CPA Trendlines

Today's Features

Pro Services, Tech and Mining Sectors Most Likely to Thrive

Cars and construction? Not so much.

By CPA Trendlines Research

Here’s a question for you: Which business sectors are most likely to thrive over the next 12-18 months?

The answer matters. It matters to accounting clients, who need to know where their businesses stand, where they can find customers, maybe where to invest or form partnerships.

MORE Barometer: 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
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And it matters to accounting firms, too. Thriving sectors need good accounting firms.
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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

Bridge the Advice Gap for Better Financial Futures

Philipp Hecker is a co-founder and the CEO of Bento Engine, a FinTech at the intersection of technology and impactful wealth management advice. At J.P. Morgan he founded and led the Wealth Planning & Advice organization. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Fifteen age-based client milestones for advisors to note.

By Philipp Hecker
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

Despite the significant growth of the U.S. wealth management industry over the past few decades, the state of advice in this country falls short of its potential. Americans deserve more and better advice beyond just investment-related matters. Several concerning statistics highlight this issue:

A Caring.com survey finds that a staggering 67 percent of Americans pass away without a will, lacking even the most fundamental trust and estate documents.
An Edward Jones survey finds just one in five U.S. parents have saved, or are planning to save, for their children’s education using a 529 plan. In fact, two thirds (67%) of survey respondents said they were not aware of the features and potential tax benefits of 529 plans.
Vanguard data finds that just one in six retirement account holders over age 50 are making catchup contributions to which they are eligible.

MORE: Help Clients Manage and Embrace Investment Risk | Quantifying the Value of an Advisor | Subscriptions Beat AUM and Hourly Fees for Wealth Management | Tax Advisory Services: A Pathway to Greater Financial Freedom | Raise Your Rates to Change Your Clientele | Pursue Excellence to Win the Battle for Talent | Leverage AI to Grow and Protect Revenue: Six Steps | How WealthTech Is Reshaping the Future of Holistic Advice | Seven Tech Keys to a Holistic Service Model | Four Ways to Provide Wealth Management in Your Accounting Practice | Profile of a Modern Firm: Putting the Vision into Practice | Toward a 21st-Century CPA: A Dynamic Vision | What Multiples Mean to Accounting Firms
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Our firm’s research found that three in five investors (60%) who have advisors are not getting the guidance they need about making retirement catchup contributions, while two in five (40%) lack clarity about fundamental decisions around the optimal timing for initiating Social Security benefits.

Imagine what it’s like for the majority of Americans who don’t have financial advisors.
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ACCOUNTING VOICES

Expert Panel: The Year of the Advisor is Here | Accounting Influencers

“Your top clients are your competitors’ top prospects. Are you showing up as their trusted advisor?”

Wade Clark: Stop Selling; Start Catalyzing | Gear Up For Growth

Uncover growth hidden in plain sight.

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Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

In the latest Gear Up for Growth, host Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, sits down with Wade Clark, associate director-sales programs at Moss Adams and author of “Simplifying Complex Sales.” Their conversation delivers two critical messages for CPAs and firm leaders: the necessity of consistent account development and the strategic use of the Four Catalysts to uncover new opportunities.

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth here | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here

“Account development is the Achilles’ heel of many firms,” Clark says. “But by focusing on consistent outreach and meaningful dialogue with clients and prospects, CPAs can create natural momentum that leads to growth, even when market conditions change.”

ACCOUNTING ARC

What Gen Z Wants from Business | ARC

The future is watching.

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Accounting ARC
With Arpan Grewal
Center for Accounting Transformation

In the latest Student Led Conversations episode of Accounting ARC, high school student Arpan Grewal hosts a dynamic dialogue with ESG Advisory senior manager Tiffany Huey from BPM, showing how accounting is becoming a surprising tool for tackling global challenges like climate change and social equity.

MORE Accounting ARC: Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service | Ron Baker: Surviving Tariff Turmoil | Are We Ready for the Hidden Risks of AI in Accounting? | The Research Imperative: Why Data Drives Accounting Success | How Coaching Can Unlock Professional Success | Demystifying Accounting Governance | Top 10 Red Flags to Watch for in Accounting Offices | Jeremy Dubow: Private Equity as a Catalyst for Growth | Break the Burnout Cycle in Accounting | Accounting in Transition: 2024 Reflections & the Road Ahead | Ron Baker: Visions for the Accounting Profession | Angie Grissom: Next Gen Inspo for Accountants | Does Accounting Belong in STEM? | Rose Wang: Where Numbers Meet Strategy and Creativity | TikTok Fraud Exposes Gaps in Financial Literacy | How Accounting Pros Own the Stage in Public Speaking | Greg Kyte: Being a CPA Is Like Being the Marie Kondo of Numbers | Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer’s Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Education

Huey, who transitioned from nonprofit work into ESG consulting, now leads BPM’s ESG advisory practice. “I wanted to understand how systems work,” she says. “How do businesses make decisions, and how can we make those decisions more values-aligned?”

Pro Services, Tech and Mining Sectors Most Likely to Thrive

Bridge the Advice Gap for Better Financial Futures

Expert Panel: The Year of the Advisor is Here | Accounting Influencers

Sponsored by “Radical Pricing: Optimize Profits, Delight Clients, and Build a Top-Value Firm,” by Jody Padar, CPA – See Today’s Special Offer

Wade Clark: Stop Selling; Start Catalyzing | Gear Up For Growth

Sponsored by CPA Trendlines Pro Membership, Where Accounting Pros Go Pro – See Today’s Special Offer

Click to subscribe anywhere: Apple, Google/Youtube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), Boomplay (Africa), or RSS.

What Gen Z Wants from Business | ARC

Sponsored by CPA Trendlines Pro Membership, Where Accounting Pros Go Pro – See Today’s Special Offer

Click to subscribe anywhere: Apple, Google/Youtube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), Boomplay (Africa), or RSS.