawyers Weekly and Wellness Daily Jerome Doraisamy joins host Katarina Taurian to discuss how professional service firms' failure to accurately measure levels of staff productivity is impacting both their bottom lines and the efficiency of their staff. Jerome will reveal why this issue is often unaddressed, taking into account community stigma surrounding mental health and wellness, why measuring the issue is the first step in managing it, and how companies can take that first step to create an environment where staff feel empowered to take individual responsibility for themselves and their work output.

Accountants have a seat in the boardrooms of Australia's most powerful companies, and they're a huge chunk of, and a trusted adviser to, the SME community. As a profession, accountants are among the most influential in the country. At a time when accountants and tax are an election issue, it's more important than ever to have your voice heard. Both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader are locking horns over the deductibility of tax agent's fees. Without both sides of government correctly understanding the nature of what accountants do, detrimental policy could get over the line. How do you have your say? Sequel CFO founder and managing director David Boyar - a thought leader finalist in this year's Australian Accounting Awards - and editor of Accountants Daily Katarina Taurian talk through how you can influence the future of your profession.

It has been almost a year since the notifiable data breaches legislation came into effect, and in this time the ATO has been working on introducing various new security measures, many of which will impact accountants. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by Jamie Beresford, CEO of Practice Protect, and Ron Lesh, managing director at BGL, to discuss the impact of these changes on individuals within the sector and also the role of the accounting firm in managing the passwords and security of their practices and staff. They will discuss a potential future shift away from password authentication, the different "levels" of passwords that people tend to use in different circumstances, and whether further education is needed in the field of cybersecurity.

Away from the hype of cash splashing and tax cuts, there were some proposals in this year's federal budgets which will be welcome news to accountants and their clients. Our head of editorial Katarina Taurian is joined by the Institute of Public Accountants' Tony Greco to run through the headline changes impacting tax practitioners, including how accountants "can be heroes at tax time" by taking note of some key income tax changes.

Accountants and small businesses in their droves are finding it tougher than usual to secure finance for the personal and business activities. In this sponsored podcast, Accountants Daily chats to Spotcap about their experience in the current market with finding new credit options, and their thoughts on what the short to mid-term outlook is for accountants and their clients. In particular, they talk through the experiences, wins and struggles of some of their new and existing clients, and what their plans for 2019.

After years of delays, the tax office has finally begun its rollout of new online services for tax and BAS agents. Assistant commissioner at the ATO, Andrew Watson, gives exclusive insight to Accountants Daily Insider about the current, planned and proposed features for the online services platform. Mr Watson also talks big picture - the ATO is charging towards a digital-only environment, which has a significantly knock-on impact to both tax and BAS agents and their end clients.

With the federal election drawing closer there are a number of proposed issues which could impact those within the accounting sector. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by Geoff Stein, partner at Brown Wright Stein Lawyers to unpack these potential changes and discuss some which have been recently announced. Geoff will take an in-depth look at the proposal to cap the deductibility of accountant fees and some of the issues that it will likely cause, and further discuss trust structures following the announcement surrounding trust income interest rates.

Having previously joined the Accountants Daily Insider podcast to discuss his studies, Michael Johnson now joins host Katarina Taurian having recently completed the chartered accountant program. Michael will discuss his drive to seek a designation and unpack his thoughts on how it can set an accountant apart in the crowded new graduate space. He will also talk about how he thinks the designation will help his career path, the parts of his education that were most beneficial as well as the gaps in his learnings that education providers should look into placing more focus on.

With the recommendations of the banking royal commission set to heavily impact the broking sector, many other industries are wondering how the changes will affect them. The accounting sector is one such area which will be sure to see an overflow effect. In this episode of the Accountants Daily Insider Podcast, Momentum Media director and founder of The Adviser – one of the leading publications for mortgage brokers in Australia – Alex Whitlock joins host Katarina Taurian to share his thoughts around the recommendations, why changes to the broking industry is worrying for accounting and whether the recommendations are likely to go ahead.

With the Institute of Public Accountants calling on the government to target its reforms to boosting productivity in the workforce, director of hammerjack, Nick Hastings joins host Katarina Taurian in this episode of Accountants Daily Insider to explore what productivity pain points accountants talk to him about, and how service providers are responding. Nick and Katarina will chat through the experiences of firms who choose to take on an outsourcing partner, including how unknowingly subscribing to cultural stereotypes has been a barrier to firms looking for scale.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, director and founder of All That Counts, Lielette Calleja joins host Katarina Taurian to share her thoughts on the different experiences that women face within the accounting and business sector. Lielette will discuss her time founding All That Counts, her position as director at AAT and her involvement in a new start-up this year, and address her expectations on consolidation between the bookkeeping and accounting sectors in the year ahead. In light of the tightened lending economy, Lielette will also talk about how she and her husband recently struggled to obtain finance, and her advice for sorting finance applications for clients in the current market.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, HLB Mann Judd partner Peter Bembrick joins host Katarina Taurian to unpack why, in the lead up to the election, a focus is being placed on foreign residency tax law. Peter will explain the benefits of being a non-resident for tax purposes, yet also reflect on the traps that people can fall into as a result. He will explain what can trigger a "red flag" and raise ATO scrutiny for your clients, and discuss your responsibility to those who may be "playing with fire". Peter will also reveal the areas where people tend to make mistakes and the implications that these mistakes can have for anyone who has an investment property in Australia or other non-property-based investments.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Trent McLaren, head of accounting and sales at Practice Ignition, will discuss his relocation to London following a year of growth within his organisation. Trent will share the reason behind his relocation and how it will impact his role going forward, while also revealing how it lead to the appointment of new members within his team. Trent will also discuss his thoughts on the Australian accounting sector and how it stands comparative to other markets around the world, and unpack his plans for Practice Ignition as a business that will look completely different two years from today.

