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pro member exclusive

three ways to improve next tax season


you’ve survived 2023. here are some key lessons.

by seth fineberg
at large

in accounting, you know that tax season doesn’t end in april, as it often extends well into october. so, now that another season has come and gone and you’ve endured all the things you swore you’d never do again this year, what will be different in 2024 and beyond?

more fineberg: 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? |  time management rule #1 for accountants |  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

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every year, i speak to tax pros and accountants with tax work at their practice’s core. i listen, i read what they share on social media, and it always seems to be the same. they swear they’ll get rid of clients who regularly extend into october. still, they must hound those to the irs deadline. they rail against the irs and lack of guidance, or the hours spent on the phone trying to get answers or to resolve an issue for their clients. they exclaim, “this is the last year i’m going to…” and yet, little to nothing of significance changes. with more accountants getting increasingly frustrated with their careers and fewer coming into the profession, it is up to you to say what will change.

so, again, i ask you all, what do you need to change to make it more enjoyable, bearable and even productive for yourself?

here are a few suggestions based on my observations. take them for what you will.

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pro member exclusive

jeremy sulzmann: can intuit mend fences with accountants at qb connect?

how intuit plans to heal a strained relationship with accountants.

by seth fineberg
at large

it’s no secret that intuit’s relationship with the accounting community has been somewhat strained recently. so intuit has work to do at this year’s quickbooks connect.

more fineberg: 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? |  time management rule #1 for accountants |  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

“accountants are our number 1 partner,” says jeremy sulzmann, vice president and general manager of the quickbooks partners segment, in this exclusive interview.

but it’s a relationship. and like any relationship, it has required some navigation.

managing expectations has become a bit of a sub-theme for accountants these days, from the regulatory environment to ai and, of course, navigating the relationship with your primary service providers, like intuit. moreover, as technology has permeated nearly every aspect of an accountant’s work, the relationship with respective service providers has become more essential.

in this interview, salzman talks about a wide range of issues, including intuit’s current and future relationship with the accounting community and the role ai and technology will play in accountants’ lives.

 

special

meet basis, the new ai bookkeeper on the block

founders focused on accountants’ pain points.

by seth fineberg

artificial intelligence is entering accounting in numerous ways, so it should be no surprise that another company has thrown its hat in the ring to automate the bookkeeping and related processes for accounting firms.

more: is this when accountants start taking freshbooks seriously? | when live events fail | getting real: accounting tech decisions you need to make today | who’s in control? you? or your clients? | time management rule #1 for accountants
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

after closing on a $3.6 million seed round, basis, which touts itself as an ai platform for accounting firms, is officially coming into the accounting market. the idea behind basis is that accountants can have ai-powered “intelligence” so they can (wait for it …) focus on being better advisors and not the “tasks” of being an accountant.
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featured video

is this when accountants start taking freshbooks seriously?

twyla verhelst explains ‘collaborative accounting.’

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by seth fineberg
at large for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

verhelst

freshbooks is taking another step to evolve from being a cloud-based invoicing solution for gig workers to being more strongly considered a true accounting solution that accountants could use to collaborate with clients as their business needs evolve.

more fineberg: your classic business model won’t allow growth |  accounting tech decisions you need to make today | you’re doing email wrong | when live events fail | who’s in control? you? or your clients? | time management rule #1 for accountants

more tech: major websites blocking content from ai crawlers | ai and the future of advisory | how much a data breach will cost you – directly and indirectly | strengthen client ties with workflow tools | the art of prompt engineering for a.i. accountants

more verhelst: twyla verhelst on how firms are getting creative to compete

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 “we are definitely in this flow of evolving the platform to support accountants better,” twyla verhelst, head of freshbooks’ accountant channel, tells 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间’ seth fineberg. “we now have an accountant hub, which we will continue to add to; and a robust roadmap, one in which we’re building from a place of [asking] accounting partners what do you need?”

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client service opportunities

you’re doing email wrong

the liscio timeline: will it replace email?

there must be a better way.

by seth fineberg

email has always been an albatross of sorts for firms. most firms use it as their primary source of communication and are under the belief that they are “secure” if they use encryption. add the fact that having personally identifiable information on your machine is illegal, which equals one thing: you’re doing email wrong.

more fineberg: careful… you may be advising! | when live events fail | getting real: accounting tech decisions you need to make today | who’s in control? you? or your clients? | time management rule #1 for accountants | why vc is a bigger threat than ai

more on email & cybersecurity: why business email is doomed | the 7 categories of cybersecurity solutions firms need | the why, what and how of cybersecurity for accountants | top tech tools for building your new bos business | yes, ai writes better emails | survey: records management tops email challenges | three apps for ‘inbox zero’

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

email was never meant to be this nebulous communications zone. nor was it intended to be a source of truth or document and communications exchange storage. and now, with new data security laws, there are strict controls on how to use email.

