today's features

before the audit: more than just checklists

effective inquiry starts with knowing how to ask the right questions.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

to weave relevance into the fabric of your firm culture, your team must shift from just getting the work done, with relevance as an afterthought, to putting the client at the center of the audit. that starts by building a foundation with the four u’s of understanding your client, the industry, the standards and how to audit.

more: are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | four basic understandings every auditor must master | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | turning audit & accounting into assurance & advisory | wanted: great audit mentors | is audit in crisis because of definitions? | stop sending the wrong message to audit teams | closing the audit expectations gap
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to master these, you first need a natural sense of curiosity. out of curiosity comes inquiry. we’ve all been taught that inquiry is one of the fundamental components of the audit process. but too often, inquiry doesn’t go any further than getting some answers to the questions on a checklist. and too often, those questions are the same ones that get asked at every audit engagement. the client has probably heard them (and answered them) more times than you can imagine.

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a friendly chat or a billable discussion?

two older men pausing on golf course to talk, one has hand on other's shoulder

make your intentions clear at the outset.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: i have a close friend who is also a client. he went through a rough time with his wife threatening a divorce and we spent a lot of time talking about it (out of office settings).

more: busy season is over, so it’s time for some resolutions | hold staff accountable if you want them to listen to you | how to raise your rates | three ways to start an accounting practice | how much is your tax practice worth? | merge in lower-priced work without losing out
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i sent him a bill and he returned it with a notation that “we spoke as friends and not as a professional consultation, and the bill should be canceled.” what should i do?

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on a mission: introducing accounting, reaction, comedy

accountants on a mission: accounting, reaction, and maybe a little fun.

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegooglespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music and audibleplayer fmaudacygaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

accounting arc 
with donny shimamoto, liz mason, and byron patrick

center for accounting transformation

in a universe where financial chaos threatens to overwhelm even the bravest souls, our trio of accounting change agents emerge to restore order, one ledger at a time. these stewards of integrity are uniting to serve the integrated ecosystem of families, businesses, and communities and aligning their efforts to unlock the power of the accounting profession with their unique blend of wit, wisdom, and, yes, a dash of comedy.

more: harper & co. cpas: the perspective of a non-accountant is imperativemenlo innovations: improve office culture by overhauling internal reviews | dustin wheeler: for serious cas success, hire tech teams | chase birky: overcoming paralysis by analysis |

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in the inaugural episode, our agents pull back the curtain to reveal the origins of their financial prowess. delve into the captivating backstories as they share their personal journeys, unveil the driving forces behind their decision to become accounting professionals, and what led them to seek and find ways to improve the world.

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3 ways to raise the bar for your business

stop allowing your business bar to maintain the status quo – or worse, lower.

by seth fineberg
at large

as most accountants prepare to shake off the effects of yet another tax season, the question remains: what will take you and your firm to the next level?

more fineberg: make it ‘productive season’ | it’s time to do the uncomfortable | jeremy sulzmann: can intuit mend fences with accountants at qb connect? | meet basis, the new ai bookkeeper on the block | is this when accountants start taking freshbooks seriously? |you’re doing email wrong | careful … you may be advising! | when live events fail | getting real: accounting tech decisions you need to make today | accounting tech doesn’t have to be daunting |who’s in control? you? or your clients?

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perhaps you’re not thinking about what’s next for your business, but you kind of should. if you’re frustrated with aspects of your business, you need to take a good, hard look at what is making it that way and ask yourself, “what is going to raise the bar?” staying the same is easy, but it gets harder as you look around you and see other practices making core changes to improve life-work balance and revenue and remove blockers through technology, service, or client mix.

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eleven possible pitfalls of mergers

illustration of merger: four jigsaw puzzle pieces, each held by a different person's hand

what is driving the sale? is your firm ready?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

the trend for small and midsized cpa firms to merge is accelerating as the competitive environment becomes even more demanding. while hundreds of firms merge every year, history continually shows that at some point in the future, things don’t always work out. like marriage, some mergers are successful while a great majority fail. many of the reasons for failure can be avoided if firms do their homework at the front end before entering the merger.

more: dodge the four curses of a production orientation | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process | how does your firm measure up? | six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve | five rules for a marketing orientation | ten keys to marketing success
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the merger and acquisition drivers are constantly changing. some of the drivers we see today are a constantly changing marketplace, the creation of megafirms beyond the big 4, the sophistication of clients, the high demand for qualified people, technology, the cost of acquiring new clients, and finally, the accounting industry being in a mature market.

as we will see, most mergers fail because of non-financial reasons. unlike the sale of the manufacturing company, mergers of accounting firms are a lot more difficult to accomplish.
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