CPA Trendlines Podcasts

“Leadership and culture define the future of accounting firms.” Accounting ARC With Donny Shimamoto. Center for Accounting Transformation When Angie Grissom first stepped into a Nashville-based consulting firm, she likely didn’t foresee owning and transforming it. Yet, over two decades later, she leads The Rainmaker Companies, a firm dedicated to empowering accounting professionals through leaders...

The next generation is purpose-driven, and the firms that lean into this will retain scarce talent.   The Disruptors With Liz Farr Jack Flaherty believes that one of the most important business skills is on the wane: the art of decision-making.  “We're all becoming ‘Yes’ people. We don't want to have an objective discussion, bringing out different ideas,” Flaherty says. The unfortunate result is t...

The Hall of Famer explains why understanding buyer behavior is the toughest—and most rewarding—part of the job. Capstone Conversations By Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines A trailblazer in the field, Sarah Dobek was recently inducted into the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) Hall of Fame, cementing her status as a Bruce W. Marcus Lifetime Fellowship Member. With over two decades of experi...

Quick Tax Tip With Art Werner CPE Today Every CPA, EA, and tax professional should attend at least one federal tax update program annually. It’s like stretching or warming up before intense exercise. Show notes here | More Art Werner A tax update serves two main purposes and demonstrates your value: prep for tax and expand client value.

In an era when traditional models fail, accountants should rethink relevance, client experience, and the power of language. Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Accounting visionary Ed Kless challenges the profession to move beyond the traditional billable hour and embrace a proactive, subscription-based model. In this episode of Accounting Influencers, Kless, known for his strong stance on aboli...

"Every client interaction is a marketing opportunity." Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Marketing has evolved from a client acquisition tool to a vital part of a firm's overall strategy. “When we first started marketing firms, it was all about bringing in the client and not worrying about anything else,” says August Aquila of Aquila Global Advisors and author of the new CPA...

Quick Tax Tip With Art Werner CPE Today We are anticipating changes to tax laws that could significantly impact clients, either positively or negatively, depending on the structure of their businesses. Full show notes here | More Art Werner One major consideration is the type of business entity the client operates. The options include sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations. Within co...

Accounting experts debate STEM designation and its implications for the accounting field.  Accounting ARC With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto. Center for Accounting Transformation As accounting evolves into a technology-driven profession, a question looms: Does accounting qualify as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field? On the latest episode of Accounting ARC, t...

"Good accountants focus on tasks, but great ones focus on outcomes."  Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown WealthAbility founder and veteran CPA Tom Wheelwright dives into the essential strategies for client-centric service and relationship-building in accounting. Hosted by Rob Brown, this episode explores how accountants can elevate their client relationships, optimize billing practices, and bri...

Moving beyond a "partner-driven" model is essential to scale operations and continue growth. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines While many skills contribute to effective leadership, Gary Shamis, president & CEO of Winding River Consulting, says executing strategic plans is the most critical.  Full episode notes and video here | More Gary Shamis on The Private Equity Hazar...

Accounting ARC With Donny Shimamoto. Center for Accounting Transformation As the accounting profession expands beyond its traditional boundaries, Rose Wang represents a new wave of CPAs who bring strategic thinking and entrepreneurial savvy to the table. With roles as a principal consultant at both IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC and Apaira Group LLC, Wang has carved a career path that spans accounti...

Accountants need to write their own stories. The Disruptors With Liz Farr Greg Adams believes that accountants' work opportunities have long been underappreciated and misunderstood. When accountants at parties are asked what they do, Adams explained that they always have to give the “but answer,” as in, "I’m an accountant, but I have a really cool job."   SHOW NOTES here | MORE PODCASTS and VIDEOS...

Capstone Conversations By Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Glen Carmichael, digital marketing coordinator at YHB CPAs and Consultant, is pushing the firm's newsletter to more than 55,000 recipients, growing educational webinars to 23, and garnering 64,000 blog readers annually. And she's just getting started, Show notes here | Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here . | Get her best-selling ha...

