CPA Trendlines Podcasts

PE-backed firms are luring top performers with faster promotions, equity stakes, and career paths that traditional firms rarely offer.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownPrivate equity’s influence on the accounting profession is shaking up more than firm valuations — it is rewriting the rules for attracting and retaining talent. A staggering 70% of top performers at traditional firms say they would move to a PE-backed competitor right now if given the chance, according to new industry insights. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown And it’s not just about bigger paychecks. Private equity firms have zeroed in on what motivates high performers — opportunity, impact, and accelerated growth — and are building career models to match.

In CAS, winning the client is just the first step—success depends on what happens next.It's Not Just the NumbersWith Penny Breslin and Damien GreatheadFor CPA TrendlinesFor many accounting firm owners, winning a new client is a victory. But according to It’s Not Just the Numbers podcast hosts Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead, that’s only the beginning. The real success lies in what happens next: the onboarding process. MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead MORE Advisory & Consulting BUY "It's Not Just the Numbers" “Too many firms have no clue what actually happens when a client walks in the door,” says Breslin. “They’ve sold the service, but they haven’t defined the first experience their client will have—or the role their team will play in delivering it.”

The immersive experience transforms recruiting from a guessing game into a hands-on, culture-rich audition.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA Trendlines In the latest episode of Gear Up for Growth, powered by CPA Trendlines, Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, spoke with co-creators of JLK Rosenberger LLP’s innovative student recruitment program, Audit 500, which combines real-world experience with relationship-building to deliver extraordinary results – and some unexpected emotional impact.  Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today's competitive landscape. 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 Gear Up for Growth More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here Originally created to address a gap between academic theory and audit practice, the Audit 500 is a fast-paced, three-day simulation that gives accounting students a hands-on experience of what it’s like to be an auditor. From testing cash and fixed assets to engaging with a mock CFO, participants work side-by-side with the firm’s staff, simulating the dynamics of a true engagement team. “We get to evaluate students in a much more meaningful way than a traditional interview ever could,” said Ani Zadorian, partner at JLK Rosenberger and co-creator of the program. “At the same time, they get to see our culture and decide if they see themselves growing here."

Building a firm should provide time, money, and freedom. The Concierge CPAWith Jackie MeyerFor CPA TrendlinesIn this conversation, Dr. Jackie Meyer, CPA and Reza Hooda, Coach & Mentor to Accountants with The Profitable Accountants Community, discuss the transformative journey of Hooda from a traditional accounting background to modernizing his practice through value pricing and effective client engagement strategies. More Jackie MeyerThey explore the importance of pricing psychology, positioning, and the four pillars of success in building a thriving accounting firm. Reza shares his insights on the challenges faced by accountants and the necessity of niching down to attract the right clients. The discussion also touches on the impact of mentorship and continuous learning in achieving business growth and personal freedom. 

Experts outline the flexible framework that works for a three‑person shop or a 30,000‑employee enterprise.Innovation InsightsWith Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationArtificial intelligence is advancing too quickly for organizations to adopt a “wait-and-see” approach, according to experts on the latest episode of Innovation Insights.Host Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, speaks with Jason Pikoos and David Wood, co-authors of the new Generative AI Governance Framework, about how companies can responsibly integrate AI into their operations.MORE Donny Shimamoto“Governance isn’t optional,” says Pikoos, former managing partner of client experience for Connor Group. “It’s good hygiene for any organization—whether you’re a three-person shop or a multinational.”The framework outlines 69 control considerations in areas such as bias risk, human oversight, and process integration. It is not a checklist to be blindly completed, the authors stress, but a flexible guide that organizations can tailor to their needs.

New 1099-K reporting rules mean your eBay, Etsy, or other online sales could land on the IRS’s radar—even if you’re just cleaning out your garage.Quick Tax TipWith Art WernerCPE TodayIf you’ve been selling old collectibles, furniture, or other personal items on eBay, you might think of it as a quick way to make cash, not something that belongs on your tax return. But according to tax guru Art Werner, new reporting thresholds for 1099-K forms are changing that, and the IRS could already have your sales data in hand.Click here for more Art Werner“In the past, the threshold for receiving a 1099-K from a payment processor or credit card company was $20,000,” Werner explains in the latest episode of Quick Tax Tip. “If you didn’t hit that threshold, you wouldn’t get the form, and frankly, no one was looking.”That’s no longer the case.

