today's features

tax and accounting priorities shifting in turbulent times

bar chart

three actions that firms can take.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a multinational thomson reuters survey of tax professionals has found accounting firms shifting their priorities after a year of unexpected developments and before a year of unexpected developments.

that’s a lot of unexpected developments.

more: report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms | is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | seven enticements to keep talent on board | disruptors: talent crisis? what talent crisis? | seven steps to a stronger future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

in 2023, the annual survey saw firms and their clients hunkering down for a year of post-covid-19 unknowns, a recession that never came, inflation that wouldn’t quit and interest rates that persisted at uncomfortable heights.

this year, it looks like firms are reassessing where they stand and where they are going. times are turbulent – technologically, economically, politically, environmentally – so recovering from the past and preparing for the future are going to require some changes.
read more →

imagine! the national tax advocate does

(you may say she’s a dreamer, but she’s not the only one.)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

one word keeps popping up in national tax advocate erin m. collins’s introduction to her annual objectives report to congress.

the word is “imagine,” and collins’s dream depicts an irs that is a only bit more feasible than john lennon’s dream of a world with no countries or religion.

more: art werner: maximizing fringe benefits | is the irs mismeasuring phone service? | irs makes big progress but … | business booming, but not as much as last year | busy season barometer offers clues for better business | tax practitioners say happy days are here … again | the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

but you can still sing along …

“imagine a taxpayer or a representative receiving a text message

… or email referring the taxpayer to their online account,
read more →

bissett bullet: setting the agenda

today’s bissett bullet: “take control of the first meeting with a potential client by gently setting the agenda at the beginning.”

by martin bissett

having no agenda means that a meeting can flow in the wrong direction and it may be difficult to steer the conversation back to where you need it to be. there is a real danger that you will leave without getting what you came for. setting out the agenda in too formal a tone, however, will do you no favors either. a prospective client who is meeting you for the first time may feel on the back foot and the meeting will be closed down before it’s even started.

the word “gently” is key here. setting out three things you’d like to cover during the meeting and asking your prospective client if that agenda suits them rarely meets any kind of resistance.

today’s to-do:

practice setting out the meeting agenda with a colleague so it feels natural when you gently steer your next prospect toward staying on track.

see more bissett bullets here

read more →

regenerative accounting: ingrid edstrom pioneers a holistic approach to financial practices


non-traditional thought leaders discuss innovative strategies for aligning values and professional work.

accounting arc
with donny shimamoto
center for accounting transformation

donny shimamoto, cpa, citp, cgma, hosts ingrid edstrom and matthew heggem, two accountants who are redefining the boundaries of their profession. their discussion provides a deep dive into innovative approaches to accounting that emphasize social impact, equity, and sustainability.

more: accounting arc: decoupling deib: a nuanced approach with jina etienne | accounting arc: what tech-savvy accountants know |accounting arc: where in the world are you seeing this? | accounting arc:breaking barriers – how becky dupree’s love for data analytics and her identity shaped her professional pathaccounting arc: forecasting finance & the 2034 accounting landscape | accounting arc: top 10 strategies for managing growth | accounting arc: busting the big 4 myth | accounting arc: exploring ai’s role in modern accounting | accounting arc: unraveling the collapse of silicon valley bank | on a mission: introducing accounting, reaction, comedy (arc) | 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 |

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

edstrom, founder of priestess of profits, has transitioned from traditional accounting to business strategy, consulting, and coaching. her firm focuses on helping accounting professionals shift their limiting beliefs and align their work with their values. edstrom explains, “i no longer work for a living; i show up in my highest self in service, whether i’m getting paid for it or not.”

read more →

five reasons to ditch timesheets for good

you get what you measure.

by jody padar
radical pricing – by the radical cpa

when you measure time on timesheets, you are measuring a scarce commodity. there are only so many billable hours in a week.

more: productize services for consistent client value | digitize clients for standardization | six steps to creating a standardized practice | four ways automation pushes the paradigm shift | are you the key signal caller for your clients?value pricing requires defining your clientshow value pricing impacts your employees6 steps to start value pricingwhat are you selling?three critical factors drive the value pricing trend
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

by measuring billable hours, you’re living in a world of scarcity. this is bound to affect your firm, both internally and externally.

read more →

report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms

tech’s the tool, but ai? not yet.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

for the second year in a row, the thomson reuters state of tax professionals report finds that improving efficiency is the top strategy priority for accounting firms, but this year, for the first time, it ties with talent.

as the report notes, the two priorities are tightly linked in the sense that efficiency is linked to productivity. the former drives the latter.

