Three Ways to Protect Client Files From Cyberthreats
Jody Grunden recounts an IRS/FBI incident that highlighted the vulnerability of traditional file storage and argues that cloud‑based, encrypted solutions are essential for modern accounting firms. The article outlines three practical defenses: encrypted cloud storage, multi‑factor authentication, and routine security audits. Grunden stresses that adopting these measures not only prevents breaches but also satisfies regulatory expectations for client data protection.
It’s Time to Toot Your Own Horn
The article outlines ten practical strategies for accountants to become newsworthy, ranging from publishing data‑driven insights to speaking at industry events. It emphasizes positioning the firm as a trusted source of financial commentary and leveraging social media to amplify expertise....
How Niches Make Your Firm Stronger
Independent accounting firms that adopt a clear niche positioning can secure a stronger long‑term market stance. The article argues that specialization outweighs generic service breadth, despite common objections about lost volume or market size. By naming the client segment they...
Bissett Bullet: Meet the Decision Maker
Martin Bissett’s latest Bissett Bullet warns sales teams that a prospect who only needs to “recommend” a proposal is not the ultimate decision maker. In larger firms, sellers often waste time courting recommenders who lack signing authority. The advice urges...
AI Can Fix Your Workflow—Or Break It in Seconds | ARC
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering accounting workflows, with tools like Claude being plugged into QuickBooks and Excel to accelerate routine tasks. In a recent Accounting ARC episode, CPAs Liz Mason and Byron Patrick stress that just because AI can perform...
Trisha Daho: What Firms Are Missing on Talent | MOVE Like This
Trisha Daho, a former Big Four partner now serving as a fractional chief people officer, joins Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk on the MOVE Like This podcast to dissect talent, leadership, and growth challenges in accounting firms. She argues many firms are...
Seven Signs Your Firm Is About to Change | Accounting Voices
The article lists seven early indicators that an accounting firm is gearing up for major change, ranging from leadership’s shift to transformation‑focused language to spikes in technology spending. It highlights observable patterns such as unusual partner behavior, hiring freezes or...
Add Health Care Planning to Your Firm’s Services
Financial advisors are increasingly expected to guide clients on health‑insurance and Medicare, yet a stark gap remains. A 2021 Spectrem Group study shows 65% of affluent investors want health‑care advice, but only 4% receive it from their advisors. Caribou, led...
A Virtual CFO Might Be the Answer
Virtual CFO (VCFO) services are gaining traction as cloud‑based, outsourced finance functions that give small and midsize businesses access to senior‑level financial expertise without the cost of a full‑time executive. CPA firms are repackaging traditional accounting work into strategic advisory...
Staying Independent: Why Your Best Clients Hope You Turn Down Private Equity
The article argues that independent CPA firms should resist private‑equity (PE) offers because their structural advantages align with client expectations. PE ownership often introduces growth mandates and cultural shifts that can erode the personalized service clients value. For many firms,...
Bissett Bullet: The Big Three
Martin Bissett’s latest Bissett Bullet advises professional‑services firms to grow by concentrating on three high‑impact credibility exercises. He recommends producing premium intellectual property—such as a video series or guest blog—targeted at a niche trade‑association audience. Publishing this content where ideal...
Efficiency Is the Wrong Goal for AI | ARC
In a recent Accounting ARC episode, Liz Mason, Donny Shimamoto, and Byron Patrick argue that AI adoption in accounting should be judged by value, quality, and client impact rather than sheer efficiency. They challenge the prevailing belief that only large...
Stewart Spiers: What SMBs Have that the Big 4 Don’t | Big 4 Transparency
Stewart Spiers, a former Deloitte partner, left the Big 4 to build a tax‑planning practice focused on small‑ and medium‑size businesses at TAAG. He cites faster turnaround, leaner operations, and closer client relationships as key advantages over the Big 4 model. Spiers...
Six Techniques for Acquiring New Clients
The article outlines six practical techniques CPA firms can use to continuously acquire new clients and offset inevitable churn. It stresses that a marketing program must never pause, because prospects may be ready to switch accounting providers at any time....
Joe Pine: Navigating the New Transformation Economy | Holistic Guide
Joe Pine, co‑author of The Experience Economy, argues that the U.S. economy is entering a "transformation" phase where customers buy personal change rather than products or experiences. In his new book, The Transformation Economy, Pine maps the progression from commodities...
CPA Firms Show Signs of Profit Weakness, Even as Fees Strengthen
CPA Trendlines’ Busy Season Barometer shows that U.S. accounting firms generated higher revenue during the 2025‑26 tax season, yet profit expectations fell sharply, widening the margin gap. Revenue expectations remained steady while profit outlooks dropped by roughly nine percent, despite...
What Happens Before Fieldwork Determines What Happens Under Pressure
Audit outcomes are largely predetermined during the setup phase, not during fieldwork. When expectations, review processes, and escalation rules are left vague, teams scramble under pressure, leading to iterative rework and delayed issue resolution. By defining "done," instituting continuous review,...
