To turn disruption into opportunities, get marketers to the table "early and often."

Capstone Conversations
By Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

Kristen Lewis, Managing Director of Marketing for EisnerAmper and the 2024 Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) Marketer of the Year, joins Jean Caragher on Capstone Conversations to share lessons from her marketing leadership, insights on post-pandemic strategy shifts, and her vision for the profession’s future. The conversation examines both the tactical and human aspects of CPA firm marketing in an era of rapid change, industry consolidation, and heightened client expectations.

• Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here. | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | Catch Jean Caragher's other show, Gear Up for Growth, here. | And browse all the shows in the CPA Trendlines broadcast network here

Lewis reflects on her oft-quoted phrase from a previous Capstone appearance during COVID—“building the car while driving it”—as still being true today. She notes that the firm’s post-pandemic agility has become both a strength and a challenge, with the pace of innovation and disruption keeping teams moving at high speed. “We proved to ourselves that we could be nimble and change things on the fly,” she says. “That’s exciting, but also exhausting at times.”

Hosts call out the fiscal dysfunction behind America’s school meltdown.

Accounting ARC
With Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto

When CNBC published a video examining why U.S. public schools are facing severe budget shortfalls, it sparked a passionate accounting conversation. On the Accounting ARC podcast, co-hosts Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, and Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA, offer a reaction episode that reframes the crisis through the lens of financial strategy—and accountability.

• MORE Accounting ARC: What Career Advice Gets Wrong for Gen Z - And How to Fix It |Your Identity is Not a Liability | What Happens in Vegas… Gets Reported on a Tax Return | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough | The Ultimate Business Hack You’re Probably Ignoring | Resilience, Real Talk, and the Road to Mental Wellness | Blockchain Could Still Reshape Accounting | What Gen Z Wants from Business | Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service |

Both CPAs were struck by one glaring omission in the original reporting: the absence of accounting professionals in decision-making roles. “Where’s the CFO?” asks Shimamoto, founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies, and founder and inspiration architect of the Center for Accounting Transformation. “Who looked at the time limits on that COVID-era grant money and said, ‘Hey, this isn't going to last’?”

Patrick, CEO of VERIFYiQ, and co-founder and educator at TB Academy, echoes that frustration: “It’s like budgeting on hopes and dreams instead of facts and forecasts.”

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...Before year-end chaos returns...

Quick Tax Tip
With Art Werner
CPE Today

Busy season is behind us. Year-end reporting deadlines haven’t hit yet. That makes right now the sweet spot for strategic client outreach—and tax professionals shouldn’t waste a second of it.

• Click here for more Art Werner

In the latest episode of the Quick Tax Tip podcast, listeners get an urgent wake-up call: This is the moment to reconnect with clients, reevaluate their entity structures, and prepare them for the potential ripple effects of new legislation.

“This might be the best question any tax pro could ask right now,” Werner says in response to a question about how to prioritize client conversations after busy season. “You’ve got breathing room—use it.”

“You can have inclusion without belonging, but it’s not going to stick. People need to feel they matter.”

MOVE Like This
With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
For CPA Trendlines

In this episode of MOVE Like This, host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk talks with Jim Wallace, CEO of BPM, about how the firm has embedded diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into the core of its culture and strategy. With more than 40 years in public accounting, Jim shares candid insights into how BPM went beyond the “check the box” approach to DEIB by making it a CEO-led initiative from the start.

• MORE MOVE

Wallace explains that BPM’s brand promise, “Because People Matter,” isn’t just a slogan, but a foundational principle that informs every part of the firm’s operations, from leadership development to firm-wide engagement. DEIB is not treated as a standalone initiative; it’s part of the firm’s strategic plan and embedded in its values, mission, and even metrics. For example, BPM uses colleague engagement surveys to track employee sentiment, finding that 82% of employees feel they can bring their authentic selves to work. These insights drive changes in programming and support for staff.

A brief disruption could cost you thousands. A complete failure could cost you everything.

Quick Tech Talk
With Steve Yoss
CPE Today

In the digital era, your data is your most valuable asset. Whether you're serving clients, analyzing operations, or simply keeping your business afloat, uninterrupted access to accurate data is essential. But what happens when that access is suddenly taken away?

• MORE Steve Yoss here
• MORE TECH

That’s the urgent question explored in the latest episode of Quick Tech Talks, where the focus is on why every business—regardless of size or industry—needs a robust, modern data backup strategy. This isn’t just about peace of mind. It’s about regulatory compliance, operational continuity, and business survival.

Boundaries, balance, and tech-powered efficiency are key to more fulfilling work.

The Disruptors

With Liz Farr

Jackie Meyer envisions a future where every taxpayer “has some kind of democratized access to tax-saving ideas.” Those on the lower end of the income spectrum might be able to upload their 1040s for an instant readout of missed tax saving opportunities and connection to an advisor.

• CPA TRENDLINES CELEBRATES: The 100th Episode of The Disruptors
• MORE STREAMING: Erica Goode: Build a $200K Firm in 15hrs/Week | Randy Crabtree: Live at the Intersection of Passion & Skill | McClelland and Telka: Women Ready to Rewrite the Rules of Accounting | Jacob Schroeder: AI Won’t Replace Accountants—But It Will Reveal Who’s Replaceable | Ditching Corporate America: The Bold Story Behind PBS Accounting’s Rapid Rise | Jean Zick: Happy Team = Happy Clients | Breslin & Greathead: Be a Client Advocate | Dominic Piscopo: Clear Pay=Bargaining Power | Debbie Kilsheimer: Stop Thinking Small |

Until that future of democratized access, Meyer wants to spread the word about the incredible opportunity for tax professionals to specialize in tax planning and advisory. “I was able to sell my own firm with 56 clients for just at seven figures because I led with tax advisory,” Meyer recalls. Her seven-figure firm required only four hours per week.

In her third appearance on The Disruptors with Liz Farr, Meyer discusses her next step in supporting tax advisory professionals with a new community, TaxPlanIQ Growth Plan. This new community revolves around the tax planning software she created, TaxPlanIQ. Meyer’s tech firm was selected for the 2023 CPA.com Startup Accelerator Program. “We have gotten tax plan creation automated and down into just two to three minutes per tax plan,” she explains.

Connecting the dots between behavior, legacy, and tax strategy unlocks greater trust—and stronger returns—for clients.

By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™

For CPA Trendlines

In today’s evolving advice landscape, being an expert in investment portfolios or tax returns is just table stakes. To stand out in a crowded field, you must be able to think at least two steps ahead of your clients. It means helping clients navigate life transitions, avoid costly mistakes, and leave a legacy with intention.

• MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management
• BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

As you’re probably sensing, we’re not just in the business of numbers today. We’re in the business of behavior and relationships. That’s the message during the latest Holistic Guide to Wealth Management book panel featuring Michael DiJoseph, CFA, a senior strategist at Vanguard’s Investment Advisory Research Center, and Andres Mazabel, head of Advisor Sales at Trust & Will. The discussion unpacks what 25 years of Vanguard’s Advisor Alpha research tells us about advisor value—and how digital estate planning is becoming a powerful new entry point for meaningful client conversations.