CPA Trendlines Podcasts

Social media users jumped on a Chase ATM “free money” scheme—but the consequences were severe. Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto.Center for Accounting TransformationIn 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 Public Speaking | Greg Kyte: Being a CPA Is Like Being the Marie Kondo of Numbers | Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer's Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Eduction | Bailey Lenart: From Ledger Sheets to Transformational Change | Election Tax Plans: What CPAs Need to Know | Leadership for the Future: Stakeholders, Sustainability, and Strategic Vision | In-Person Conferences Still Essential | Non-Accountants in Accounting: A Game-Changer for the Profession | Rubik Yeriazarian: Smaller Firms Offer Big Opportunities for Rapid Skill Development in Forensic Accounting | Accounting ARC | AI Will Steal Your Job. And That’s a Good Thing | Accounting ARC | The Right Kind of Lazy: Innovative Approaches to Streamlining Workflows | Accounting ARCA supposed “glitch” that allowed users to deposit checks and withdraw amounts above the federally set limit for immediate withdrawals became a viral trend on TikTok, leading many to commit fraud unknowingly. Hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA; analyze the scam’s implications and highlight the lack of financial literacy that may have facilitated its spread.

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 profitable. Padar maintains that combining pricing with standardization and productization drives firm profitability.  FULL show notes here | MORE Disruptors here  |  MORE PODCASTS and VIDEOS: Rebecca Driscoll: Amplify Reach By Helping Other Firm Owners | Rory Henry: Create the Return on Relationships | Mike Maksymiw: Be the Leader You Wish You Had | Terrell Turner: Build a Solid Business Showing Up as Yourself | This handbook isn’t just about “putting pricing on something,” Padar says. “That’s putting lipstick on a pig.” Many firms that have tried value pricing say it doesn’t work, but Padar says that’s because their business model isn’t aligned with their pricing. “If you leave the old school model and just put pricing on top of it, you're going to struggle,” she says. Radical Pricing walks readers through a process of standardizing and productizing services, defining the ideal customer, developing pricing, and even explaining how to bring legacy customers on board.  

"Marketing CPA firms in a sea of sameness is challenging, but when you niche down, the possibilities are limitless."By Jean CaragherFor CPA TrendlinesIn 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 marketing and offers applicable advice for CPA firms of all sizes.  Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here. | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | Catch Jean Caragher's other show, Gear Up for Growth, on Fridays here. | And browse all the shows in the CPA Trendlines broadcast network hereDreher’s journey in the field is nothing short of inspiring. Having joined James Moore & Company in 2014 as a marketing manager, she rose to Director of Practice Growth by 2020, a time that tested marketing professionals like never before. Her leadership has helped shape a dynamic six-member team, navigating challenges and opportunities in an ever-evolving industry.

Having a growth mindset, seeking feedback, and auditing one's skills are essential to continuous learning and development.Accounting Influencerswith Rob BrownBailey 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 often the skills that characterize our relationships with ourselves and others. Parnell also explains how the VUCA acronym—Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity—applies to the current workplace environment and how soft skills are crucial in navigating it.Full Show Notes Here | More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown hereParnell discusses the need for a growth mindset and being open to continuous learning and development. She stresses the importance of seeking feedback and auditing one's skills to identify areas that require action, especially with the increasing automation of some roles.

"Clients want value, and now, with these tools, you can give them more value."Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines“AI and ChatGPT-type tools can become your advisory services assistant,” says John Higgins, founder and CEO of Higgins Advisory. “It can help CPAs communicate better as an advisor and help identify the things CPAs should focus on for the type of client they're advising.” Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and effficient growth in today's competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth every Friday here.| More Capstone Conversations with Jean Caragher every Monday | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts hereHiggins was a guest on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, and powered by CPA Trendlines. Higgins shares specific examples of how ChatGPT can help CPAs become more efficient by providing quick research assistance, summarizing complex information for client presentations, and creating tools like Excel templates for common tasks. How does efficiency impact a firm’s pricing model? 

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 Art Werner here Like many tax laws, the TCJA was designed to "self-destruct," meaning its provisions will sunset at the close of 2025 unless Congress takes action.

