CLIENT ACCOUNTING SERVICES

870 Pages, Simplified | The Concierge CPA

By

OBBB affects every income tier—and tax advisors are urged to act now.

This is a preview. The complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by “It’s NOT Just the Numbers: How to Move Beyond the Numbers and Deliver REAL Value for Your Clients.”
by Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead. See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/YouTube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS.

The Concierge CPA
With Jackie Meyer
For CPA Trendlines

In the latest episode of The Concierge CPA, Jackie Meyer, a nationally recognized tax strategist, and Dave Lukas, CEO of TaxPlanIQ, walk through the most significant provisions of the new law. The hosts emphasize that while the changes add complexity, they also create what Meyer calls “a once-in-a-generation opportunity for accountants to step up as trusted advisors.”

More Jackie Meyer

One of the biggest wins for business owners is the permanent return of 100% bonus depreciation. Companies can immediately expense the full cost of qualifying assets—including used property—placed in service after Jan. 19, 2025. “Timing matters more than ever,” Meyer stresses, urging CPAs to model scenarios carefully to avoid unintended consequences with Qualified Business Income (QBI) deductions.

READ MORE →

What Exactly Is Client Advisory Services?

By

Businessman excited to show someone what is on computer screen

Remember, you’re the expert.

By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide

I attended the AICPA Engage 2022 conference in early June, where Dan Hood, the editor-in-chief of Accounting Today, stopped by for a brief chat. Of course, me being the author of the first and only book on client accounting services, the conversation quickly turned to CAS 2.0, specifically regarding the “advisory” services opportunity that everybody at Engage22 seemed to be discussing.

MORE by Hitendra Patil: The DNA of Advisory-CAS | Advisory Is Not Consulting | What Exactly Is Client Advisory Services? | Review Your CAS Offerings | CAS Prospects Want Proof? You’ve Got That | What AI CEO’s Warning Means (and Doesn’t) for Accountants | Ditch the Sales Pitch | How to Get CAS Clients to Blow Your Horn | Four Questions for Choosing CAS Clients | What Is Your Firm’s Marketable Value? | Seven Tips for CAS Marketing | Twelve Things That Kill Your CAS Profits
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The meaning of “advisory” changes as titles and services evolve. But what does it mean for clients and accountants today? Everyone talks about “advisory,” but few can define it clearly.

In this post, let’s ditch the buzzwords and talk about what advisory actually looks like when you are the one doing the work. You will explore the nature of advice, why firms struggle to define and deliver it, and what it really means to operate as an advisory-first professional. This is the starting point for turning intent into impact.
READ MORE →

May: Build a CAS-Fueled Powerhouse | Big 4 Transparency

By

“CAS gets stronger as tech gets better. The market’s expanding, not shrinking.” 

This is a preview. The complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by “It’s NOT Just the Numbers: How to Move Beyond the Numbers and Deliver REAL Value for Your Clients.”
by Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead. See Today’s Special Offer

Stream, listen, download, and subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/Youtube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS

Big 4 Transparency
By Dominic Piscopo, CPA
For CPA Trendlines

In this episode of Big 4 Transparency, Matthew May, former co-founder of Acuity and now CAS Leader at Sorren, pulls back the curtain on one of the most significant private equity-driven rollups in the accounting profession. Speaking with host Dominic Piscopo, May details how Acuity, alongside other firms, became part of a growing national platform backed by DFW Capital, and why he believes Client Accounting Services (CAS) will soon eclipse audit. 

MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Pay & Compensation | MORE CAS

The seeds of the Sorren platform were planted in a BDO Alliance roundtable where six firms fantasized about joining forces. That vision crystallized when DFW Capital, with a thesis to invest $100M in the space, entered the picture. From there, May and his partners at Acuity ran a rigorous process, engaging investment bankers to evaluate 250 potential paths, leading to 11 indications of interest (IOIs), seven in-person meetings, and five formal offers. The decision to join Sorren wasn’t about cashing out – it was about autonomy, cultural fit, and the chance to help shape a future-focused firm from the ground up. 

READ MORE →

Gertrudes: How EOS & “Unreasonable Hospitality” Reshaped GrowthLab | The Disruptors

By

Applying entrepreneurial principles and embracing a culture of extraordinary service, this finance firm is breaking the mold.

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 “It’s Not Just the Numbers: How to Move Beyond the Numbers and Deliver Real Value for Your Clients”
by Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead – See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/YouTube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS

The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

Dan Gertrudes doesn’t consider himself an accountant, though he admits, “I’m pretty good at it. I’ve taught it at Brown University.” After more than a decade working in finance in large corporations, Gertrudes began his journey as a firm owner via entrepreneurship through acquisition, or ETA, when he bought a firm in 2014 from a retiring owner.  

