today's features
busy season management

tax preparers share advice for your clients

man and woman at table in client meeting

help them prepare for what’s to come.

join the busy season barometer. get the results.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

accountants sound worried. when the 2025 busy season barometer survey asked if anyone had advice on how small businesses should prepare for the next 12-18 months, almost half took the time to respond.

more barometer: staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns | tax pros gear up for a better busy season
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here’s a list of some of the more meaningful responses. which would apply to your clients? which should you share with them?

___ figure out which labor-intensive functions they can automate asap. (andrew schwartz)

___ take advantage of near-term opportunities with post-tax cuts and jobs act legislation (as they become clearer) and provide services/planning for more probable changes in taxes/economy for 3-5 year, 5-10 year and 10 year+ timeframes. (anthony aleta) read more →

leadership

the single biggest key to firm success

man looking at five giant keys on the ground

plus the three stages of evolution.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

“wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – doug larson

when i began my cpa consulting career, our industry used one word – management – to describe similar but different terms: management of the firm, leadership and governance. but our profession has grown more sophisticated. today, firms understand the important differences between these three terms:

more by marc rosenberg
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management: the execution of strategies, decisions, policies and procedures to operate the firm. this includes implementation of strategies and goals, planning, managing people and improving their performance, holding them accountable and ensuring continuous increases in growth and profitability. management is the process of making sure everyone knows what to do and managing them to make sure it gets done. my thanks to charles hylan, cpa, a partner of st. louis-based the growth partnership, for the bulk of this paragraph.
read more →

accounting arc

student turns tables on thought leaders | arc

in a special episode, student arpan grewal asks questions future cpas and business leaders need answered.

 

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accounting arc
with liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto
introducing special guest arpan grewal
center for accounting transformation

in an episode that flips the script, accounting arc  features a fresh voice in business: arpan grewal, a high school junior and state officer for indiana business professionals of america. in this inaugural episode of arc: student-led conversations, grewal takes on the role of interviewer, leading a discussion with donny shimamoto, cpa.citp, cgma; liz mason, cpa; and byron patrick, cpa.citp, cgma—three industry leaders with diverse career paths in accounting. 

more arc: analysis, reaction, comedy

 

more accounting arc: how coaching can unlock professional success | demystifying accounting governance |  top 10 red flags to watch for in accounting offices | jeremy dubow: private equity as a catalyst for growth | break 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 | rachel bashore: a lawyer’s case for reinventing accounting | beyond the basics in ethics eduction | bailey lenart: from ledger sheets to transformational change

grewal comes prepared with questions that high school and college students often ask when considering careers in business. the conversation covers the realities of the profession, the importance of career flexibility, and why accounting is anything but boring. 

read more →

2022年世界杯抽签

bissett bullet: who is malcolm bishop?

today’s bissett bullet: “i have received calls, emails and proposals in several different names. malcolm bishop is but one example. how many of those do you think successfully resulted in us doing business together?”

by martin bissett

a person’s name is their main identity, the way in which they are differentiated from everybody else. misspelling that name is sloppy, using the wrong name altogether is unforgivable and if either doesn’t end the relationship there and then, they will certainly take the shine off the bond that you are attempting to establish.

be sure. never assume that you have heard correctly or have the correct spelling of somebody’s name if you’re hoping to build a relationship with them.

today’s to-do:

who do you need to contact or respond to this week? double check their name, email address, website and linkedin profile to ensure that you are addressing them correctly.

see more bissett bullets here

read more →

outlook & analysis

what if the staffing shortage is just a myth?

man tearing a piece of paper in half

is everything we think we know wrong?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

for years, the accounting industry has been suffering from a chronic shortage of qualified professionals. decreasing numbers of students are majoring in accounting while increasing numbers of accountants ditch the profession in search of better pay, less stress, or just plain retirement.

more: staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns | five ways to fill the staffing gap | top 10 red flags to watch for in accounting offices | arc | deals 2024: over 100 cpa firm mergers and acquisitions | barry melancon: private equity and the partnership | gear up for growth | does your firm suffer cultural deficiencies? | audit fees continue to climb | cfos see ai as top risk and opportunity | does accounting belong in stem? | accounting arc | opportunity awaits incoming aicpa ceo | artificial intelligence may already be plateauing | ten ways to manage price increases | survey says 57% of firms are raising prices next year | how will private equity impact accounting careers?
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but what if the problem was simply about supply and demand? what if there wasn’t enough demand for accounting talent to maintain supply? two university researchers have a new theory that could upend everything we think we know about the so-called staffing shortage.

read more →

pricing, fees & billing rates

use kpis to measure success

don’t just think you’re doing great; quantify it.

by jody padar
radical pricing – by the radical cpa

you’re well on your way to having a client-centric firm with up-front and value pricing. the next step is to determine your key performance indicators (kpis) and verify if those indicators make sense for your new firm.

more by jody padar
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to set your new kpis, you need to think about what’s important to your firm, your employees and your clients. develop them around specific firm values.

as you move through this pricing evolution, you’ll start to see your firm as a for-profit company in the professional services space. your new kpis should look at your team through the eyes of people who work at the firm as well as those who will value your services.
read more →

audit & assurance

alan anderson: applying jit concepts to the audit process

reduce audit time by 20% without reducing quality.

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by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

for most audit firms, the concept of “just in time” means that the audit was completed and the financials were delivered “just in time” to meet the deadline. but in this webinar, alan anderson explains how concepts from just-in-time manufacturing can be applied to make audits more efficient, reducing time by at least 15-20% while also improving quality and customer service. 