From free speeches to paid engagements, thought leaders discuss breaking into the speaking circuit and what they’ve learned along the way.Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto.Center for Accounting TransformationIn this episode of Accounting ARC, Donny Shimamoto, Liz Mason, and Byron Patrick dive into the world of paid speaking engagements. They share their experiences, the evolution from free to paid gigs, and how speaking has become a key part of their careers. Learn about the challenges, the feedback, and how each seasoned speaker maintains authenticity on stage. For anyone looking to break into speaking, this episode offers invaluable insights on honing your craft, connecting with audiences, and transitioning to the paid model.MORE Accounting ARC: Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer's Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Education | Bailey Lenart: From Ledger Sheets to Transformational Change | Election Tax Plans: What CPAs Need to Know | Leadership for the Future: Stakeholders, Sustainability, and Strategic Vision | In-Person Conferences Still Essential | Non-Accountants in Accounting: A Game-Changer for the Profession

Find your unique voice in the profession, and don’t be afraid to innovate. Accounting ARCWith Donny Shimamoto.Center for Accounting TransformationGreg 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 Shimamoto, CPA, CITP, CGMA, Kyte discussed his unconventional journey and how he uses humor to engage audiences in the accounting field. MORE Accounting ARC: Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer's Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Education | Bailey Lenart: From Ledger Sheets to Transformational Change | Election Tax Plans: What CPAs Need to Know | Leadership for the Future: Stakeholders, Sustainability, and Strategic Vision | In-Person Conferences Still Essential | Non-Accountants in Accounting: A Game-Changer for the ProfessionBefore entering accounting, Kyte spent over a decade teaching middle school math. Reflecting on the shift, Kyte recalls, “After 10 years, I realized I wasn’t enjoying teaching anymore, and I knew it was time for a change.” Driven by his longstanding interest in numbers and the promise of stability, Kyte made the leap to accounting. “I had always loved math and organization, so accounting was a natural fit,” he adds. Kyte’s current role as an in-house CPA for a commercial real estate company involves a blend of accounting and property management, including overseeing financial operations, contract reviews, and even some maintenance oversight. "I get to make up my title to fit whatever circumstance I'm in," he says with a laugh. "If I want to flex on somebody, I'm the CFO. If I'd like to dodge responsibility, I'm an accounts payable clerk." 

The future of accounting will be strategy, communication, analysis, and proactive support. The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrRebecca 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 different.” She already had a book of business as a staff accountant, but on the traditional path at that firm, it would be another decade before she could be considered for partnership. At the end of 2023, faced with the challenges of parenting two kids under two and recognizing that leading a growing firm wasn’t her passion, she sold 80% of her firm and retained just a few clients. Driscoll reports that when she “canceled out the noise and busyness of all these clients and the employees, I would net out at the same take-home that I was already making.” Her husband has also joined her firm, taking over the bookkeeping side of the business.The name of her business, Conscious Accounting, came from a client who remarked that she was different from “regular accountants” because she was conscious and aware of her clients' issues and proactive about providing them with what they needed.14 MORE TAKEAWAYS: More Rebecca Driscoll Disruptor Notes MORE: Disruptors MORE CPA TRENDLINES PODCASTS and VIDEOS: Rory Henry: Create the Return on Relationships | Mike Mksymiw: Be the Leader You Wish You Had | Terrell Turner: Build a Solid Business Showing Up as Yourself | Kelly Mann: Be the Bull in the China Shop | Alicia Katz Pollock: Create a Human-Centric Business | Nancy McClelland: Be the One Your Clients Ask First | Alan Whitman: Stop Accepting the Status Quo | The Disruptors | Sean Duncan: Discover Your Own Genius | Ingrid Edstrom: True Wealth Is Not Financial | Chris Hervochon: Be the Leader You Want to Work For | Caleb Jenkins: Firm Growth Requires Owners to Shift Roles |Ira Rosenbloom: Don't Merge for the Money | Adam Lean: Get Out of the Accountant's Trap | Geraldine Carter: Charging More is Better for Your Clients SEE THEM ALL here.

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 internal mindset and culture, including redefining roles, retraining staff, and effectively communicating the new value proposition to clients.   Full show notes here | More Capstone Conversations here | Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here. | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | Catch Jean Caragher every Friday with Gear Up for Growth here |