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advisory & consulting

careful… you may be advising!

two people in an office talking and gesturing

what business owners need from you.

by seth fineberg

despite all the hype and even some anecdotal pushback, if you are an accounting professional, you may already be advising. whether you’re charging for it is another story.

more: when live events fail | getting real: accounting tech decisions you need to make today | who’s in control? you? or your clients? | time management rule #1 for accountants | why vc is a bigger threat than ai
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

moreover, transactional accounting is becoming a commodity with services like bench, pilot, botkeeper and the rise in scores of outsourcing companies flooding the market with often low-cost, highly automated bookkeeping services. as such, small cpa and bookkeeping firms are under pressure to bring more to the table than just organizing and crunching numbers if they are to hang on to their existing clients and attract new ones.
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news

when live events fail

how to do in-person conferences the right way.

by seth fineberg

some of you may know my views on the importance of live events in accounting. but now we’re witnessing a shift in why attendees go or need to go: human support.

more seth fineberg: 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? |  time management rule #1 for accountants |  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

sure, cpe, networking, and quality content are indeed a thing when it comes to considering the time and expense of attending an in-person event. but accountants these days need more. they need each other more than ever.

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leadership

accounting tech doesn’t have to be daunting

getting unstuck on the tech stack and how to use ai today.

by seth fineberg
analysis & commentary

you’ve probably realized by now that the accounting profession has reached an inflection point. professionals’ trust in the vendors that create and distribute the essential technology they use is strained at best. and with automation once again at the forefront, the very nature of accountant tasks is up for debate.

live chat: watch or listen to the entire flash briefing here.

in short, we needed a non-sponsored, real chat with actual practitioners who, by all accounts, know what it’s like to be a tech-forward accountant. moreover, they know that’s not what the profession is comprised of and, despite being innovative, have struggled with tech adoption over the years. this is what our recent flash briefing, “getting real: the accounting tech decisions you need to make today,” was all about.

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news

remembering john stokdyk

john stokdyk
stokdyk

the profession mourns a loss.

by seth fineberg
at large

how does one honor a life? it’s a heavy thing upon initial approach. but when you start from a point of celebration of what was lived and not mourning what was lost, i think you begin down the right path. but this isn’t about me or anyone other than the man i knew barely eight years of chronological time and who, i believe, should be remembered in the accounting community.

more seth fineberg: who’s in control? you? or your clients? |  time management rule #1 for accountants |  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

to know john stokdyk as an editor, thinker, avid statistician and collector of all manner of data on accountants and related technology only touches the surface. i met him as he still held the editor title of accountingweb uk, which still boasts the largest audience of accountants in the uk. he and then accountingweb us publisher andy north interviewed me for the vacant managing editor role here.

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client service opportunities

who’s in control? you? or your clients?

why clients need the “tough love” you didn’t know they craved.

by seth fineberg
at large

truth time, accountants. regarding your client relationship, would you consider yourself a leader or a follower? in other words, do you lead them, or do they lead you more often than not?

more seth fineberg: time management rule #1 for accountants |  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we raised this topic some years ago during my time at accountingweb. but while much has changed since then, even during the past five years in this great profession, one must wonder who is making the decisions about the direction of your firm and how you work. is it you or your clients?

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outlook & analysis

time management rule #1 for accountants

the “one big thing” you can do to take back control.

by seth fineberg
at large

accountants are constantly being told about “the one thing” they need to do to improve their professional lives, and in my view, the simplest and most powerful is to firmly adhere to deadlines that you determine for your clients. not the irs’s deadlines, not any governing body… you!

more seth fineberg:  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the one change tax pros need to consider making going forward is setting their own deadlines – for themselves, for their firms, and, especially, for their clients.

all signs seem to indicate this year’s tax season was, comparatively, the most “normal” over the past three years. but tons of tax pros continue to stress, struggle, and even reconsider staying with tax work at all. while it may seem like a huge step, you would be surprised that by just having clients adhere to your deadlines, and no other due date, the level of stress will be reduced exponentially. this may not be a new tactic, but firms i’ve spoken to who decided to engage in telling clients about their deadline, and not the irs’s, experienced a sense of relief not felt in years, if ever.

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growth strategies

plan to go ‘live’ post tax season

take another step toward ‘normal.’ people standing, holding food and talking

by seth fineberg
at large

as you prepare to put tax season 2023 in your rearview, one thing to strongly consider is getting out to a live event as they are back, they need you, and there are even some new ones to take in.
i’m fully aware that cpe alone is not the only draw or reason to leave the comfort of your office or home area. and as i’ve expounded on before, accountants need each other in a live setting. the learning and interaction from a live event full of your colleagues is almost invaluable, but i get the reservations.

more seth fineberg: what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ |

some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

traveling to a live event, especially when we know full well that any necessary cpe can be garnered from your computer screen any time of year, may not seem worth the expense. but as the profession continues to evolve, it is hard to compare the return on investment from physically being among the experts, as well as those in your profession who have similar struggles, hopes and dreams as you do.

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