CPA TRENDLINES CELEBRATES:The 100th Episode of The Disruptors

MORE STREAMING: 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 | 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 |

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

Gertrudes positions his firm, GrowthLab, as finance-as-a-service, which means his clients receive ongoing, highly scoped recurring work rather than project work. “We want to be an extension of your management team,” he explains. Besides traditional bookkeeping, his firm provides the full spectrum of financial services: accounting, FP&A, tax, CFO services, and HR. In addition, he is also building STRMS as an AI automation agency.  

In contrast to many legacy firms, Gertrudes operates his firm as a business. “They’re not businesses,” he says about traditional CPA firms. “There’s no engine… You need more than one engine to be a business.” 

READ MORE →

Adjei: Profit from IRS Representation | The Concierge CPA

By

From Big Four consulting to FEMA volunteerism, Adjei blends problem-solving, purpose, and proactive planning.

This is a preview. The complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by “It’s NOT Just the Numbers: How to Move Beyond the Numbers and Deliver REAL Value for Your Clients.”
by Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead. See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/YouTube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS.

The Concierge CPA
With Jackie Meyer
For CPA Trendlines

When Hurricane Harvey submerged his first office, Houston-based CPA and tax advisor Brandon Adjei could have stepped back. Instead, he leaned in, volunteering for months at FEMA disaster relief centers, helping storm victims navigate IRS issues so they could access life-saving grants and loans. That work, originally meant to be temporary, became a catalyst for building a broader tax practice that now spans the U.S. and international clients.

More Jackie Meyer

On The Concierge CPA, host Jackie Meyer sits down with Adjei to unpack a career that has been anything but linear. From starting at Enron just before its collapse, to Big Four M&A consulting, to founding multiple firms, Adjei’s journey is rooted in adaptability, relationship-building, and a deep commitment to client advocacy.

READ MORE →

Review Your CAS Offerings

By

Check the what, when and how.

By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide

Why review your client accounting services offering periodically?

MORE by Hitendra Patil: The DNA of Advisory-CAS | Advisory Is Not Consulting | What Exactly Is Client Advisory Services? | Review Your CAS Offerings | CAS Prospects Want Proof? You’ve Got That | What AI CEO’s Warning Means (and Doesn’t) for Accountants | Ditch the Sales Pitch | How to Get CAS Clients to Blow Your Horn | Four Questions for Choosing CAS Clients | What Is Your Firm’s Marketable Value? | Seven Tips for CAS Marketing | Twelve Things That Kill Your CAS Profits
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Most accounting firms ultimately optimize their internal processes and resources that produce their services. The measurement of such optimization is the profitability of the firm. When firm owners/partners feel the pressure on profitability, it is natural for them to measure the factors that contribute to profitability, and the cost thereof.
READ MORE →

Vilms: The Power of People in a Tech-Driven World | The Disruptors

By

Listening, translating, and meeting clients where they are is just as important as adopting the latest tech.

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 “It’s Not Just the Numbers: How to Move Beyond the Numbers and Deliver Real Value for Your Clients”
by Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead – See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/YouTube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS

The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

Michelle Vilms has a perspective that most small business accountants don’t have: she had a front-row seat to the explosive growth of Staples as it grew from 100 stores to a $15 billion corporation. Today, she brings her mastery of operational accounting to her own firm, Vilms Consulting, and the small business clients with whom she works.  

CPA TRENDLINES CELEBRATES:The 100th Episode of The Disruptors

MORE STREAMING: 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 | 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 |

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

Vilms’ final position at Staples was director of Marketing and Finance, where she worked with the creative people who were putting together catalogs or ads. “They were numbers persons in their specialty, but they weren’t accounting numbers people,” she explains. “And so just learning to have empathy and explain it to them in the terms that they needed really brought me back to that corporate experience, is how I landed in operational accounting for our firm.” 

READ MORE →

Build a CAS Practice that Works | It’s Not Just the Numbers

By

The debut episode reveals why half-built CAS divisions fail and what to do instead – Plus 12 key takeaways! 

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 “It’s Not Just the Numbers: How to Move Beyond the Numbers and Deliver Real Value for Your Clients”
by Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead – See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), and Boomplay (Africa).

It’s Not Just the Numbers
With Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead
For CPA Trendlines

In the inaugural episode of It’s Not Just the Numbers, hosts Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead deliver a candid, experience-driven conversation aimed at accounting and bookkeeping firm owners seeking to move beyond compliance work and grow successful Client Accounting and Advisory Services (CAS) practices.

MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead
MORE Advisory & Consulting
BUY “It’s Not Just the Numbers”

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

The duo, who have worked together for over two decades, including hosting one of the first CAS workshops in 2013, are well-known voices in the evolution of cloud-based accounting and outsourced advisory services. Their show—named after their 2019 book—digs into the practical, strategic, and often messy realities of transitioning to advisory work. And for Breslin and Greathead, the key message is clear: building a sustainable CAS practice starts with intentionality.

READ MORE →

CAS Prospects Want Proof? You’ve Got That

By

smiling man talking on phone in office
Track your sales success and your existing clients can help.