Private equity in accounting could boost firm value, but at what personal cost? Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown In a deep dive into private equity’s involvement in accounting, Gary Shamis, CEO of Winding River Consulting, describes how investment firms see value in the sector's steady cash flows and resilient recession history. “It’s not that accounting is recession-proof,” Shamis states, “b...

"Speed and being nimble are critical to being able to try new things and iterate quickly." Gear Up For Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Alan Whitman, CEO of ADW Advisory, formerly led Baker Tilly U.S. through a meteoric rise from $475 million to $1.5 billion in revenue. In this episode of Gear Up For Growth, he shares his wealth of experience and insights. Gear Up for Growth spotlights...

Social media users jumped on a Chase ATM “free money” scheme—but the consequences were severe. Accounting ARC With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto. Center for Accounting Transformation In the age of social media, financial misinformation can spread as rapidly as it’s created, and the Chase Bank ATM scam exemplifies this. MORE Accounting ARC: How Accounting Pros Own the Stage in Publi...

Your pricing isn’t aligned with the future, and neither is your business model. Plus: 18 more takeaways. The Disruptors  With Liz Farr  Jody Padar, The Radical CPA, has been pushing for big changes in accounting for years. Her latest book, Radical Pricing , is a blueprint for firm owners who want to fully transform their businesses to serve clients better, make employees happier, and be more profi...

"Marketing CPA firms in a sea of sameness is challenging, but when you niche down, the possibilities are limitless." By Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines In the latest episode of Capstone Conversations, Stacy Dreher, the Director of Practice Growth at James Moore & Company and the Association for Accounting Marketing’s (AAM) 2024 Marketer of the Year, dives into the world of accounting marketin...

Having a growth mindset, seeking feedback, and auditing one's skills are essential to continuous learning and development. Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Bailey Parnell, owner of Skills Camp, emphasizes the importance of soft skills in the workplace, particularly in high-pressure professions like accounting. She stresses that grit is just one element of resilience and that soft skills are o...

Quick Tax Tip  With Art Werner  CPE Today   As the end of 2024 draws closer, tax advisors and taxpayers should prepare for major changes that could significantly impact tax bills. Art Werner highlights an upcoming challenge: the scheduled expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which was signed into law in 2017 and brought significant tax breaks and lower tax rates. Show notes here | More...

From free speeches to paid engagements, thought leaders discuss breaking into the speaking circuit and what they’ve learned along the way. Accounting ARC With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto. Center for Accounting Transformation In this episode of Accounting ARC, Donny Shimamoto, Liz Mason, and Byron Patrick dive into the world of paid speaking engagements. They share their experienc...

Find your unique voice in the profession, and don’t be afraid to innovate.  Accounting ARC With Donny Shimamoto. Center for Accounting Transformation Greg Kyte defies every stereotype of the typical accountant. Kyte, a licensed CPA and in-house accountant for a company managing medical office buildings, is also a stand-up comedian.  In a recent interview on Accounting ARC, hosted by Donny Shimamot...

The future of accounting will be strategy, communication, analysis, and proactive support.   The Disruptors With Liz Farr Rebecca Driscoll went out on her own at a young age when a partner at the CPA firm where she was working encouraged her. “You're not cut out for this path that we have in a traditional accounting firm,” Driscoll recalls him telling her.  “You're different, so you should go be d...

Challenging the CPA mindset. Capstone Conversations  With Jean Caragher  Rea & Associates is transitioning from a traditional CPA-centric model to a broader advisory role, aiming to offer services such as IT consulting and wealth management. Becca Johns, director of practice growth, tells Jean Caragher in this episode of Capstone Conversations that the move demands major shifts in the firm’s i...

Prune your existing portfolio to create a revenue pipeline. Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Ed Warren, a veteran sales executive in the accounting industry, shares expert insights on growing accounting firms through client advisory services and leveraging technology to stay ahead of the competition in this episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast with host Rob Brown. Full Show Notes Her...