special

taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs

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data table

but still “far from perfect.”

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

for the first time ever, erin m. collins, america’s resolute national taxpayer advocate, has opened her annual report to congress with good news.

“the taxpayer experience,” she writes, “has noticeably improved.”

more: ask tax clients the right questions | major changes to circular 230: implications for tax professionals | cornerstone report | art werner: due diligence and irs enforcement | quick tax tip | make ‘done but’ tax returns a thing of the past | six methods for getting paid faster this tax season | use humor to get tax documents in early | art werner: busy season predictions | four steps could close the tax gap | art werner: how to turn tax prep into tax advisory | art werner: navigating business structure decisions amid tax law changes | tax season memo from staff to managing partner | is the irs adequately tracking corporate tax evasion? | irs still unsure how to measure audit rate
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collins has good reason for her praise:
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the shift to advisory from a firm perspective

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man and woman high-fiving each other in office

it might take longer than you expect, but it’s so worthwhile.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

articles about shifting to advisory are mostly written by consultants. they are smart, well-meaning people. they have lots of advice, some good, some bad, but it’s like hiring a vegan chef to grill your steak. they aren’t living with the consequences.

more from frank stitely
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my firm made the shift and learned a lot of lessons from grilling our own steak. we mostly survived with just a mild case of food poisoning.

let’s kindly ask our vegan chefs to leave the room and just speak firm to firm. let’s wait a second longer to make certain they’re off grilling tofu.

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the risks of not innovating in audit

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hand below light bulb

technology is moving quickly. are you keeping up?

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

auditors, like most accountants, tend to be conservative in nature. we tend to be reluctant to change unless we’re on a burning platform.

more by alan anderson
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as i’ve said before, audit is at a crossroads. we can continue the way we’ve been doing audit and will likely go extinct. or we can make changes that will keep audit relevant and valuable for the next generations.
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steve yoss: boost security with mfa | quick tech talks

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your data has probably already been exposed.

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quick tech talk
with steve yoss
cpe today

data breaches have become an unfortunate reality in the digital age, and with them, the risk to personal and financial information continues to grow. however, there is a simple yet powerful way to protect your accounts: multi-factor authentication (mfa).

more steve yoss
more tech
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mfa, sometimes referred to as one-time passwords, has become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity. think about this hard truth: your data, unfortunately, has probably been exposed by either a website, a web service, or maybe even your favorite merchant at some point in the last 10 to 15 years. when passwords are stolen in data breaches, cybercriminals often use them to access accounts on other sites, exploiting the common habit of password reuse.

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toward a 21st-century cpa: a dynamic vision

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portrait of susan bryant
bryant
 susan bryant is a certified public accountant and certified tax strategist. she has earned widespread recognition, including honors as a woman of empowerment, enterprising woman of the year, and being named among the top 50 women in accounting.

seven areas of focus for every firm.

by susan bryant
the holistic guide to wealth management

as the old saying goes: “everyone wants an accountant; no one wants to be an accountant.” whether that saying is true or not, the future of our profession hinges upon casting a new vision.

more: what multiples mean to accounting firms | tsunami of m&a, pe is disrupting the accounting profession | why cpas are best positioned to become financial advisors | how wealth management has evolved | introducing you to a fulfilling return on relationships | rory henry upends the traditional accounting firm | why now is the time for cpas to embrace wealth management
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accounting has been many things over the years, but “exciting” is not an adjective you hear often to describe it. reliable. dependable. necessary. sure, but rarely exciting.

however, we live in fast-moving and volatile times. everything is changing rapidly. the aftermath of the pandemic, and the seismic shifts it caused in the global and local economies, have upended nearly every aspect of business. sector after sector is scrambling to adapt to our fast-changing world. it’s a world in which the stock market is volatile; inflation is high; war, recession and weather events loom; and millions of boomers are exiting the work force and surging into retirement. with the world changing so fast, every aspect of business services needs to change with it, including accounting.
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deals 2024: over 100 cpa firm mergers and acquisitions

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howard

buckle up for 2025.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

curious about the deals that went down in 2024 and how they might inform your next move? marc howard is, too. so, he compiled a comprehensive list.

howard is a serial entrepreneur in the accounting space, host of the pitch your firm podcast, founder of firmlever, founder of taxplow, co-founder of bizpayo, and creator of tax advisor gpt.

howard found upwards of 115 deals in 2024, ranging from the first deal of the year, ata cpas’ takeover of  whitehorn tankersley & davis on jan. 3, to the last, platform accounting group’s roll-ups of midwest advisors and crossroads advisors on dec. 23.

some of the most active buyers on his list include cbiz, which counted marcum among its three deals; citrin cooperman, with eight deals; cla, crowe, and doeren, each with three; and eisner, with four deals.

he predicts an even busier 2025 for the profession.