 

more alan anderson: are you using the right business model? | give advice while remaining independent | the new formula for an accounting business | don’t risk losing good employees for bad clients | four questions to make your firm more successful as a business | say adios to audit fee pressure | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | six essential elements in audit planning | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | is audit in crisis because of definitions?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

just-in-time manufacturing was devised to reduce inventory costs, downtime, and waste by following four sequential steps for every manufacturing process: design, build, inspect, and delivery. by analogy, the four steps of jit manufacturing correspond to the four audit phases of planning, fieldwork, review, and delivery. the raw materials of an audit consist of the trial balance and schedules supplied by the client, and the final deliverable is the audit report.  

read more →

pro member exclusive

check these 41 items on business tax returns

woman's hand using a pencil on notepad

a handy reviewer’s checklist.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

client ________________________ year _____

prepared by ___________________ date _____

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

notes: 1) the term “owners” will be used to refer to stockholders, partners or members, as the case may be. 2) even though “trial balance” is used in this checklist, you can use the company’s financial statements if those were what were used for the preparation of the tax return, or computer-generated statements.

following is a suggested checklist of things for the reviewer to consider:
read more →

politics & government

irs must speed up tax return processing

six steps to making it happen.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

it’s hard to comprehend the job that the internal revenue service performs. every year, more than a quarter billion tax returns flood into the agency’s complex of pipelines. some 10,400 employees get to work on “submission processing.”

more: cut down your tax work in progress | steve yoss: unlocking business insight with power bis | quick tax tip | more than 1 million erc claims still not processed | art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | four challenges of managing new tax preparers | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not.
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

in most cases, one of the pipelines leads back to the taxpayer with a timely refund or a notice of additional tax liability.

but in many cases, glitches in the system burden taxpayers with onerous and frustrating challenges.
read more →

charts & graphs

first tax filing reports are in

data table
* total tax returns processed includes returns received in the prior or current year and processed in 2025. # total refunds issued represents refunds for returns received and processed in 2025, which reflects current year returns only. however, the number of direct deposit refunds represents refunds for both current and prior year returns processed in 2025, which makes this figure larger than the “total number of refunds” listed for the current year.

 

refunds are up; everything else is down.

by beth bellor

the first week of tax season is over! cue the applause!

some of you seem less than excited. we know it’s early. all too early.

more: steve yoss: unlocking business insight with power bis | quick tax tip | more than 1 million erc claims still not processed | art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | four challenges of managing new tax preparers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

still, it’s time to begin our weekly tally of how things are going, starting with 13.2 million individual income tax returns received as of jan. 31, down 14 percent from the same period in 2024. the total returns processed was 11.7 million, down 15.8 percent.
read more →

busy season management

cut down your tax work in progress

bonus: it’s cheaper than adding capacity.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

want to increase profitability and client retention? manage projects effectively.

if you don’t have these measures, get them, or turn in your ceo title. if, as a value pricer, you’ve sworn off practice metrics based on productivity, you’ll learn nothing from this article. you just don’t have the numbers. mark cuban is on hold waiting to yell at you.

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

 

there are only three ways to increase client happiness and thus increase retention:

  1. lower your prices
  2. decrease the turnaround time for client work
  3. increase quality

read more →

pro member exclusive

measure partner potential with five questions

young black woman sitting in front of laptop looking thoughtful

ptp_2ndc
plus how to read your firm’s cultural blueprint.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

what conclusions can you draw from your knowledge of how the promotion system works in your firm that you need to keep in mind?

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

 

in terms of firm culture, you need to understand the four navigational points of the compass:

  1. who do i need to stay on the right side of?
  2. what are the unwritten rules in my firm?
  3. whose opinions can be trusted?
  4. what really impresses the partners?

read more →

featured video

stefan van duyvendijk: develop operational mindset | the disruptors

don’t just check the boxes. provide benefits.

sponsored by holistic guide to wealth retention, by rory henry – see today’s special offer
this is a preview. the complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members | go pro here

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the disruptors
with liz farr

stefan van duyvendijk, accounting operations evangelist at floqast, wants accountants in the industry to expand their roles.

in addition to the vital role of providing the basic requirements of accounting, he wants them to develop an operational mindset, as described in the book van duyvendijk co-authored with mike whitmire, ceo of floqast: shift happens: the rise of the operational mindset and how controllers can drive real value. liz farr served as a developmental editor.

more podcasts and videos: steve evans: why traditional hiring methods fail | roger knecht: can you be an accountrepreneur? | beth whitworth: focus on outcomes not hours | mike sylvester: learn to say no | salim omar: identify your client’s $100,000 problem | jackie meyer: earn more with fewer clients | jack fleherty: don’t be a ‘yes’ person | greg adams: from finance to storytelling | the disruptors | jody padar: make radical changes now if you want to be relevant in 2030 | rebecca driscoll: amplify reach by helping other firm owners | rory henry: create the return on relationships | mike maksymiw: be the leader you wish you had | terrell turner: build a solid business showing up as yourself | kelly mann: be the bull in the china shop | alicia katz pollock: create a human-centric business |  nancy mcclelland: be the one your clients ask first |alan whitman: stop accepting the status quo | sean duncan: discover your own genius | ingrid edstrom: true wealth is not financial |

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the operational mindset isn’t just about “making sure we make the product, and we move the product, and we get it to people,” but it means taking the discipline accountants already have for optimizing accounting processes and “taking that and applying it to our work and saying, ‘i’m going to track what i do in work. i’m going to measure what i do and work objectively so that i can go in and improve it and change it,’” van duyvendijk explains.  

read more →