Today's Features

Five Steps to Building a Team That Lightens Your Load

woman mentoring man in office

Plus 10 elements for your staff guidelines.

By Jackie Meyer
The Balanced Millionaire: Advisor Edition

Hiring someone is just the beginning. What you do after they join is what truly determines whether you get the benefits of having a team.

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Many entrepreneurs struggle with letting go of control. It’s natural – this practice is your baby! But micromanaging or failing to properly delegate will squander your investment in a new hire and frustrate both of you. Here’s how to build a team that actually lightens your load:

  • Delegate Effectively: Delegation is not throwing a task over the fence and hoping for the best. It involves clear instructions, the right resources and appropriate authority given. When you delegate, be explicit about the outcome you expect, any important parameters, and deadlines. For example: “Please reconcile Client X’s bank accounts for September and October and note any discrepancies or unusual items for my review by Friday.” Provide context too: “They had an issue last month with a missing deposit, so keep an eye out for that.” As your team member proves themselves, you can delegate in broader strokes. Early on, check in periodically (but try not to hover). Think of delegation as a skill you practice – you’ll get better at it over time.

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With Congress Stalled, Tax Professionals Take Control of Preparer Standards

Why Tax Pros Are Imposing Standards on Themselves.

By CPA Trendlines Research

Scott Artman, NATP: New credentialing program

As the 2026 filing season begins, the National Association of Tax Professionals is launching a formal credentialing program for taxpayer representation.

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The NATP is stepping into a regulatory void left by years of congressional inaction, leaving more than 500,000 paid preparers operating without national standards, even as IRS and GAO data show higher error rates on paid-prepared returns than on do-it-yourself filings, and Congress is delaying action.

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How the $25K Rule Works in Pricing

Toss the timesheets and give your clients more value.

By Jody Padar
The Radical CPA

Consider the $25K Rule.

Because this method requires heavy lifting on the front end, a good rule of thumb is to only value-price engagements of $25,000 or more. If the client falls below $25,000, they are eligible for a fixed price or fixed price plus a value add. This rule is important because if your client is a small business, it doesn’t matter how much value they perceive in your services; they will not be able to afford value pricing above a certain level.

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Most services are fixed-priced, but based on conversations with the client, those prices may drop or be raised accordingly. Some of the data points used to set pricing are the PITA factor (pain in the a#%) and the client’s gross revenue.
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Twelve Great Reasons to Merge In a Smaller Accounting Firm

Silhouetted figures against US outline map

Obtain a niche, acquire talent and more.

By Marc Rosenberg
The Rosenberg Practice Management Library

If an opportunity to merge in a smaller firm were presented to you, would you be interested in pursuing it?

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My guess is that in excess of 90 percent of all CPA firms would answer this question with a resounding “yes!”
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Competence: First of the Seven C’s

BONUS: Eleven questions about your ambitions and finances.

By Martin Bissett
Passport to Partnership

Staffers aspiring to be partners must learn the key characteristics of successful partners. They also must learn how to develop their own personal plans to achieve partnership. Firms and staffers alike need a clear set of procedures, processes and milestones for turning top talent into the next generation of firm leadership.

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There are seven critically important criteria by which partners assess partners-to-be. I call them:

The Seven C’s

1. The first is Competence. As a prerequisite, but only a prerequisite, accountants must master their technical abilities and qualifications, whether it be audit, tax or management accounting. Whatever your area of specialty, as a staffer the partners expect you to be able to know at least as much as anyone else who may report to you.
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