Prioritize belonging over optics.MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesIn this episode of MOVE Like This, Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk speaks with Dr. Claire Costin, CPA (University of Portland), and Dr. Stephani Mason, CPA (DePaul University), two professors who are shaping the future of accounting education and research through their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Their insights reveal how today’s students are rethinking what it means to belong in the profession, and what employers must do to keep up.  MORE MOVE Dr. Costin and Dr. Mason each bring rich, real-world experience to their roles as accounting educators. Dr. Costin's background in nonprofit auditing informs her work at the University of Portland, where she teaches everything from auditing to ethics. Dr. Mason began her career in a Big Four firm and spent many years in financial services before transitioning to academia at DePaul University. While their career paths differ, both have shifted their research to focus on inequity, bias, and intersectionality in the accounting profession. One theme that emerged clearly in their conversation was that today’s students care deeply about inclusion, authenticity, and choosing employers who align with their values. 

“CAS gets stronger as tech gets better. The market’s expanding, not shrinking.” Big 4 TransparencyBy Dominic Piscopo, CPAFor CPA TrendlinesIn this episode of Big 4 Transparency, Matthew May, former co-founder of Acuity and now CAS Leader at Sorren, pulls back the curtain on one of the most significant private equity-driven rollups in the accounting profession. Speaking with host Dominic Piscopo, May details how Acuity, alongside other firms, became part of a growing national platform backed by DFW Capital, and why he believes Client Accounting Services (CAS) will soon eclipse audit.  MORE Dominic Piscopo MORE Pay & Compensation MORE CAS The seeds of the Sorren platform were planted in a BDO Alliance roundtable where six firms fantasized about joining forces. That vision crystallized when DFW Capital, with a thesis to invest $100M in the space, entered the picture. From there, May and his partners at Acuity ran a rigorous process, engaging investment bankers to evaluate 250 potential paths, leading to 11 indications of interest (IOIs), seven in-person meetings, and five formal offers. The decision to join Sorren wasn’t about cashing out - it was about autonomy, cultural fit, and the chance to help shape a future-focused firm from the ground up. 

A proactive framework that includes these four steps can help keep your organization safe.Quick Tech TalkWith Steve YossCPE TodayWhether your organization operates out of a small-town office or a global headquarters, cybersecurity threats are a daily reality. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, malware, ransomware, and even simple human error can have devastating consequences. One misdirected email or compromised executive account can trigger financial penalties, regulatory action, and long-term reputational harm. MORE Steve Yoss here | MORE TECH In this episode of Quick Tech Talks, Steve Yoss warns that these risks are not reserved for large corporations. “We all face a wide variety of concerns,” he explains, “and they’re avoidable if we actively take a stronger interest in security procedures.”Yoss draws a powerful connection between cybersecurity protocols and traditional internal control frameworks. In his view, “they are two sides of the same coin.” Strong cybersecurity controls not only protect sensitive data but also reinforce the operational integrity of the entire organization.

Listening, translating, and meeting clients where they are is just as important as adopting the latest tech.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrMichelle Vilms has a perspective that most small business accountants don’t have: she had a front-row seat to the explosive growth of Staples as it grew from 100 stores to a $15 billion corporation. Today, she brings her mastery of operational accounting to her own firm, Vilms Consulting, and the small business clients with whom she works.   CPA TRENDLINES CELEBRATES:The 100th Episode of The Disruptors MORE STREAMING: 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 |McClelland and Telka: Women Ready to Rewrite the Rules of Accounting | Jacob Schroeder: AI Won’t Replace Accountants—But It Will Reveal Who’s Replaceable | Ditching Corporate America: The Bold Story Behind PBS Accounting’s Rapid Rise | Jean Zick: Happy Team = Happy Clients | Breslin & Greathead: Be a Client Advocate | Dominic Piscopo: Clear Pay=Bargaining Power | Debbie Kilsheimer: Stop Thinking Small | Vilms' final position at Staples was director of Marketing and Finance, where she worked with the creative people who were putting together catalogs or ads. “They were numbers persons in their specialty, but they weren't accounting numbers people,” she explains. “And so just learning to have empathy and explain it to them in the terms that they needed really brought me back to that corporate experience, is how I landed in operational accounting for our firm.” Today, Vilms uses that same approach with her clients, focusing on understanding her clients’ concerns and explaining accounting in familiar terms.