CPA Trendlines Podcasts

Money Accounts for Growth Advancement offer tax-free growth and even a $1,000 government kickstart.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayCongress may have stumbled into a politically charged acronym, but the new “M.A.G.A. accounts” have nothing to do with campaign slogans. In a recent episode of Quick Tax Tip, tax guru Art Werner breaks down what the law actually created: Money Accounts for Growth Advancement. Click here for more Art Werner Sponsored by Poe Group Advisors: Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms. See Today’s Special Offer “These are tax-exempt trust accounts for U.S. citizens under the age of 18,” Werner explains. “For the right client, this could be really nice.”Listen in to learn how the accounts work. Poe Group Advisors consistently excels in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity.

Short-term thinking and rigid hierarchies stifle experimentation across the profession.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrK.C. Eames, Director of CAS at Dark Horse CPA, sees the traditional partnership model as a barrier to innovation and experimentation. First, the incentives are set up to guide people toward specific behaviors, which are “rewarding to those at the top of the pyramid. And once they’re there, their incentives are kind of to maintain the status quo.”   MORE STREAMING: 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 | Baker: Find True Purpose to End Burnout | Brolin: The W.I.N. Leadership Formula | Gertrudes: How EOS & “Unreasonable Hospitality” Reshaped GrowthLab | Vilms: The Power of People in a Tech-Driven World | Dickerson: From Diagnosis to Disruption | Kapilovich: Treat People Like People | Martha Yasso: From Wall Street to Main Street | Jackie Meyer: Tax Plans in 90 Seconds? Believe It | Erica Goode: Build a $200K Firm in 15hrs/Week | Randy Crabtree: Live at the Intersection of Passion & Skill Second, the consensus model for decision-making makes it challenging to implement change. “When you’re trying to make decisions based on consensus, based on people who are maybe trying not to rock the boat too much, because they might be retiring soon, there’s not a lot of chance that they’re going to vote for those really bold, risky ideas,” she says.  Other barriers to change in traditional firms include the expectation of long hours. “People can’t experiment if they’re overworked,” she says. Another barrier is the use of billable hour metrics, which she sees as “counterproductive to experimentation.” 

Technology, demographics, and ESG are colliding to reshape advisory, career paths, and firm leadership. MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesOn the latest MOVE Like This, host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk welcomes Dan Hood, editor-in-chief of Accounting Today, who has covered the profession since the late 1990s. From his vantage point, the defining theme isn’t a single issue, but the sheer volume of change: accelerating technology (especially AI), shifting demographics, new expectations for work, and the slow-building opportunity of ESG. He argues these forces are intertwined: tech is enabling the shift to advisory, advisory demands new skills and career paths, and those shifts collide with multigenerational teams navigating different priorities.  MORE MOVE The conversation quickly zeroes in on culture as a differentiator in the talent market. Firms that thrive don’t rely on “nice people” and pizza in busy season; they treat culture as intentional work. That looks like clearly articulating values, reinforcing them constantly, and translating them into practices employees actually feel, including thoughtful benefits and flexibility, yes, but also visible sponsorship, personal investment in careers, and rituals that signal “this matters here.” Culture, Dan notes, should permeate every process, from how meetings are run to how milestones are celebrated. 

Firms scale back initiatives even as governing bodies warn diversity is key to the profession’s future.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownThe accounting profession is facing a turning point as major firms scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, raising concerns about how the shift could affect talent recruitment, retention, and competitiveness.KPMG recently discontinued its “Accelerate 2025” program, which aimed to expand leadership diversity. Deloitte pulled back last year, joining other global corporations—including Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Google—that have pared down similar efforts. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown The shifts come as political and legal pressures mount. States such as Florida and Texas have rolled back DEI policies in higher education, and a Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action has sent ripples across corporate America. Firms that once championed DEI are now weighing compliance risks and financial implications against potential reputational and workforce consequences.Experts suggest firms take several steps to navigate this uncertain terrain.

Keep employees engaged and connected with transparency and beauty.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines“In many organizations, there’s a great gulf in between employees doing the work, with no idea of the conversations happening with clients or recruits,” says Debra Helwig, Internal Communications and Events Director at Pinion, during her appearance on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “Internal communication can help bridge that gap and make sure the story makes sense to everyone, and that it’s consistent.” 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 Helwig shares two critical takeaways for CPA firm leaders.  

