AUDIT & ASSURANCE

Vanover: 5-Star Firms Don’t Bill by the Hour | The Disruptors

By

Measuring impact—not hours—creates happier teams, better clients, and a stronger profession.

This is a preview. The complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by Tax Season Readiness: Practical Steps for a Smoother Busy Season  | See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/YouTube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS
Is your firm truly ready for tax season—or just hoping to survive it? Join this 90-minute webinar featuring an Accounting ARC Live panel with thought leaders who know what it takes to optimize performance under pressure.

The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

What will it take to kill the billable hour? Chris Vanover, founder of CPAClub, believes it’s not only “outdated and archaic,” but that today’s age of AI and automation “is a recipe for the death of the billable hour.”    

MORE STREAMING: Kless: Profit Is a Result. Flourishing Is the Purpose | Whitman: Build Culture on ‘Progress,’ Not Change | Shein: No PE? No M&A? No Problem | Hood and Weber: Time to RISE | Proctor: Turn Dumb Ideas into Brilliant Solutions | Carter-Gray: How 1 Poor Review Strengthened the Firm | Hartman: Upwork to “40 Under 40” in 3 Years | Telka: Transform Fear into Fuel | Woodard: Move Past Reports; Deliver Results | Baker: Find True Purpose to End Burnout | Brolin: The W.I.N. Leadership Formula | Gertrudes: How EOS & “Unreasonable Hospitality” Reshaped GrowthLab | Vilms: The Power of People in a Tech-Driven World | Dickerson: From Diagnosis to Disruption | Kapilovich: Treat People Like People | Martha Yasso: From Wall Street to Main Street | Jackie Meyer: Tax Plans in 90 Seconds? Believe It  | Erica Goode: Build a $200K Firm in 15hrs/Week |

GoProCPA.com Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

CPAClub, formerly AuditClub, operates under a different model. As Hervochon explained in his first appearance on The Disruptors, CPAClub operates as a subscription service, where pass holders have access on a monthly or annual basis to a team of highly skilled auditors and accountants. This innovative business model undoubtedly contributed to the firm’s recognition as CalCPA’s Firm of the Year for 2025.  

READ MORE →

Six Ways an Internal Audit Helps

By

The six principal tasks required.

By Ed Mendlowitz
77 Ways to Wow!

Every business has a system of internal controls. Very small businesses likely rely on luck and the honesty of their one or two office staff. Small businesses rely on their independent auditors to check their system once a year and large companies employ one or more internal auditors on their staff.

MORE by Ed Mendlowitz
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

This post explains the internal audit process that applies to every size business. Businesses have voluminous transactions; multiple people involved, companywide; and assets that need protection.
READ MORE →

Client Explains How Financial Statement Helps Him

By

Two businessmen talking at office

Also: Audits vs. reviews vs. compilations.

By Ed Mendlowitz
77 Ways to Wow!

One of my clients generously gave me his take on the benefits he received from the audited financial statements we issued for him. I was appreciative of this and want to share his views with you.

MORE by Ed Mendlowitz
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

He began with an introduction explaining how he started his business and shepherded its growth by concentrating on developing his services and delivering them quickly and on time to his clients. The business grew rapidly, and little time was spent on the recordkeeping except for getting invoices to the clients or making payroll, while keeping the back office as lean as he could. At the same time there were legal, regulatory, HR, occupancy and tax issues from operating in multiple states and countries and he was spending quite a lot of time and fees on these activities, because he had to, while pushing aside and neglecting the accounting work.
READ MORE →

What Empowerment Can Do for Your Team

By

smiling woman standing at end of table, speaking with three seated colleagues

Unlock intellect and innovation.

By Alan Anderson, CPA
Transforming Audit for the Future

“If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.” – Kobe Bryant

I do a lot of work with firms to help them improve their project management, where everything is color-coded as red, green or yellow, depending on how the project is going. Frequently what I initially see is that everything is green for weeks on end, but still no nearer completion.

MORE by Alan Anderson | Ask the CPA Trendlines AI Chatbot about Transforming Audit for the Future
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

My instinct tells me that those projects that were green four weeks ago really weren’t green then. But out of fear of retribution, the staff were all afraid to tell the partner that something wasn’t going as well as expected. It takes about three to four weeks before people start being sincere about the job status.
READ MORE →