By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide

As you hone your sales discovery process, you will see that asking and telling is not enough. You need to “show” as well.

MORE by Hitendra Patil: The DNA of Advisory-CAS | Advisory Is Not Consulting | What Exactly Is Client Advisory Services? | Review Your CAS Offerings | CAS Prospects Want Proof? You’ve Got That | What AI CEO’s Warning Means (and Doesn’t) for Accountants | Ditch the Sales Pitch | How to Get CAS Clients to Blow Your Horn | Four Questions for Choosing CAS Clients | What Is Your Firm’s Marketable Value? | Seven Tips for CAS Marketing | Twelve Things That Kill Your CAS Profits
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

What you show during the discovery discussion are your client accounting services sales collaterals. They are the “proofs” that you actually do what you say. These collaterals answer the often-unexpressed question in the prospect’s mind “What will I get?” For your CAS sales process, the following are some examples of the sales collaterals:
READ MORE →

AI Is Not Your Enemy; Here’s Why

By

Clients will always need context.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

In 1994, in a small hotel meeting room in Colorado Springs, 50 accounting firms were up in arms when the presenter mentioned QuickBooks. They shouted angry comments: “QuickBooks is destroying my business.” “They want to take my clients.” “They are giving people a false sense of security with their commercials that say, ‘If you can write a check, you can do QuickBooks.’”

MORE by Penny Breslin
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The presenter was nervous and asked me what he was to do. I said I use QuickBooks for your company, and I have no idea what I am doing, and I could use an accountant to teach me.

READ MORE →

Ditch the Sales Pitch

By

two men standing and shaking hands

Three steps to finding a mutual CAS fit.

By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide

“I am not a good salesperson.”

I have lost count of how many accountants have told me this over the years. But I also learned that what they really mean is that they do not have a well-defined, structured “sales process.”

MORE by Hitendra Patil: The DNA of Advisory-CAS | Advisory Is Not Consulting | What Exactly Is Client Advisory Services? | Review Your CAS Offerings | CAS Prospects Want Proof? You’ve Got That | What AI CEO’s Warning Means (and Doesn’t) for Accountants | Ditch the Sales Pitch | How to Get CAS Clients to Blow Your Horn | Four Questions for Choosing CAS Clients | What Is Your Firm’s Marketable Value? | Seven Tips for CAS Marketing | Twelve Things That Kill Your CAS Profits
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

This post is not about fundamental sales skills. That is beyond our scope. This is more about how to develop and execute your client accounting services sales process, pitch and supporting collaterals that can help get you more CAS sales.
READ MORE →

How to Get CAS Clients to Blow Your Horn

By

burst of color emerging from trumpet bell

Including templates you can use today.

By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide

To expand and grow your client accounting services practice, you need a steady stream of new prospects. While referrals have been accountants’ #1 source of getting new clients, this method gives no predictability and control to accountants on which types of prospects come in their doors. You need the ability to attract CAS-fit clients continuously. Hence, your lead generation process needs to be adjusted accordingly.

MORE by Hitendra Patil: The DNA of Advisory-CAS | Advisory Is Not Consulting | What Exactly Is Client Advisory Services? | Review Your CAS Offerings | CAS Prospects Want Proof? You’ve Got That | What AI CEO’s Warning Means (and Doesn’t) for Accountants | Ditch the Sales Pitch | How to Get CAS Clients to Blow Your Horn | Four Questions for Choosing CAS Clients | What Is Your Firm’s Marketable Value? | Seven Tips for CAS Marketing | Twelve Things That Kill Your CAS Profits
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The accounting profession’s largest CAS survey revealed that along with the firm’s website, “proactively seek referrals” is the top marketing method for firms to get new CAS clients. How do you proactively seek referrals without waiting for them?
READ MORE →

Higher Wages, Fewer Jobs: A New Era for CPA Staffing

By

AI and India Replace U.S. Staff in CPA Industry Shakeup.

The great restructuring: After the pandemic rebound, hiring gradually slows, finally going negative this year.

By CPA Trendlines Research

The nation’s tax and accounting firms are cutting job rosters even as they’re aggressively raising wages, signifying a structural retrenchment redefining how firms produce and deliver services, according to a new study by CPA Trendlines Research.

MORE Tax and Accounting Wages Hit Record Highs | Show Us the Money! Accountants Are Making More | Chris Vanover: Audit, Now with 100% Less Misery | The Disruptors | Gen AI in Accounting: Epic Transformation, or Overheated Hype? | AI Will Steal Your Job. And That’s a Good Thing | Accounting ARC | Steve Evans: Why Traditional Hiring Methods Fail | The Disruptors

U.S. firms are scaling back staff-level roles, favoring automation and offshore operations. Generative AI and cloud platforms now perform tasks once handled by entry-level staff, including reconciliations, bookkeeping, and basic tax prep. Simultaneously, more firms are offloading transactional services to overseas teams, particularly in India, in response to domestic labor shortages and cost containment efforts.

READ MORE →