Three Daily Habits of Rich Accountants
The article outlines three daily habits that high‑earning accountants use to stay ahead: reviewing their client pipeline each morning, projecting confidence through body language and tone, and communicating pricing with clear value justification. It emphasizes that these routines help accountants...
Culture Due Diligence Is Real and Necessary
The article highlights a surge of more than 200 mergers, acquisitions, alliances and joint ventures among the top 100 CPA firms, driven by an aging partner base, stagnant organic growth, and talent shortages. While financial and operational due diligence is...
CAS: Three Ways to Show Clients the Value
The article outlines how accounting firms can clearly demonstrate the value of their advisory services by distinguishing them from traditional accounting tasks. It highlights five key differences between client accounting services (CAS) and pure bookkeeping, emphasizing strategic decision support, outcome‑based...
Three Metrics for Measuring Staff
The article outlines three core metrics accounting firms can use to evaluate staff effectiveness, drawing on the practices of Summit CPA Group. By regularly monitoring these indicators, firms can identify strengths, address weaknesses, and continuously improve service delivery. The piece...
Michelle River: The Hidden Data Behind CPA Firm Burnout and Profit Pressure | Gear Up for Growth
Michelle Golden River, CEO of Fore LLC, highlighted on CPA Trendlines' "Gear Up for Growth" podcast that most CPA firms sit on untapped practice‑management data. She argues that this hidden intelligence reveals why many firms chase high volumes of low‑spending...
K1x Secures $175 Million for Private Markets AI Tax Tech
K1x, an AI‑native private‑markets tax data platform, secured a $175 million growth investment led by Sumeru Equity Partners, with Edison Partners also participating. The transaction makes Sumeru the majority shareholder and provides capital to deepen K1x’s AI‑driven platform, accelerate product development,...
Bissett Bullet: Know When You’re Beaten … For Now
Martin Bissett advises sales professionals to deem a prospect dead after three unanswered contacts spanning roughly a month. He argues that persisting beyond this point drains valuable time and resources, even though the lead might revive later. The recommendation includes...
Eight Strategies for Avoiding Burnout
Jackie Meyer’s guide outlines eight actionable strategies to prevent burnout among CPA firm owners. The piece emphasizes intentional workload management, clear boundaries, and leveraging technology to streamline routine tasks. It also recommends tracking key metrics such as billable versus non‑billable...
Attracting Clients Vs. Selling to Them
Accounting firms struggle to grow, with half reporting difficulty creating opportunities and 25% lacking closing skills. The article argues that firms should abandon pushy selling and instead attract clients by demonstrating expertise and building genuine relationships. By positioning themselves as...
The Post-Audit Debrief Most Teams Get Wrong
The article argues that most audit debriefs miss their purpose because they linger on surface symptoms instead of examining system behavior, causing the same inefficiencies to reappear in subsequent cycles. Effective debriefs should map where workflow broke, when rework originated,...
Tipping Point: Accountants Scramble for AI Tech
The CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer released on April 13 reveals a sharp shift toward artificial intelligence in U.S. accounting firms. Over 55 % of firms now plan AI investments, a ten‑point rise from pre‑tax‑season levels, while demand for practice‑management and workflow...
Tax Season Winds Down and Strategic Planning Season Begins
As the April 15 tax deadline passes, CPA firms experience a natural slowdown that creates a strategic window for leadership. The article argues that many firms excel at discussing future goals but struggle to execute them, likening this to the...
New Data Defines What Makes an Accounting Firm Leader
Giles Pearson of Accountests analyzes data from BDO Alliance USA’s Emerging Leaders program, revealing measurable leadership gaps in CPA firms. Using the Pathway to Partnership (P2P) personality assessment, participants score near‑ideal in conscientiousness and trust but lag three points on...
Advisory Revenue Strategies: Navigating the New FICA Tip Credit Landscape, with Jody Padar
The IRS, backed by H.R. 1, is redefining qualified tips and tipped occupations under the Old‑Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits Act, ushering in a new FICA Tip Credit regime. Tax advisors must interpret the technical guidance while building data‑driven, repeatable...
Thought Leadership Attracts Clients Like a Magnet
Thought leadership is emerging as a primary client‑acquisition engine for virtual CFO firms. A prospective client discovered the author’s practice through a web search that highlighted industry‑specific insights, bypassing any prior personal contact. The article underscores that showcasing deep sector...
Basis Makes Its Move: Taps Kenji Kuramoto to Close AI’s Biggest Gap
Basis, a $1 billion‑valued AI‑agent platform for accounting, hired Kenji Kuramoto as its first managing partner‑in‑residence. Kuramoto, the former Acuity founder with two decades of firm leadership, will embed inside the product team to translate AI capabilities into practical firm workflows. The...