In the final episode of Accountants Daily Insider for 2018, host Katarina Taurian is joined by Terry Braithwaite to reflect upon the top 5 themes which resonated with the Accountants Daily audience across 2018. They will discuss the huge growth and engagement of the brand, reveal how you can have your say on what they are covering, and give some insight into what can be expected from Accountants Daily heading into 2019.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Greg Hayes, the chairman of both Knowledge Shop and Hayes Knight joins host Katarina Taurian, to share his thoughts surrounding education within the accounting sector. Backed by more than 30 years of experience within the accounting industry, Greg will discuss how technology has impacted change for those new to the business, and share his expectations for new graduates within the sector. With pending education changes on the horizon for those offering financial advice, Greg will address why he sees this as an opportunity to better the industry and shares if he has seen an uptake for education by professionals as a result

The government's proposal to introduce a three-year audit cycle for some SMSFs has received extensive criticism from key professional bodies within the accounting industry, with many unable to see any benefit to the proposal and instead identifying potential for a growth in compliance breaches. On this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by executive general manager of technical services at ASF Audits, Shelley Banton, who will discuss her thoughts on the proposed changes, and the likelihood of the policy going ahead. They will discuss the issues that will arise as a result of the changes, how it could lead to privacy risks for SMSF clients, and if there is any evidence that the proposal will actually help the integrity of the accounting sector.

Relationships in the workplace have been under the spotlight in 2018, fuelled by the prevalence of the Me Too and Time's Up movements and even Malcolm Turnbull's infamous 'Bonk Ban'. On this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by colleague Jerome Doraisamy, journalist on both Lawyers Weekly and Wellness Daily to discuss why the issue has seen such scrutiny throughout the year and how these issues will likely look moving into 2019. They will discuss the difficult issue of workplace relationships and the rights of both the involved parties and the employer, how management can approach the subject with employees and when it would be appropriate to do so.

Earlier this year, Labor floated a plan to cut cash refunds for franking credits. The policy has been met with considerable backlash in the accounting community, and a federal government inquiry is now underway to investigate the real-world impact. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, host Katarina Taurian is joined by Member for Goldstein Tim Wilson who is leading this inquiry. Tim will share why he believes the policy will fail to deliver the desired outcome, the huge financial impact that it could have on retirees, and whether there are suggestions that this will lead to diversification of assets for many as a means of minimising the overall impact on their pocket. Tim will unpack how they plan to report on the inquiry, what will likely occur as a result of their findings, and how individuals can have their say on the proposal and get their thoughts and concerns heard.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Katarina is joined by the president of the IPA Damien Moore, who will discuss the journey of transitioning his accounting practice into a larger organisation as part of a merger. Damien will explain his reasoning behind the decision, the non- negotiable factors that he stood by throughout the process, and how he was able to make the transition as smooth as possible for his existing clients. Damien will also share how he first entered the accounting field, the implications that technology is having on the industry and share his thoughts surrounding the topic of mental health as a responsibility for those working within the sector.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Katarina is joined by the chief executive of the IPA Andrew Conway, fresh from his on-stage presentation surrounding client wellness in the accounting sector at the world congress of accountants. Andrew will unpack the findings of the research conducted by the IPA which looks at depression and anxiety in business owners and how accountants can have a positive impact on those struggling under pressure. He will discuss the work that they are completing internally to aid development of this issue within the industry, the important social role that accountants play, and what they are planning to do with these findings. If you are struggling to cope or thinking about suicide, support is available. You don't need to face your troubles alone. Lifeline's Crisis Supporters are available to listen and keep you safe on 13 11 14.

In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Katarina is joined by colleague James Mitchell, the editor of the wealth titles within Momentum Media and previously editor of their mortgages suite of titles, to discuss the impact that the royal commission has had on the financial sector. James will discuss the impact of the negative publicity on the banks, how he feels it will shape the future of the banking industry going forward and why those with a referral-based business plan are benefiting in the current market.

With a growing number of Australians investing in the property market beyond simply owning their principal place of residence, it is becoming more and more common for accountants to be advising clients on issues surrounding their portfolios. In this episode of Accountants Daily Insider, Katarina is joined by colleague Andy Scott, who has recently added a third property into his and his wife's investment portfolio, to share the moment he realised the importance of a strong relationship with his accountant. He also explains why, after hopping between multiple accountants for years, he now has no intention of looking elsewhere. Andy will share how his accountant went about forming a strategy that would work toward his desired outcomes, discuss how frequently he is in touch with his accountant and unpack the one thing that Andy wants from his accountant each time he is contacted by him.