today's features

carla mccall: find your authentic leadership style | gear up for growth

“just having a title or a position doesn’t make you a leader. you have to earn the trust and respect of the team that you’re leading.”
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gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

in the latest episode of gear up for growth, carla mccall, cpa, cgma, managing partner of aaf cpas, and chair of the aicpa, shares valuable insights into leadership transitions within cpa firms. as the industry faces a generational shift—with 75% of current cpas expected to retire in the next 15 years—mccall’s experience highlights the importance of planning for the next wave of firm leadership.
gear up for growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and effficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. more gear up for growth every friday here.more capstone conversations with jean caragher every monday | more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 videos and podcasts here
coming next week mitch reno: client experience advantage goes to small firms, with mitch reno, director of client experience at rehmann
mccall recounts her journey, beginning when she joined aaf in 1995, becoming a partner in 2003 and eventually a co-managing partner in 2011. she emphasizes the importance of having a firm-wide succession mindset, where every leader is responsible for mentoring and developing their potential successor. one key factor in aaf’s smooth transition was a structured managing partner in training program designed to prepare future leaders for the complexities of running a cpa firm.

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steve yoss: the big tech issues accountants need to follow today | quick tech talks

staying ahead requires adaptability and a focus on delivering value beyond the tasks that traditionally defined accounting.

quick tech talk
with steve yoss
cpe today

as technology advances at a breakneck speed, accountants must rethink how they add value to their clients and organizations.

more steve yoss | more tech
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“back in the 50s, accounting was incredibly manual, requiring a virtual army to produce records,” yoss explains, highlighting the drastic evolution of the field. by the 80s, spreadsheets like visicalc and excel began to ease the burden. the 90s brought us small business accounting systems like quickbooks. today, automation and ai-driven solutions can perform low-value tasks—such as general bookkeeping, accounts payable, and more—with little oversight and near error-free execution.

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six tips for setting compensation

young woman holding giant dollar sign in modern office

plus 17 extraordinary benefits to consider offering.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

“if you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it, you almost don’t have to manage them.” – jack welch

“pay your people the least possible and you’ll get from them the same.” – malcolm forbes

every cpa industry survey we’ve seen for decades shows that compensation is either no. 1 in importance to staff or close to it.

more: staff crave advancement and challenge | what leadership looks and feels at cpa firms | eleven things that good mentors do | give the recognition your staff needs | the importance of great bosses | how remote work is impacting accounting firms | make work flexibility work for everyone | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how to solve the big disconnect in talent management | what relevance means for staffing in accounting | how accounting staffing has changed
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our feeling is that compensation is the ante to enter or stay in the game. put another way, according to jeremy wortman:

if college graduates are looking for their first job, or if a young person with a little experience is job hunting, compensation is huge. if a person has two offers, one for $60,000 and the other for $65,000, the higher offer will get the person almost every time. but if the offers are $500 apart and the person likes the firm offering the lower salary better, it’s likely that the lower-paying firm will get the nod.
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bissett bullet: be the bigger person

today’s bissett bullet: “as you progress throughout your career, you may find yourself in situations where those who are on the same level as you in terms of earnings or seniority are suddenly your subordinates. how you handle that situation is critical.”

by martin bissett

exercise humility in leadership and if you come up against staff who resent your seniority, try to spend time with them away from the office in a more informal setting. help them get to know you and understand that you are in the position you are based on merit. gently let them know that you hold the keys to their own career progression, but rise above the politics and invite them to work collaboratively with you.

ultimately, you will manage these people up or you will manage them out, but the partners in your firm will be watching to see how you respond to this sort of situation and what sort of leader you might have the potential to become.

today’s to-do:

think about how you would like to be treated if roles were reversed and how you would feel encouraged by a boss who used to be a colleague.

see more bissett bullets here

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what to do when a partner becomes disabled

man seated at desk in front of empty chair

what does the partnership agreement say? oops …

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

question: my partner has been out sick for the past 3½ months, and he has been continuing to get his draw. it looks like he will be out for some time more, but not sure how long.

