CPA Trendlines Podcasts

Developing “power skills” like trust and coaching are critical.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA TrendlinesEmployee experience is no longer optional; it’s a strategic imperative, says Kassi Rushing, CEO and owner of Kassi Rushing Consulting. Appearing on Gear Up for Growth—hosted by Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, and powered by CPA Trendlines—Rushing shares practical insights for firms aiming to attract and retain top talent. 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 The episode highlights two critical shifts firms must embrace:  Employee experience drives business performance, and Leadership must evolve with generational expectations. 

Employee ownership gave the firm a growth path on its own terms.MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesIn this episode of MOVE Like This, Jeremy Vokt, managing partner at Bland & Associates, discusses the firm’s journey to becoming Nebraska’s first ESOP-owned CPA firm. Vokt shares how Bland evolved from a small 17-person firm in 2006 to a thriving 130-person business today, thanks in part to its unique blend of traditional CPA services and specialized government consulting work focused on Medicare and Medicaid compliance.  MORE MOVE Vokt walks through the fundamentals of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), explaining that it’s similar to a 401(k) but without employee contributions. Instead, employees are allocated shares annually based on their compensation, which grow in value over time through third-party valuations. This approach creates an ownership culture from day one for every employee – from the front desk to the managing partner – without the typical 15- to 20-year wait to buy into ownership. 

State boards, private equity, and outdated laws are forcing CPAs to downplay the very credential that defines them.Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationFor many CPAs, the three letters after their name are more than a credential—they’re a badge of honor. Yet, a new wave of regulatory challenges and firm structures is calling into question when, where, and even if CPAs are allowed to use the designation they worked so hard to earn. MORE Accounting ARC: 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 | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough | The Ultimate Business Hack You’re Probably Ignoring | Resilience, Real Talk, and the Road to Mental Wellness | Blockchain Could Still Reshape Accounting | What Gen Z Wants from Business | Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service In the latest episode of Accounting ARC, hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, dig into one of the most contentious issues facing the profession: restrictions on displaying the CPA license in alternative practice structures and across state lines.

Unreported income from prior years may trigger a Circular 230 compliance issue that forces you to end the relationship.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayIn the latest Quick Tax Tip from CPA Trendlines, tax guru Art Werner dives into a sticky — but all too familiar — scenario facing tax professionals: discovering a client’s unreported income years after the fact. Click here for more Art Werner Catch more Art Werner, Wednesday, Sept. 3, for Tax Rumors, Episode 3, with CPA Steve Yoss, and hosted by CPA Trendlines’ Rick Telberg. It begins innocently enough. A client brings in a Form 1099-K — perhaps for the first time — showing payments received through online sales platforms. The conversation reveals that this “new” activity isn’t new at all. The client has been running an internet-based side business for years, but never disclosed it to their preparer.“Now you have a Circular 230 problem,” Werner warns.

Equity pathways, training, and culture—not payouts—will determine which firms thrive in the P.E. era.Big 4 TransparencyBy Dominic Piscopo, CPAFor CPA TrendlinesIn an era when private equity’s arrival in public accounting has been met with suspicion, Nishaad Ruparel is reshaping the narrative. As president of Ascend, a $400+ million PE-backed platform that has quietly acquired or partnered with 17 accounting firms in just two years, Ruparel joins the Big 4 Transparency show to unpack what’s driving this wave and why it may be an interesting path forward for talent, succession, and innovation. Unlike the caricature of firms selling to PE “grabbing the bag,” Ruparel says the firm leaders choosing to join Ascend are doing it not for a quick payday, but for future growth and legacy.  MORE Dominic Piscopo MORE Private Equity MORE Pay & Compensation “These firms are looking at their clients and saying, ‘I’ve served this market for 50 years - how do I keep doing that in a way that’s synonymous with excellence?’” Ruparel explains. “Then they look at their people, at their deep bench, and ask how they can secure their future. And they realize: the cost of independence is rising fast.” 

