Research shows that money activates more areas of the brain than sex, death, politics, or religion.

By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™

For CPA Trendlines

A recent McKinsey study found that the demand for holistic financial advice increased 60% from 2018 to 2023. Meanwhile, another McKinsey study projected a shortage of 100,000 financial advisors by 2034. That gap is leaving a massive opportunity for CPAs to step up as holistic advisors.

• MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management
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A recent Holistic Guide to Wealth Management book panel discussion with two industry luminaries showed that CPAs who are in the best position to thrive as holistic advisors are those who use technology to deliver deeper planning and relationship-driven advice.

“Traditional econometric models were all predicated on this idea that people were rational,” noted psychologist, author, and behavioral finance expert, Dr. Daniel Crosby. “What we actually know is that it is perhaps least true of us when it comes to money.”

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Building a firm should provide time, money, and freedom.

The Concierge CPA

With Jackie Meyer

For CPA Trendlines

In this conversation, Dr. Jackie Meyer, CPA and Reza Hooda, Coach & Mentor to Accountants with The Profitable Accountants Community, discuss the transformative journey of Hooda from a traditional accounting background to modernizing his practice through value pricing and effective client engagement strategies.

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They explore the importance of pricing psychology, positioning, and the four pillars of success in building a thriving accounting firm. Reza shares his insights on the challenges faced by accountants and the necessity of niching down to attract the right clients. The discussion also touches on the impact of mentorship and continuous learning in achieving business growth and personal freedom.

Leaders must decide whether to follow the money—or protect their independence.

Accounting Influencers
With Rob Brown

In a striking shift that’s redefining the accounting profession, private equity is no longer circling—it’s landed. On a recent episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast, host Rob Brown breaks down what might be the most transformative trend facing accounting firm leaders today: the rapid influx of private equity (PE) into the industry.

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"Would you sell half of your accounting firm to a private equity firm for a billion dollars?" Brown asks. “Because some of the biggest names in our industry already have.”

And they’re not small names. Baker Tilly, the 10th largest U.S. accounting firm, recently sold more than 50% of its business to a private equity firm. Grant Thornton did the same. The motivations are clear: stay competitive, invest in technology, attract top-tier talent, and survive the pressures of a changing profession.

The episode lays out the perfect storm: firms are grappling with shrinking margins, relentless competition, and a talent shortage unlike any in recent history. Against this backdrop, private equity offers a lifeline—cash, resources, and a roadmap for accelerated growth.

But the promise comes with caveats.

“With that capital comes leverage and debt,” Brown warns. “Is this injection of cash helping firms stay relevant, or is it putting them at risk of losing their independence?”

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.”

...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.

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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.