more: do as little as possible | want to merge? here are 23 things to request | i’m just starting out; why join an association? | don’t blame the client for your location | realign partners with monthly meetings | i’m 76. should i slow down? how? | who to hire when it’s time to grow | hourly billing doesn’t cover the value; now what? | ask for what you’re worth | the top tip for reviewing tax returns | you have to start somewhere | two options for collecting past due fees | you can’t win with lowballing | nine reasons not to specialize | when board service gets tricky
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he does make some calls from home, but isn’t really doing any work. is there anything i can do?
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do others think you’re ready to be partner?

confident businesswoman seated at desk

three questions about your competence.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses in a conversational style.

more: competence is just the beginning | what rich accountants do | attract clients, don’t sell to them | how to attract clients | four reasons accountants struggle with selling | think of it as service, not selling | eight questions for personal preparation | perception, even your own, is reality | eight questions that target personal accountability | how to prepare for partnership | stop waiting for business to come to you | are you projecting confidence? | five questions to help forecast your firm growth | four key questions about leadership
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but two brief but succinct examples on the realities of how a firm assesses an individual’s “competence” for leadership are showcased really stood out:

  1. they need to explain technical data to me in a way that i know they understand.
  2. what kind of lifestyle does this person have outside of work? we’ll be looking at facebook, x and google to find out.

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beyond the basics in ethics education | accounting arc

the difficulty isn’t identifying the ethical decision; it’s making the right choice with difficult implications.”

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accounting arc
with liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto.
center for accounting transformation

accounting ethics training needs a major reboot, according to the latest episode of accounting arc. while traditional ethics training often feels like a check-the-box exercise, hosts liz mason, byron patrick,  and donny shimamoto argue the profession must move toward a more engaging and comprehensive approach. 

more accounting arc: leadership for the future: stakeholders, sustainability, and strategic visionin-person conferences still essential | non-accountants in accounting: a game-changer for the professionrubik yeriazarian: smaller firms offer big opportunities for rapid skill development in forensic accounting | accounting arc | ai will steal your job. and that’s a good thing | accounting arc | the right kind of lazy: innovative approaches to streamlining workflows | accounting arc

“ethics education in accounting has become stale,” says patrick, ceo and founder of verifyiq and vice president of client success at the b3 method institute, reflecting on his 80-plus hours of ethics training over his 22-year career. “the right decisions are usually obvious, but it’s the process of making them that’s difficult. unfortunately, none of my training has equipped me to handle that challenge.” 
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mike maksymiw: be the leader you wish you had | the disruptors

if no one’s complaining that your fees are too high, your fees are too low. 

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

mike maksymiw, the leader of aprio firm alliance, hates charge hours as a primary performance metric. he even left a firm where he was a partner because of a dispute over charge hours. although he exceeded his revenue goals by a healthy margin, he was penalized because he got the work done in fewer hours.

join liz farr at the linkedin 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 group | more liz farr | follow liz farr on the disruptors wherever you get your podcasts: applegoogle/youtubespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music, audibleplayer fmaudacy, rss. | more podcasts and videos: terrell turner: build a solid business showing up as yourselfkelly mann: be the bull in the china shopalicia katz pollock: create a human-centric businessnancy 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 | caleb jenkins: firm growth requires owners to shift roles |

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“the main thing i was supposed to do, i was doing,” he tells liz farr in this episode of the disruptors. and if he hadn’t been meeting his revenue goals, that deficit in hours would have been something to remedy.  “so i don’t want people to think there’s no place for these metrics. we need to put them in the right order that makes sense for running a business.”