more: is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | audit firms nervous about new tech | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | global trends show many dissatisfied cpas | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | let interns fix the staffing shortage? | disruptors: talent crisis? what talent crisis?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the report is based on an international survey of 500 respondents, about half in the united states, with the rest in the united kingdom, canada, australia, brazil and argentina. data comes from the first quarter of 2024.
read more →

ai displacing more jobs in banking than other sectors

upskilling will be key to keeping staff.

by rick richardson
technology this week

according to citigroup inc., artificial intelligence (ai) will likely replace more positions in the banking sector than in any other. technology is going to transform consumer finance and make employees more productive.

more: your brain can store 10 times more than anyone thoughthow many ev charging stations will we need?google launches new private space featuremicrosoft discovers a security flaw impacting android apps | what is an ai pc, and should i get one?fool’s gold may not be so foolish nowai-engineered enzyme could be solution to plastic pollution | german researchers develop ev motor with no rare-earth magnets | ai named the highest-paying in-demand tech skill for 2024
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

according to citigroup’s most recent ai assessment, roughly 54 percent of banking professions might be automated. ai technology has the potential to enhance an additional 12 percent of jobs within the business.

read more →

adam lean: get out of the accountant’s trap

be unstoppable without sacrificing your soul.

this is a video preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members.

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).

the disruptors
with liz farr

like many of today’s younger accountants, adam lean didn’t want to be relegated to the back office recording history and focused on compliance but wanted to have an impact by helping businesses grow. “i didn’t want to just be that person that just recorded the fact that the titanic was sinking. i wanted to help the titanic not sink.” younger people “want to make waves,” lean says. “they want to make more money without having to sacrifice their soul.”

more podcasts and videos: geraldine carter: charging more is better for your clientsvimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option | dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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

lean, the ceo and co-founder of the cfo project, had an epiphany.

instead of being “at the whim of my clients or government deadlines, or bookkeeping deadline,” lean discovered that by helping business owners understand their numbers, he could do something bigger and better. most business owners don’t understand their numbers, but as lean says “that’s a skill that if harnessed in the right way, you can be unstoppable.”

read more →

is the irs mismeasuring phone service?

unhappy man waiting on phone in office

bad metrics are hiding problems.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if there’s one nice thing about phoning the irs, it’s the opportunity to take a nap.

taxpayer naps were a little shorter this year, especially for those calling 35 of the 102 toll-free lines, known as enterprise lines, that taxpayers can call for assistance. those 35 lines are for accounts management (am) issues.

more: is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | audit firms nervous about new tech | what accountants can learn from t-ball | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | misperceptions, corrections, accountancy and lemonade
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

thanks to a mandate from the secretary of the treasury, the irs hired 7,000 customer service representatives to handle the am lines.
read more →

how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong

only a small percentage of audit leaders understand businessmindedness’s inward and outward components.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

i talk to leaders of firms all around the country who think that if they get their fee realization right, that’s a sign that they’ve got great business minds. they ask me what the market fee realization is, so i tell them that’s a miserable measure.

more: say adios to audit fee pressure | eight items to cover in the audit exit to deepen client relationships and prove value | know your three audit w’splanning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

there is no perfect fee realization. as extreme examples, i’ve worked with firms with 10 percent and 200 percent fee realizations. which is better? neither. the firm with a 10 percent fee realization bills at $5,000 per hour, while the other bills at $20 an hour.

read more →

you can’t win with lowballing

when to let the next accountant take the losses.

ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: a client of 10 years was paying a fixed fee that was now a little less than half of our time charges. also, there had been a gradual scope creep with additional services being forced on us without any extra fees.

more: nine reasons not to specialize | when board service gets tricky | yes, you have to share work papers | hiring experience vs. training inexperience | eleven ways new staffers can help bring in business | should you merge? here’s how to chart your path | a friendly chat or a billable discussion? | busy season is over, so it’s time for some resolutions | hold staff accountable if you want them to listen to you | when selling a firm to staffers is tricky | want to merge? six steps to take | how to raise your rates
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the cpa had not received an increase in six years because of the client’s constant complaining that the fee was too high. the client just told us they had a quote from another firm that was half of ours, and said if we didn’t match it, they would leave us. what should we do?
read more →

is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries?

dot chart
the number of accounting degree completions from bachelor’s programs from 1994-2021. source: 2023 aicpa trends report

 

there’s a paradox going on.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a working paper by three academics presents a paradoxical contradiction in the accounting industry. somehow, technology, which is starting to replace some accounting functions, is causing a shortage of accounting professionals. and despite the high demand for the few graduates who major in accounting, starting salaries are lower than in related professions.

more: audit firms nervous about new tech | what accountants can learn from t-ball | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | misperceptions, corrections, accountancy and lemonade | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | global trends show many dissatisfied cpas | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

and in a related paradox, technology’s most powerful tools may be augmenting the accountant’s workload.

how can all this be concurrent?
read more →