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The CPA PE Playbook: Private Equity 2026 Outlook & Strategy Guide
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The Definitive Guide to Private Equity’s Transformation of the CPA Profession
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By CPA Trendlines Research
The accounting profession is changing faster than at any time in its modern history—and private equity is driving the shift. More than $30 billion in new capital has entered CPA firms since 2020, igniting a powerful wave of consolidation, modernization, and strategic reinvention. Firms that once relied on incremental growth and traditional partnership structures are now operating as high-performance platforms built for scale, technology adoption, and national reach.
The CPA PE Playbook is the most comprehensive analysis available today on this historic transformation.
If you want to know where the profession is heading, how PE-backed firms are competing, and what it will take to thrive in the next decade, this is the report you need.
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How Much Do Your Clients Need You?
Three questions to ask.
By Ed Mendlowitz
Tax Season Opportunity Guide
Know your value to your clients. Better, understand your business and what you really do and what you add to the client’s life.
MORE by Ed Mendlowitz
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I had a group of gastroenterologists as clients who were going to get into a business of inserting a gastric bubble into people’s stomachs. There were a number of issues to this.
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Why Addressing Ineffective Partners Isn’t Optional
How to arrange a “soft landing.”
By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great
Most accounting, tax and advisory CPA firm professionals who have demonstrated that they can help perpetuate an organization become partners between the ages of 35 and 42. In many cases, these same professionals retire from their firms as they approach the age of 60, 65 and 70.
MORE by Domenick J. Esposito
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Many emotional and physical changes happen to us humans over the course of 25, 30 or 35 years. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad, our personal lives, energy levels and productivity at the age of 35 usually are different than our personal lives, energy levels and productivity at the age of 65.
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How to Handle Difficult CAS Clients
You have to have boundaries.
By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide
At the heart of every advisory relationship is a desire to help. Clients genuinely want help, but they may be hesitant to change at first. That’s completely normal. What might seem like pushback is often just a sign that the advisory process is truly unfolding and making an impact.
MORE by Hitendra Patil
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Not every advisory relationship is smooth, and that’s okay. This article equips you with the mindset and tools to handle difficult clients with professionalism and clarity.
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Client Trust Begins with Onboarding
How do you want this new relationship to begin?
By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud
Onboarding is critical when it comes to bringing on new virtual CFO clients. It’s also important to have a smooth onboarding process for clients receiving any other types of services. I want to dive into onboarding in each of our service areas a little bit more.
MORE by Jody Grunden
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I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but I simply cannot express enough how important the onboarding process is for establishing extremely solid client relationships. When it comes down to it, relationships are the backbone of our business.
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All Ages Can Benefit from Trust and Estate Planning
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Cody Barbo is the founder and CEO of Trust & Will. Before this, he was founder and CEO of Industry, a “LinkedIn” for the service and hospitality industry. He serves on the San Diego State University Alumni Board of Advisors and Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity’s National Foundation Board. |
Advances in online planning tools make it easier and more affordable.
By Cody Barbo
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management
Studies show that 60 percent of families don’t have any estate planning in place, which usually makes it more painful and expensive for families to settle the estate of their loved ones.
MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management
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When it comes to considering who will be the best guardian for your children or how to divide your assets among loved ones, thinking about your estate can be stressful and intimidating. In fact, our research shows that half of people who eventually do get estate plans in place, spend one to five years considering before actually completing it. Why do so many people procrastinate about something that’s so important?
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