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solving staffing requires intention

man in suit with hand extended, coworkers in background

“getting work was easy, but getting it done was hard.”

by matt rampe
the rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics

the staffing struggle won’t turn around overnight. firms that want to succeed need an intentional strategy on recruiting and retaining talent.

editor’s note: every year, the 2024 rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics asks the profession’s top consultants two sets of questions:

    • how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? trends? predictions? other thoughts?
    • how would you assess the last 12 months? trends? observations? struggles?

more: how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage | the future of fees | as private equity closes in, firms seek new answers to staffing problems | when staffing falls short, clients get culled | how accounting firms are dealing with retirement | next five years are critical for accounting firms | staffing turnover’s down, but why? | what’s your firm worth? private equity wants to know | the new pipeline: outsourcing and offshoring | is this the last year of accounting’s golden age?
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private equity and technology will continue to advance. this will create a more competitive landscape, with more firms innovating on all aspects of the traditional cpa firm model.
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breaking tradition, wimbledon replaces line judges with technology

after 147 years, one of the world’s most tradition-rich sporting events will bust out of its comfort zone.

by rick richardson

wimbledon, the oldest grand slam tennis tournament, is bringing itself into the 21st century by implementing electronic line-calling instead of human line judges.

more tech this week: gates foundation, uk fund biotech grant for ag breakthroughmicrosoft refreshes copilot with wave 2 | thomson reuters brings al to audit solutions | new in-flight earbud adapter ideal for travelers | new tech turns bombed-out rubble into blocks for new homes | discovery in california could power 375 million electric vehicles | lexar ssd expands storage for pro-level video | five new google maps and waze features | new warehouse robot could revolutionize efficiency | new pacemaker powered by light, no batteries | microsoft patents an encryption system to block visual hacking
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the all england club recently stated that starting in 2025, technology will make the “out” and “fault” calls at the championships, eliminating the necessity for human officials to do so.

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eleven questions about kids, wealth and the family business

three people discussing a document

cpas have a role to play.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

inheritance is notorious for ripping families apart. many manage to divvy up their parents’ wealth with the kind of mutual love and respect we expect to see in families.

but sometimes, with the smell of moolah in the air, it’s more like a knife fight.

it’s even more complicated when there’s a family business involved.

more: twelve years and out: seasoned accountants join the exodus | how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage | gen ai in accounting: epic transformation, or overheated hype? | survey shows big opportunities in small business | salary guides for accountants vary widely: whom do you believe? | are you earning what you deserve? | the slow, painful death of the 150-hour rule | partner comp earnings gap: what’s the right spread? | main street accountants see turbulence ahead for small business
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so many questions

unless there’s just one inheritor, one who wants to own and run the business, there are many complex issues – financial, legal, psychological – that need to be resolved.
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history could help accountant-vendor relations

older woman showing young woman something on office computer screen

think about where you want your business to be.

by seth fineberg

the phrase “history is the greatest teacher” can be applied in many ways, but to me it does not ring truer than when thinking of the current state of accountant-vendor relations. in short, it’s not all that good.

more: accounting needs a ‘rethink’ not a ‘rebrand’ | big change comes with deep reflection | three ways to raise the bar for your business
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the accounting profession has evolved to the point to where there is a tool for every task, and the choices have never been more plentiful or the process of selecting one more challenging. at the same time, having overseen this profession as long as i have, the thing that’s been clear is the risks of tying so much of what you do to one vendor.
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ten topics for your newsletter | listicle

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

generally speaking, your newsletter should be easy to read, useful and actionable. it should help clients stay organized as they see the benefit of working with their accountant. let your newsletter invite clients and potential clients to contact you for more information.

more listicles here

these topics or the newsletter you develop from them can also be used as the basis for podcasts, radio interviews, daily email bulletins and powerpoint presentations.

here are 10 topics. use your expertise to expand them.

  1. cash flow management: strategies for improving cash flow in a business
  2. tax deductions: common tax deductions for individuals and businesses
  3. investment strategies: insights into effective investment planning
  4. technology in accounting: emerging technologies and software in the accounting industry
  5. industry-specific tax tips: tax considerations for specific industries such as health care, retail, etc.
  6. financial statements explained: understanding and analyzing financial statements
  7. irs correspondence: how to handle letters and notices from the irs
  8. charitable contributions: tax benefits of charitable giving
  9. self-employment tips: tax and accounting tips for freelancers and self-employed individuals
  10. payroll management: best practices for managing payroll efficiently