On The Books

Intuit Connect is almost here (Oct. 26-28 in Las Vegas), and hosts Amanda Thompson and Jessica walk through how to get the most out of the week. They cover the new Intuit Presents roadmap sessions, the expanded booth and theater experience, the return of Brain Dates, and the main stage lineup. They also share a few Vegas food tips. Not making the trip? Tune in as Amanda and Jessica let you know ho...

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Kim Blascoe, Lead of Client Advisory Services (CAS) and Advisory Professional Services at CPA.com. Together, they explore the power of curiosity in accounting and how asking better, open-ended questions can elevate technical accountants into trusted advisors. Kim shares her practical, three-stage question framework, offers tips for c...

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Matthew May, known online as the tech CPA and now head of the client advisory services (CAS) at Sorren to talk about his firm’s year-long journey to move entrenched QuickBook Desktop Clients to QuickBooks Online. Matthew shares the real story behind scaling a firm through rapid M&A, hunting down QuickBooks Desktop files scattered...

Chris Ortega has spent more than 20 years in accounting, finance, FP&A, and CFO leadership, including guiding a $150 million, 2,700 person company through an acquisition by SAP. Five years ago he founded Fresh FP&A, a fractional CFO and advisory firm for small and mid sized businesses. In this conversation with Jessica, Chris breaks down why the CFO role has shifted from scorekeeper to str...

Tailor Hartman, Founder and CEO of Celerity Accounting flips the script this episode, stepping into the host chair to interview Intuit's Simon Williams and Jessica McCracken about where the accounting profession is headed and how Intuit is responding to industry needs. The conversation covers the shift from compliance to advisory work, the pain points accountants are feeling around trust, overdigi...

QuickBooks Online Accountant is sunsetting, and Intuit Accountant Suite is the new home for managing your firm and clients. In this episode, Janelle Fox and Ryall Fox from Intuit's Professional Services team join Jessica to bust the biggest myths about the switch: there's no data migration, no major project plan, and no client-facing disruption. They cover what's actually changing under the hood,...

Most firms think their story is a tagline on the website. Elliott Bastien Morin thinks the story is already there, buried, waiting to be excavated. In this episode, Jessica McCracken flips the mic on a longtime friend of the show (Elliott has been part of the production team since On the Books launched almost two years ago) to talk about the craft of firm storytelling. Elliott walks through his Na...

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Jamelan Brown from the Quickbooks Data Communications team to dive into the key findings of Intuit's 2026 Accountant Technology Survey Report. Drawing on insights from over 700 accounting practitioners, the conversation explores the shifting relationship between accountants and technology, highlighted by the growing trend of tech sta...

In this episode of On the Books, we share an exclusive Q&A session from the latest quarterly Intuit Connect On virtual event. Intuit leaders Ashley Still (General Manager of the Small Business and Mid-Market Group) and Travis Walter (Chief Sales Officer) sit down to answer top questions submitted by the accounting community. They dive into recent product shifts, pricing updates, the future of...

Live from the Intuit Better Together Tour stop in Los Angeles, host Jessica McCracken sits down with Brittany Brown, accounting firm owner, professor, and e-commerce accounting expert. After weathering a sudden financial squeeze where a lack of visibility almost led to a cash crisis, Brittany institutionalized a radical, top-down metric tracking culture. She walks us through the highlights of her...

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken sits down with Jaclyn Anku, Principle Program Manager of the ProAdviser Program at Intuit, to discuss a massive transition coming to the program. Starting in early 2027, Intuit will sunset the 30-year-old ProAdviser program to make way for Intuit ProPartner Accountants, a revamped global partner program designed to serve firms of all sizes. J...

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Ryan Handel, the founder and CEO of FIXE, an accounting firm specifically engineered to serve the unique needs of the restaurant industry. Ryan shares his personal journey from opening his first restaurant in 2010 to realizing that traditional, high-priced bookkeeping models just didn't work for small-to-midsize food and beverage est...

In episode 21, Chris Willams, CEO of System Six summarized the key focus areas of any merger or acquisition as “get the keys to the technology and focus on the people.” Practically, what is entailed in‌ getting the keys to the technology? Erin Hutton and Janelle Fox have lived this experience. Both were accounting firm leaders at a large top 40-firm and now work at Intuit helping firms navigate te...