Combine technical knowledge with behavioral insights to create holistic client solutions.Accounting ARCWith Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationAccountants have long been known as trusted advisors, but a growing movement is redefining what that means. In a recent episode of Accounting ARC, host Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, sat down with Rory Henry, CFP®, BFA™, to discuss how nontraditional accountants are transforming wealth management by embracing a holistic, human-first approach.  MORE Accounting ARC: 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 | What Happens in Vegas… Gets Reported on a Tax Return Henry is a director at Arrowroot Family Office, co-founder of AFO Wealth Management Forward, and author of Holistic Guide to Wealth Management: The Science Behind Integrating Services with The Human Side of Behavioral Financial Advice. His mission is to integrate tax and accounting expertise with behavioral finance and values-based planning to help clients achieve not only financial goals but also personal fulfillment.

Structured operations freed partners to focus on clients and doubled revenue in six years.It's Not Just the NumbersWith Penny Breslin and Damien GreatheadFor CPA TrendlinesRunning a modern accounting firm requires more than technical expertise. Partners must balance client relationships, business development, and administrative responsibilities, often leaving firms stretched thin.In a recent episode of It’s Not Just the Numbers, Doug Gocke, chief operations officer at a mid-sized California firm, describes how restructuring responsibilities and focusing on operations helped his firm double revenue in six years without significantly increasing staff or client count. MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead   MORE Advisory & Consulting   BUY "It's Not Just the Numbers" Gocke, who refers to his role as “chief of all trades,” said growth came from building teams before taking on new clients, creating clear accountability, and relentlessly reviewing procedures.

Client conflict became a catalyst for clearer boundaries, better processes, and a more scalable virtual practice.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrWhen Nayo Carter-Gray, founder of 1st Step Accounting, received a one-star Google review from a challenging client, she realized the crucial value of the boundaries she had established for clients. An email issue on the client’s end made the client think the firm was ignoring him when the reality was that he simply wasn’t receiving the firm’s correspondence.   MORE STREAMING: Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel | Woodard: Move Past Reports; Deliver Results | Baker: Find True Purpose to End Burnout | Brolin: The W.I.N. Leadership Formula | Gertrudes: How EOS & “Unreasonable Hospitality” Reshaped GrowthLab | Vilms: The Power of People in a Tech-Driven World A happy ending came when the client took that one-star review down after Carter-Gray laid out “a timeline of events of how he didn't follow the process from start to finish,” she recalls. “It just led to us realizing that we put these boundaries in place for a reason, and now I’m looking at the entire process that we have to make sure that our existing clients know these boundaries and why they’re important.” Carter-Gray’s firm uses a framework of three core elements to establish boundaries with clients.

Meet at the intersection of people, process, and purpose.By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™For CPA TrendlinesWhen firms talk about growth, they usually point to increases in revenue, staffing, or service lines. But as coaches Will Hill and John Fenton remind me in our recent panel, the true drivers of sustainable growth are people, process, and purpose. Without those foundations, they say, even the best new initiatives will stall.  MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management Hill, founder of Will Hill Consults, describes his work as sitting at the intersection of people and process. Fenton, CEO of John J. Fenton Executive Coaching and a former BDO managing partner, focuses on leadership and culture, and sits at the intersection of people and purpose. Together, the panelists offer practical guidance for firm leaders looking to improve their organization’s culture, to manage change, and to avoid staff burnout. 

AZ opens the door to multidisciplinary firms, and Big Four competitors are watching closely.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownAccounting and law have long existed in parallel, separated by strict professional boundaries. That wall may be crumbling. KPMG is moving to become the first Big Four accounting firm in the United States to own a law firm, a step that could reshape the profession. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown The opening occurred in Arizona, which recently amended its rules to permit non-lawyers to own law firms under alternative business structures (ABS). KPMG seized the opportunity, announcing plans to launch KPMG Law US. The firm will not enter courtroom litigation but instead focus on contract management, legal project support, and M&A contract harmonization.Globally, KPMG already operates legal services in 80 countries. With the United States representing the world’s largest legal market, the Arizona initiative is widely seen as a beachhead for national expansion. Partnerships with local firms and co-counsel agreements are expected to follow.