Busy Season 2026: Too Much Work, Not Enough Time
The CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer shows the 2026 tax season delivering modest improvements for a minority of firms, while 64% report flat or declining conditions. Late client filings remain the top operational bottleneck, cited by 46% of respondents. AI tools...
Bissett Bullet: What Is the Return on Their Investment?
The Bissett Bullet highlights that most business owners view compliance work as a necessary evil, choosing accountants primarily on price. It urges accountants to quantify the monetary value of time saved for clients and present that as a return on...
How AI Upends CPA Firm Pay Structures: Bloomberg Talks with Piscopo
Artificial intelligence is reshaping CPA firm compensation by reducing reliance on junior staff and elevating the importance of managers who oversee AI‑generated work. The traditional leverage model, built on large cohorts of interns and staff, is compressing at the base...
Ten Key Questions for a Successful Marketing Plan
August Aquila’s article stresses that most CPA marketing programs fail because firms skip thorough upfront planning. He outlines ten essential questions that should be answered before any campaign, ranging from defining a single purpose to setting measurable KPIs. By following...
The Hidden Factory in Accounting: Why Rework Is Quietly Eating Your Capacity
The article exposes the "hidden factory" in accounting firms—unplanned rework that silently drains capacity despite detailed project plans. It explains how late‑stage corrections, data inconsistencies, and unclear handoffs generate invisible labor, often consuming a sizable share of billable hours. By...
Why Strategic Planning Matters More Than Ever
Strategic planning has become essential as technological acceleration reshapes the accounting profession. CEOs from Google X and the AICPA warn that the pace of AI, cloud, automation, and data analytics now outstrips most people’s ability to adapt. This disruption forces...
Start Value Pricing with Six Steps
The article urges accounting firms to adopt value‑based pricing, moving away from traditional hourly rates. It introduces a six‑step framework designed to help CPAs define, communicate, and implement client‑centric fees. By focusing on outcomes rather than time, firms can capture...
Is Your Non-Billable Time Working for You?
The piece examines how non‑billable time impacts partner productivity in accounting firms. Smaller firms’ client‑service partners typically log 1,500‑1,600 billable hours annually, while the Top 100 CPA firms average about 1,200 and should target 1,300‑1,400. The article argues that unmanaged non‑billable...
Three Questions to Ask Clients About Goodwill
Entrepreneurial clients often see their business represent 80‑90% of estate value, yet goodwill remains illiquid, restricting cash availability. Randy Fox highlights that this liquidity shortfall can deter owners from effective exit planning. He proposes three essential questions advisors should ask...
Geof Brown: Rethink Everything | Gear Up for Growth
Geoffrey Brown, CEO of the Illinois CPA Society, highlighted three major forces reshaping public accounting: private‑equity pressure driving firms to upgrade governance and client value, a shift toward advisory services that demands curiosity, problem‑solving and critical thinking, and demographic headwinds...
Built Fast. Sold Faster. Broken Later? The Truth About Accounting Tech | ARC
The accounting‑tech sector is dominated by a sprint‑to‑market mindset, where startups prioritize minimal viable products and aggressive sales over robust engineering. Venture‑capital funding and investor expectations push firms to launch quickly, leveraging AI hype to attract attention at expos and...
The Sales Cycle and What You Need to Know
The article redefines sales for accounting firms, moving it from a taboo concept to a core professional activity. It frames selling as problem‑solving and outlines a five‑step sales cycle that must be followed in order. The author argues that every...
Psychological Safety Is a Throughput Issue, Not a Soft Skill
The article argues that psychological safety is fundamentally a throughput problem rather than a soft‑skill deficit. Teams often withhold uncertainty until deadlines, creating last‑minute risk spikes and review bottlenecks. This systemic delay, not a lack of intelligence or training, drives...
Merger Checklist: 34 Action Steps
The CPA Trendlines article outlines a 34‑step merger checklist aimed at CPA firms, emphasizing that full integration can take three to four years but critical administrative tasks must be tackled in the first months. It advises firms to begin integration...
Tax Season’s Not Over: Retroactive Tax Regs, Real-Time Decisions
The CPA Trendlines Academy is hosting a CPE webinar on April 2 to dissect a wave of retroactive and prospective tax regulations affecting 2025 returns and 2026 planning. New legislation, including the OBBBA reforms and expanded R&D and ERC provisions, creates...
Why Accounting Firms Feel So Unstable Right Now | Accounting Voices
Accounting firms are experiencing unprecedented instability as private‑equity firms, national roll‑up groups, and regional mergers reshape the landscape. Partners are departing, new leadership emerges, and titles, policies, and strategies shift without clear communication. Advisory practices are being carved out, tax...
The Six Types of Due Diligence You Need Before Merging
The article outlines six essential due‑diligence categories that CPA firms should evaluate before merging, stressing that the scope must be tailored to each transaction. It recommends pairing a Letter of Intent with reviews of financial, tax, legal, operational, cultural, and...