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make sure your firm understands the value of cas

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three businesspeople looking at laptop and smiling

your partners will apply their expertise to generate insights and advice that your clients will value more.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

unless you become the “cas champion” or make someone accountable to be one, your client accounting services practice will not take off the starting blocks.

more: save 75% with one banking change | you, a virtual cfo? why not? | who is ready for client accounting services? | wants? needs? cas helps fill both | automation can be exciting in client accounting services | eight steps for better client accounting services | do you have the client accounting services mindset? | four ingredients to your cas ‘why’ | cas clients are ‘stickier’
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and the single biggest initial challenge for the cas champ is how to communicate the value of cas to the firm’s future fortune to every stakeholder – be it partners, staff, clients and prospects. for this post, i will assume that your cas champ absolutely “gets it.”
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jason blumer: serving your team is the ultimate leadership strategy | gear up for growth

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discover why intentionality and clarity are key traits for successful leaders.

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gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

leadership in accounting firms requires a shift from technical expertise to guiding and empowering teams. jason blumer, founder and ceo of blumer cpas, discusses the journey of embracing leadership roles, overcoming self-doubt, and fostering a service-oriented mindset on gear up for growth,

gear up for growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient 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 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 videos and podcasts here

blumer is no stranger to innovation and leadership. recognized as one of accounting today’s 100 most influential people in accounting and a cpa practice advisor. with over two decades of experience leading a thriving cpa firm and coaching accounting entrepreneurs, blumer’s expertise is a beacon for those navigating the challenges of leadership in today’s fast-paced industry.

“effective leadership involves creating future leaders and tackling difficult conversations head-on,” blumer says. “it’s about fostering a culture of accountability and trust while confronting the discomfort that often accompanies leadership responsibilities.” 

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being a partner is great! have you told your staff?

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womand and man seated side by side at table in front of laptop, hanging plants in background

don’t assume they know how good you have it.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

conveying to staff why it’s great to be a partner at a cpa firm is one of the weakest areas of partner performance. it’s also a best practice for managing staff.

more: what it takes to get a promotion in accounting | generational differences can’t be ignored | eight strategies for recruiting | training? cpe? they’re not the same | what leadership looks and feels at cpa firms | the importance of great bosses | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how accounting staffing has changed
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true story

we worked with a five-partner firm on the east coast on succession planning. the partners were all in their late 50s and 60s and two or three of them planned to retire in the next five years. they were wrestling with a tough decision: do we merge into a larger firm as our exit strategy or do we/can we gradually turn the firm over to our three managers, all of whom have the talent and experience to be a partner? they dreaded the former option and preferred the latter.
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bissett bullet: marketing creates need

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today’s bissett bullet: “utopia for a proactive accounting professional is a diary filled with appointments to meet with prospective ideal clients. effective marketing makes that a reality.”

by martin bissett

as you become more effective at marketing, regularly using the forms of marketing that are proven to work decreases your labor intensity. over time, this means less of a need to convince people to work with you and as a result, less resistance to fees. your diary will fill up because people are calling you, not as a result of you calling them.

today’s to-do:

time to check in on some of the marketing activities you have been testing. which have been the most effective so far in terms of putting appointments in your diary?

see more bissett bullets here

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jeremy dubow: private equity as a catalyst for growth | arc

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ceo says private equity isn’t about cost-cutting—it’s about investing in technology and talent.

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accounting arc
with donny shimamoto
center for accounting transformation

the accounting profession is evolving, and if private equity is any indicator, firms like prosperity partners are leading the charge. in the latest accounting arc episode, host donny shimamoto, cpa.citp, cgma, speaks with ceo and pe-backed prosperity partners llc co-founder jeremy dubow, cpa, about the firm’s innovative approach, private equity backing, and non-traditional practices. 

more accounting arc: breaking the burnout cycle in accounting | accounting in transition: 2024 reflections & the road ahead | ron baker: visions for the accounting profession | angie grissom: next gen inspo for accountants | does accounting belong in stem? | rose wang: where numbers meet strategy and creativity | tiktok fraud exposes gaps in financial literacy | how accounting pros own the stage in public speaking | greg kyte: being a cpa is like being the marie kondo of numbers |

new: m&a, pe, or independence: chart your cpa firm’s future in 2025 – webinar jan. 28

“we’re not your traditional firm,” says dubow, who started the firm with two partners in 2003 as ndh advisors, and sold a stake to unity partners in in 2023, rebranded as prosperity and launched a series of knock-on acquisitions. “we focus on transformative technologies and people-first culture to redefine what an accounting firm can achieve.” 

unlike most accounting firms, prosperity partners operates without an attest function. “our roots are in tax and client accounting services,” dubow explains. this focus has allowed the firm to streamline operations and specialize in high-demand areas such as mergers and acquisitions and litigation support. 

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