Accounting Today Podcast

Too many accounting firms are relying on outdated or inappropriate data to measure their success, and Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting lays out a much more forward-looking set of data for them to work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

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.

AJ Johnson, Geoff Brown and Calvin Harris share their unique perspectives as African-Americans who lead three of the biggest state CPA societies (respectively, the New Jersey Society of CPAs, the Illinois CPA Society, and the New York State Society of CPAs) on the major challenges facing their members, the primacy of the pipeline problem as an issue, and the role diversity can play in alleviating it -- if the profession can find a way to diversify itself.

The entry of private equity into public accounting has raised a lot of hopes and expectations and concerns – not all of which can pan out. Bob Lewis of the Visionary Group examines the opportunities, what it will mean for your firm, and how it will play out in the future.

Stephen Vono and John Raspante of insurance provider McGowan Pro look at the new areas that are sparking claims against firms – and the tools they can use to protect themselves.

For accounting firms to scale, they need to build a stronger infrastructure of professional HR, marketing, IT and other support systems, says Rachel Anevski, the founder of Matters of Management.

Technology expert Randy Johnston, executive vice president at K2 Enterprises, shines a spotlight on what accounting tech can do for you now — and what it's going to do for you in the future.

It's not about answering their calls and doing what you promised you would: Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting explains why firms should elevate their clients experience.

Promoting a top performer doesn't always guarantee they'll stay -- in fact, it's often their ticket out. ADP chief economist Nela Richardson shares the surprising data, and how to navigate these transitions better.

Dominique Molina and Tom Gorczynski of the "Tax Crime Junkies" podcast share some of their favorite tax crimes and how they created their podcast.

There is going to be a big gap between accountants who use artificial intelligence and those who don't, says Randy Johnston, executive vice president at K2 Enterprises, who shares ideas for leveraging this transformative technology.

Marna Ricker, global vice chair of tax at EY, discusses the latest developments on the global minimum tax and digital service taxes at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and how they will affect the U.S.

Many firms find they're hitting a major hurdle when it comes to taking advisory services to the next level; Sarah Dobek of Inovautus Consulting shares why, and what to do about it.

With so much disruption being thrust upon them, you'd think the last thing accounting firms would want to do is to disrupt themselves — yet that may be exactly what they need to do, says Bob Lewis of The Visionary Group.

Small Business Administration loan expert Shannon Hay talks about the changes to the SBA's new SOP around lending, and what they mean for accounting firms and their clients.

Jen Cryder, CEO of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, shares the innovative ways the profession in her state is dealing with the pipeline problem.

Angela Appleby, a partner and lead auditor from Plante Moran who also sits on the AICPA Assurance Services Executive Committee, dives into the world of SOC reporting, and particularly the risks companies are facing there and the opportunities for accountants.

There's plenty of room for accountants to innovate in ways that don't involve IT, says metaconsultant Ed Kless, senior director of partner development and strategy at Sage, the host of the Sage Advice podcast, and co-host of "The Soul of Enterprise" radio show.

The accounting profession is going to have to move beyond the financial statement and the P&L to become holistic advisors, says Joe Woodard, a consultant and coach to accountants, founder of the Woodard Group, and the impresario behind Scaling New Heights.