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Conference Season Exposes Accounting’s Knowledge Gap | ARC

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From vendor demonstrations to hallway conversations, this year’s conference season highlights both excitement and uncertainty across the profession.

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Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

Every summer, accounting professionals pack conference centers looking for the next big idea. They attend breakout sessions, visit vendor booths, compare notes with peers and return to their firms with pages of ideas.

This year, however, the conversations feel different.

Artificial intelligence still dominates the agenda, but the Accounting ARC hosts notice a subtle shift beneath the excitement. The biggest takeaway isn’t simply that AI is everywhere. It’s that many accountants are struggling to separate innovation from marketing, capability from hype, and opportunity from risk.

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In this episode of Accounting ARC, hosts Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, senior product manager for Karbon and co-founder and educator for TB Academy; Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC and founder and inspiration architect for the Center for Accounting Transformation; and Liz Mason, CPA, CEO of High Rock Accounting, reflect on what they observe during this year’s conference season—and what those observations reveal about the profession’s next challenge.

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The Feedback Mistake That Costs You Your Best People | ARC

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Intent, tone and delivery matter just as much as the message itself. 

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Originally published Feb. 5, 2026
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Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

Build a 7-figure firm in just 4 hours a week!

One poorly handled conversation can undo months—or years—of trust. In this episode of Accounting ARC, Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, and Liz Mason, CPA, unpack why difficult feedback often fails, how leaders can communicate with greater intention, and what separates constructive coaching from conversations that send employees looking for another job.

The conversation starts with a story familiar to anyone who has ever hovered over the “Send” button on a difficult message.

MORE Accounting ARC: Is Your Boss Really the Problem? | Most Accountants Are Missing This AI Shift | AI Can Fix Your Workflow—or Break It in Seconds | Efficiency Is the Wrong Goal for AI | Accounting’s Hidden Talent Risk: The Sandwich Generation | Built Fast. Sold Faster. Broken Later? The Truth About Accounting Tech | Recognize When You Need to Recharge Before You Burn Out | Valuing More Than the Balance Sheet | Accounting’s “Untalked-About” Frontier | Why Happiness is Hard-Fought for High Achievers | The Fastest Way to Lose Talent Is “Dick Leadership” | Post-Holiday Fatigue Isn’t a Failure; It’s a Signal | OCR, Research Bots & Meeting Assistants: What Actually Helps Now | Return Season is the New Stress Test | Small Firms May Have the Biggest Advantage in 2026 | Downgraded: What the DOE Said About Accounting |

Mason, founder and CEO of High Rock Accounting, recalls proposing a conference talk with a deliberately provocative title — a reminder that most professionals feel the tension between holding the line and keeping the peace. The point, she says, is not to sanitize reality. It is to learn how to hold people accountable without turning it into a personal attack.

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What Happens in Vegas… Gets Reported on a Tax Return | ARC

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You can serve brothels, cannabis firms, and poker pros—just don’t cross the legal line.

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Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason and Byron Patrick
Center for Accounting Transformation

Accountants are often seen as the gatekeepers of financial integrity, but what happens when the client operates a strip club, sells cannabis, or works in legal sex work?

In the latest episode of Accounting ARC, Liz Mason, CPA, and Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA, challenge the idea that “sin” industries are off-limits for ethical professionals. Their message: legality, transparency, and harm reduction matter more than personal judgment.

MORE Accounting ARC: 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 |

More ARC: Analysis, Reaction, Comedy

Mason, founder and CEO of High Rock Accounting, has worked with legal sex workers and cannabis companies. She says she doesn’t shy away from these clients. “All companies have a right to good advice,” she says, stressing that ethical boundaries depend more on legality and transparency than personal judgment.

Patrick, CEO of VERIFYiQ and educator and co-founder of TB Academy, echoes the sentiment. “Is it legal, or is it not?” he asks. “That’s a pretty clear ethical line.”

But not all ethical questions are so simple. Mason shares a cautionary tale about walking away from a FinTech client offering predatory lease agreements. “It was all legal,” she says. “But it was abusive. And that crossed a line for me.”

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The Right Kind of Lazy: Innovative Approaches to Streamlining Workflows | Accounting ARC

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ARC hosts discuss redefining efficiency in the accounting profession and when it pays to ‘slack off.’ 

Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto.
Center for Accounting Transformation

In a recent episode of the popular Accounting ARC podcast, hosts Liz Mason, CPA, and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; discussed an unconventional yet powerful concept: the right kind of lazy. This idea, which involves strategically optimizing workflows to eliminate non-value-adding tasks, offers a fresh perspective on efficiency and productivity in the accounting profession.

