today's features
outlook & analysis

emerging pros need more than tech training

rebekah olson, cpa, ceo, maryland association of cpas 2025
olson

two ways to close the skills gap.

by rebekah olson, cpa
ceo, maryland association of cpas

many of us in the profession have felt a particular challenge for years: the lingering effects of the pandemic that have impacted the development of foundational professional and communication skills.

more on talent, career development, staffing, and recruiting

this gap isn’t just about technical know-how – it’s about the ability to lead, communicate and thrive in a profession built on trust, relationships and adaptability.

we can’t afford to let gaps in professional and communication skills hold back the next generation of leaders. by investing in cohort-based learning and encouraging state society involvement, we strengthen our profession and create professionals better equipped to serve, lead and thrive.

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pricing, fees & billing rates

how to choose which clients to scope

it’s all about risk.

by jody padar
radical pricing – by the radical cpa

scoping is a time commitment, so know that the client is worth the commitment and they have the revenue to back it. start by setting a minimum price point you will charge for the assessment process. if the client falls below your threshold price point, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to scope them, it just means the process will be less complex and can probably be done within an hour.

more by jody padar
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for smaller clients, it helps the process if they arrive at the assessment with all the necessary information. you can look at their quickbooks data and tax returns to get a strong sense of what they need and how long it will take to deliver. scoping a small, straightforward client will become second nature with time. but be careful about being too casual when scoping smaller clients. if you miscalculate, you are still opening your firm up to risk.

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management

what internal controls mean to clients

man writing in notebook

and how to explain them.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow!

what are internal controls? auditors widely use this term. it also appears multiple times in engagement letters for audits of businesses and not-for-profits, but i do not believe many outside of the accounting profession really know or understand what internal controls are. i will try to explain it here.

more by ed mendlowitz
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internal controls refer to an organization’s system of deterrence, oversight, checks and balances. an illustration is where someone in a business writes and mails the checks to pay a bill. if this same person then receives the bank statement and performs the reconciliation of that account, there would not be any control or oversight on that person and whether the payment was proper and not misdirected. they are checking their own work. this is how many frauds occur.
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mergers & acquisitions

how to attract the best merger candidates

man's hand sowing wheat

never stop looking.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

firms that are serious about merging in smaller firms on a regular basis understand that doing mergers is all about planting seeds. a buyer has to have this attitude:

more by marc rosenberg
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every day of every year, at least one firm decides to test the merger waters. if our efforts to identify sellers are made continuously throughout the year, every year, sooner or later, we will find at least one interested merger candidate and probably more than one.

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marketing & sales

it’s the client’s perception that counts

black cat statue and white cat statue, nose to nose

look at your firm through their eyes.

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

there used to be an old exercise used in training sessions about customer relations or selling or leadership that went like this. the trainer would ask the group to think about the color green. a few seconds later he would ask them what type of green they were thinking of, and of course there would be many variations of green.

the point is that, as the saying goes, perception is reality. whatever each person perceived as green, that would be the reality for them – but it would be different for each person in the room.
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