Today's Features
ADVISORY & CONSULTING

How to Conduct a Proper Discovery Meeting

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What are your clients’ dreams? How do you know?

By Rory Henry
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

A client discovery meeting, or even better, a rediscovery meeting, can be an ideal opportunity for you to deepen your relationship with the client. Even better, when done correctly, the meeting can lead to self-discovery for the client.

MORE: Understand Clients’ Relationship with Money | From Services to Experiences to Transformations | How Behavioral Finance Works | Manage Change through A PACT | Priority No. 1: Your Mental and Physical Health | Build Stronger Financial Futures with Health Care Planning | Marketing Strategies for Wealth Management Services | Trust Is the Primary Ingredient | Use Goodwill to Maximize Exit Readiness | An Accountant’s Role in Exit Planning | How to Prepare Your Clients’ Kids for Their Inheritance | A Question of Trust: Not Just for the Wealthy
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Historically, clients turn to financial professionals for help solving a financial problem or for alleviating financial concerns. They ask questions such as:

  • “What type of entity should I select and what are the tax implications?”
  • “How do I increase my gross margins?”

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STREAMING NETWORK

Ruparel: Boost Productivity by 3X | Big 4 Transparency

Equity pathways, training, and culture—not payouts—will determine which firms thrive in the PE era.

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

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Big 4 Transparency
By Dominic Piscopo, CPA
For CPA Trendlines

Brace yourself: Revenue per employee is projected to grow 2.7 times over the next decade, while 87% of the workforce will have less than 10 years of experience by 2035.

That dual pressure, Nishaad Ruparel, president of private equity-backed Ascend, tells Dom Piscopo in today’s episode of Big4 Transparency, demands a rethinking of ownership, training, and culture across the profession. And it’s why the most progressive firms are not grabbing payouts—they’re betting on equity pathways, people-first strategy, and selective centralization to compete in the PE era.

MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Private Equity | MORE Pay & Compensation

“These firms are looking at their clients and saying, ‘I’ve served this market for 50 years – how do I keep doing that in a way that’s synonymous with excellence?’” Ruparel explains. “Then they look at their people, at their deep bench, and ask how they can secure their future. And they realize: the cost of independence is rising fast.” 

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STREAMING NETWORK

Werner: Parking Perks That Pack a Tax Punch | Quick Tax Tip

Nonprofit employees face a new tax reality on fringe benefits.

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

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Quick Tax Tip
With Art Werner
CPE Today

For years, employers could offer free or subsidized parking or public transit passes as a valuable fringe benefit without triggering extra tax for employees. Businesses could deduct the cost—up to an inflation-adjusted $325 per month in 2024—while employees enjoyed the perk tax-free.

Click here for more Art Werner

Catch more Art Werner, Wednesday, Sept. 3, for Tax Rumors, Episode 3, with CPA Steve Yoss, and hosted by CPA Trendlines’ Rick Telberg.

That changed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Now, if a business deducts the cost of parking or transit benefits, employees must count it as taxable income. Employers can still shield employees from the tax by choosing not to deduct the expense.

But here’s where nonprofits face a unique twist: Unlike for-profit businesses, nonprofits generally don’t pay federal income tax. That means the choice to deduct or not deduct the expense is irrelevant—yet the TCJA requires nonprofit employees to treat the benefit as taxable income regardless.

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ACCOUNTING INFLUENCERS

The Truth Behind Accounting’s RTO Push | Accounting Influencers

Firms blame culture and training, yet AI, real estate, and talent pressures tell a different tale.

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.

Accounting Influencers
With Rob Brown

The push to bring accountants back to the office is gaining momentum, echoing trends at corporate giants like JPMorgan, Amazon, and Meta. While firms frame return-to-office (RTO) policies as a way to boost collaboration, mentorship, and culture, industry observers question whether the real motivations include cost control, talent reshaping, and even quiet workforce reductions.

In the latest episode of Accounting Influencers, host Rob Brown examines the drivers behind RTO in accounting, from Big Four mandates to real estate obligations, and explores whether being in the office truly advances careers or simply serves firm agendas.

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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

Lang: The Right Clients > Revenue | It’s Not Just the Numbers

Tough client calls, tax planning, and better leadership turned hard knocks into growth.

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

When Lang launched Upside CFO, he didn’t set out with a grand blueprint. “If we’re being honest, we started off with simple bookkeeping,” he says. Over time, his firm evolved into a multi-faceted practice offering fractional CFO services, tax planning, and even financial planning partnerships. Along the way, he admits to trial and error. “Sometimes I do smart stuff. Sometimes I don’t,” Lang laughs.

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Yet from that messy middle came clarity: the future of advisory services lies in translating numbers into strategy, choosing the right clients, and building processes that can scale without sacrificing value.

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