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Mason, founder and CEO of High Rock Accounting, shared an anecdote from her early career at Grant Thornton. Faced with the monotonous task of processing paper tax returns, Mason decided to automate the process. She spent over 100 hours developing a script that streamlined data entry and document generation. Although initially time-consuming, the solution saved significant time when implemented across multiple offices. “It was fun and a great learning experience,” Mason remarks. “At scale, it saved a ton of time for people.”

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Accountants in Pop Culture: Myths, Realities, and Stereotypes – Accounting ARC

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From “The Office” to “Parks and Recreation,” listen in on how TV and movies shape our view of accountants.

Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto.
Center for Accounting Transformation

Accountants are often depicted in popular culture in ways that range from humorous to downright exaggerated. In a recent episode of ARC, hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, delve into these portrayals, discussing their favorite fictional accountants and the stereotypes that come with them. 

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Patrick, vice president of Client Success at the B3 Method Institute, starts the conversation with “The Office,” where characters like Oscar, Kevin, and Angela offer a comedic take on the profession. “The beauty of ‘The Office’ is in its exaggerated realism,” Patrick explains. Angela’s strict, by-the-book approach and Kevin’s more laid-back attitude reflect common perceptions of accountants. “They were the butt of many jokes, but also some of my favorite accountants to watch,” he adds. 

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How a Case of Beer Saved the U.S. Financial System

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Great businesses are formed by trusting others … even if they need a 24-pack to get there.

By Frank Stitely
The Relentless CPA

You’ve probably heard of the 1929 stock market crash, Black Monday, the dotcom bubble and the Great Recession. All of these combined pale in comparison to what almost happened back in 1986. Save for a case of Miller Lite, our financial world, as we know it, would not exist.

MORE: Even with Value Pricing, Time Tracking Matters and Here’s Why | End Tax Season Meetings with Clients…Seriously | Get Clients to Understand Firm Processes … or Say Goodbye | Train Now Before It Costs You Down the Road | Keep Clients from “Balance Due” Shock | It’s OK to Say No to Clients (Even the Large Ones) | You Train Your Clients, Whether You Mean To or Not | Business Owners Face One of Three Exits
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I landed this job not because of my fabulous accounting qualifications. I was a double major in economics/finance in college. I would have taken a job sniffing used toilet paper out of college with those academic credentials. I got the job solely from my relationship with Paul Karstetter, the second name in what eventually became Stitely & Karstetter, CPAs.

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On a Mission: Introducing Accounting, Reaction, Comedy

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Accountants on a mission: Accounting, reaction, and maybe a little fun.

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Accounting ARC 
With Donny Shimamoto, Liz Mason, and Byron Patrick
Center for Accounting Transformation

In a universe where financial chaos threatens to overwhelm even the bravest souls, our trio of accounting change agents emerge to restore order, one ledger at a time. These stewards of integrity are uniting to serve the integrated ecosystem of families, businesses, and communities and aligning their efforts to unlock the power of the accounting profession with their unique blend of wit, wisdom, and, yes, a dash of comedy.

MORE: Harper & Co. CPAs: The Perspective of a Non-Accountant is Imperative | Menlo Innovations: Improve Office Culture by Overhauling Internal Reviews | Dustin Wheeler: For Serious CAS Success, Hire Tech Teams | Chase Birky: Overcoming Paralysis By Analysis |

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In the inaugural episode, our agents pull back the curtain to reveal the origins of their financial prowess. Delve into the captivating backstories as they share their personal journeys, unveil the driving forces behind their decision to become accounting professionals, and what led them to seek and find ways to improve the world.

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Train Now Before It Costs You Down the Road

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Your time investment now could reap dividends during tax season. 

By Frank Stitely
The Relentless CPA

We’ve all heard it.

Ask if an assigned project has been completed and get the, “It’s done, but …” followed by a few reasons why said project is still – let’s be honest – incomplete.

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Let’s examine how we got a “done but” society. A lot of this will sound like, “Back in my day, sonny …” old man nonsense, and a lot of it is.

However, I promise you a solution after my sociological exploration of 21st-century culture. You won’t need a degree in sociology to understand this.

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“Done” Only Has One Meaning

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“Done but” increases WIP and turnaround time. Profits go … well, you know.

By Frank Stitely
The Relentless CPA

In my last book, I recommended hiring younger staff. In that book, I cautioned that you might have to teach very simple tasks like breathing and using the bathroom to your newbies.

MORE: Keep Clients from “Balance Due” Shock | Stop Clients from Performing “Favors” | Who Needs Fall Tax Planning? Clients … and You | It’s Okay to Say No to Clients (Even the Large Ones) | Control Your Time: Avoid Ambush Meetings and Calls | Make Fewer Mistakes, Increase Revenue and Capacity
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One reader posted that she didn’t believe it was the responsibility of an admin department to teach bathroom use. She was new to this hot new writing technique called sarcasm, but she did a great job making my point that you have to teach your staff a lot of basic things.

One of those teaching tasks is the meaning of “done.”

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