In this episode of On the Books, hosts Jessica McCracken and Tom Menzies sit down with Simon Worsfold, head of data communications at Intuit QuickBooks, to break down the findings of the 2026 Intuit AI Impact Report. This comprehensive study, which analyzes real business data from over 5.3 million small and medium-sized businesses and survey responses from over 34,000 businesses across the US, UK,...

Let’s talk to the man that metaphorically decides to move your cheese. Why do buttons move in QuickBooks? Who decides when, how, and why Intuit changes how the software works? This episode focuses on the vital role of design in the QuickBooks and how it shapes the way accountants and small businesses interact with technology. We are joined by Alastair Simpson, Vice President of Design for the Quic...

If you are experiencing mental health challenges, please consult local resources for assistance. This episode is intended to offer encouragement, but is not intended to provide medical advice. See below for resources to help you in your mental health journey. This episode is part two of our discussion on mental health and burnout in the accounting industry. Part 1 with Randy Crabtree is available...

If you are experiencing mental health challenges, please consult local resources for assistance. This episode is intended to offer encouragement but is not intended to provide medical advice. See full show notes for resources to help you in your mental health journey. In this episode, hosts Ted Callahan and Jessica McCracken dive into a critical conversation on mental health, burnout, and the evol...

Technology is constantly evolving, but people don’t change. In this special crossover episode of On the Books and Intuit Connect On, hosts Ted Callahan and Jessica McCracken sit down with Dave Olsen, founder of Nimbl. Dave shares his journey from working at one of the Big Four accounting firms to becoming a fractional CFO, and eventually founding Nimbl. He dives deep into the philosophy of "wide e...

In this episode of On the Books, we talk about one of the hottest topics in the accounting industry: the talent and skills shortage. Joining us are Katie Rosenberg and Lynn Letukas from the Intuit for Education team to talk about Intuit’s bold mission to upskill the next generation, the impact of AI on early-career roles, and how modern accounting is currently one of the most tech-forward professi...

"I believe we live in a world of confidence... AI will eliminate almost all the drudgery and manual work over time, but it will not change the importance of human interaction." — Sasan Goodarzi In this landmark episode, hosts Ted Callahan and Jessica McCracken are joined by Sasan Goodarzi, the Chairman and CEO of Intuit. Sasan shares his unique leadership philosophy, the future of the "human-to-AI...

In this episode of On the Books, hosts Ted Callahan and Jessica McCracken head north to explore the global accounting landscape, starting with the Canadian market. They are joined by Mike Libbey, Partner and COO at YBL (formerly Your Bottom Line) and co-founder of Edgeflow. Mike shares his journey of scaling a 26-year-old family-run firm in Oshawa to a team of 33, while navigating the rapid techno...

In this episode, hosts Ted Callahan and Jessica McCracken reflect on the transformative year of 2025 and look ahead to the future of the accounting profession. The episode features panel discussion from Intuit Connect, featuring industry leaders Dixie McCurley, Kim Blascoe, Greg Landers, and Liz Mason. The conversation moves beyond the buzzword of "advisory" to define the "augmented advisor"—a pro...

In this final episode of 2025, hosts Ted Callahan and Jessica McCracken are joined by two exceptional guests to reflect on the year in accounting and look ahead to 2026: Becky Munson, a Partner in the Advisory Group at EisnerAmper, and Michael Hitchcock, Vice President of Product for Accounting and Accountants at Intuit. The four talk about the notable AI perception shift within the accounting com...

The Working Families Tax Cut, signed into law earlier this year, introduces several compliance changes that will impact payroll and tax filing for the 2025 tax year. This episode features Tanner Arnold, Staff Program Manager on the Intuit Payroll team, who dives into the specifics. Learn about the provisions for "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime," understanding the critical distinction betw...

This episode of the "On the Books" podcast celebrates its one-year anniversary and dives into the exciting launch of the Intuit Accountant Suite. Directors Karla Uribe and Jaclyn Anku join us to discuss the new firm-level product, which aims to be a single destination for all of your firm's work. Karla details how the suite was co-built with accountant feedback and introduces powerful features lik...