A password shorter than 15 characters makes your encryption practically meaningless.Quick Tech TalkWith Steve YossCPE TodayMost professionals know that PDF files are one of the most reliable ways to share contracts, reports, and sensitive documents. But here’s a question: are your PDFs truly secure—or just locked with a flimsy password that a hacker could break in minutes? MORE Steve Yoss here | MORE TECH Did you know you can set not one but two passwords on a PDF? One encrypts the document, preventing unauthorized access, while another restricts editing or modification. Together, these measures give you control over who can read and who can alter your files.

From business owners to high-net-worth individuals, OBBB affects every income tier—and tax advisors are urged to act now.The Concierge CPAWith Jackie MeyerFor CPA TrendlinesIn the latest episode of The Concierge CPA, Jackie Meyer, a nationally recognized tax strategist, and Dave Lukas, CEO of TaxPlanIQ, walk through the most significant provisions of the new law. The hosts emphasize that while the changes add complexity, they also create what Meyer calls “a once-in-a-generation opportunity for accountants to step up as trusted advisors.”More Jackie MeyerOne of the biggest wins for business owners is the permanent return of 100% bonus depreciation. Companies can immediately expense the full cost of qualifying assets—including used property—placed in service after Jan. 19, 2025. “Timing matters more than ever,” Meyer stresses, urging CPAs to model scenarios carefully to avoid unintended consequences with Qualified Business Income (QBI) deductions.

Connect emotionally with top talent through real experiences.Sponsored by Small Office / Home Office Cyber Security Protection for Accountants. Learn more here Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA TrendlinesIn the latest episode of Gear Up for Growth, powered by CPA Trendlines, Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, speaks with Karen Waga, chief marketing officer of WilkinGuttenplan CPAs & Advisors, about the firm’s award-winning recruiting campaign, which resonated deeply with job seekers, employees, and peers across the profession.Waga says the campaign was built entirely on real employee experiences and candid storytelling, leveraging the firm’s flexible, people-first culture. The campaign offered a compelling and authentic view of life at WilkinGuttenplan from summer Fridays to paternity leave and personal caregiving.See full episode notes here551_GUFG Ep 38

In this episode of Student-led Conversations, accounting leaders and emerging pros share how staying open can change everything.Accounting ARCWith Arpan Grewal and Harshita MultaniCenter for Accounting TransformationIn an era where the definition of success is increasingly personal, a recent Student-led Conversations episode of the Accounting ARC podcast brought together two Gen Z hosts and two seasoned accounting leaders to unpack a deceptively simple question: What does “freedom to be” really mean? MORE Accounting ARC: 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 | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough | The Ultimate Business Hack You’re Probably Ignoring | Resilience, Real Talk, and the Road to Mental Wellness | Blockchain Could Still Reshape Accounting | What Gen Z Wants from Business | Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service For hosts Arpan Grewal and Harshita Multani, both interns with the Center for Accounting Transformation, this wasn’t about GPAs or résumés. Instead, they explored how independence, cultural influences, and resilience intersect in the personal and professional lives of accountants.Joining them were Kristine “Tina” Caratan, CPA, CGMA, a veteran consultant to California’s nonprofit sector with 51 years in the profession, and Calvin Harris Jr., CPA, CEO of the New York State Society of CPAs. The discussion spanned immigrant family expectations, systemic barriers, generational shifts, and even the unexpected role of TikTok in modern accounting outreach.

Progressive tax changes could reshape the charitable giving landscape.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayPrivate foundations may soon find themselves writing bigger checks to the IRS. In the latest Quick Tax Tip podcast, tax expert Art Werner explains a key provision of the OBBBA that increases the tax rate on net investment income for certain private foundations under section 4940(a). Click here for more Art Werner Catch more Art Werner, Wednesday, Sept. 3, for Tax Rumors, Episode 3, with CPA Steve Yoss, and hosted by CPA Trendlines’ Rick Telberg. “It’s a progressive tax now for the larger foundations,” Werner says, noting that while many foundations are set up for truly noble purposes—think the Red Cross or the Boy Scouts—the government is tightening the rules to ensure fairness and accountability.