Today's Features
INNOVATION & CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Van Carlson: 831(b) Risk Strategies Gain Ground | The Concierge CPA

What once was seen as a tax loophole is now becoming a mainstream strategy for business continuity—if done right.

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The Concierge CPA
With Jackie Meyer
For CPA Trendlines

The world of business risk has changed drastically since 1986, and so has the way innovative entrepreneurs protect themselves. In a recent episode of The Concierge CPA, host Dr. Jackie Meyer sits down with Van Carlson, founder and CEO of SRA 831(b) Admin, to demystify one of the most misunderstood tools in modern financial planning: the 831(b) captive.

More Jackie Meyer

At its core, the 831(b) tax code allows business owners to form small insurance companies to self-insure specific risks. But as Carlson explains, “It’s not just about taxes—it’s about protecting your business from the risks no one else will cover.”

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BUSY SEASON MANAGEMENT

What Other Tax Pros Want to Know About You

Group of businesspeople hiding their faces behind question mark signs at office

What our Busy Season Barometer didn’t ask (but should have).

By CPA Trendlines Research

The annual CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer is one of the most widely researched and respected surveys of trends at accounting firms across the nation.

MORE Barometer: Busy Season Barometer Stats: Who’s Responding and How They’re Doing | Your Colleagues Give Their Best Advice for Clients | Pro Services, Tech and Mining Sectors Most Likely to Thrive | Accountants See a Host of Woes for Businesses | Top Three Issues for Business: Tariffs, Taxes and Inflation | Accountants Reporting a Pretty Good Year | Concerns Take Curious Shifts as Tax Season Closes | Tax Season Faceplant: Accountants Overrun by Late Chaos | Accountants Turn Negative Amid Tariffs, Trade, Uncertainty | What CPA Firms Could Do Better | SURVEY: Which Client Industries Will Grow This Year | Tax Preparers Share Advice for Your Clients | Staffing, Tech, Prices Top Tax Pros’ Concerns | Tax Pros Gear Up for a Better Busy Season | Tax Season 2025 Begins. Ready or Not.
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As you know if you’re one of the hundreds of Barometer respondents, the survey looks for a wide range of hard data and subjective opinions. Among them:

  • How firms are handling the current tax season
  • What their chief concerns are
  • Success metrics on client lists, revenues, profits and extensions

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PRO Member Exclusive

Annuities and Insurance Growing More Attractive

Lau
 David Lau is the founder and CEO of DPL Financial Partners, a privately held financial services firm that specializes in the development and distribution of low-cost, commission-free insurance and annuity products, for registered investment advisors (RIAs) and individual investors.

Plus four common misconceptions.

By David Lau, founder and CEO of DPL Financial Partners, and 
Ross McGoodwin, regional vice president at DPL Financial Partners
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

After the stock market swooned (-22% S&P 500) and the majority of bond indices suffered double-digit losses in 2022, protection and income solutions are at the forefront of planning discussions. Instead of these principal protection and income solutions being offered only by commission-based agents, however, now they can be offered by fiduciaries for planning discussions and appropriate implementation.

MORE: Bridge the Advice Gap for Better Financial Futures | Help Clients Manage and Embrace Investment Risk | Tax Advisory Services: A Pathway to Greater Financial Freedom | Leverage AI to Grow and Protect Revenue: Six Steps | Four Ways to Provide Wealth Management in Your Accounting Practice | What Multiples Mean to Accounting Firms | How Wealth Management Has Evolved | Why Now Is the Time for CPAs to Embrace Wealth Management
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According to LIMRA (Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association), retail annuity sales in 2022 shattered the annual sales records set during the global financial crisis of 2008. For instance, fixed-rate deferred annuities totaled $113 billion, more than double the sales in 2021, LIMRA reported. CD alternatives, such as fixed-rate deferred annuities, provide security and tax-deferred growth. I have found this helps clients guarantee upside return, something they are actively seeking after one of the worst years in combined equity and bond performance since World War II. I’ve also found that fee-only options will provide higher rates compared to traditional, commission-based solutions.
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ACCOUNTING VOICES

Okorie Ramsey: Diversity’s About Building Bigger Tables | Accounting Influencers

“…Not just filling seats.”
Sponsored by “Holistic Guide to Wealth Management” by Rory Henry – See Today’s Special Offer

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Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown

As past chair of AICPA and CIMA, Okorie Ramsey represented nearly 700,000 members worldwide. But in his view, leadership isn’t about wielding power—it’s about partnership, innovation, and service to the public.

In a wide-ranging conversation on the Accounting Influencers podcast, Ramsey reflects on his tenure, the profession’s most significant challenges, and what excites him most about the future.

“It’s a huge role,” Ramsey says, “but it’s also a wonderful opportunity.”
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