The PE Platform Wars: Five Accounting Firms Battle for Market Share
CPA Trendlines Deal Tracker: A market drowning in capital but starving for qualified sellers is driving heated concentration.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Jody Padar: The New Playbook Is AI-Powered and Human-Centered | Big 4 Transparency
AI Won’t Replace Accountants. Instead, It Will Rewire the Business Model.
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Big 4 Transparency
With Dominic Piscopo, CPA
Jody Padar, widely known as “The Radical CPA” and author of Radical Pricing, argues the future of accounting won’t be won by automation alone, but by a business model shift that elevates human judgment, advisory, and client relationships.
MORE Dominic Piscopo | AI | Pay & Compensation
In the new episode of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, Padar joins host Dominic Piscopo to trace her path from early cloud-firm pioneer to venture-backed operator and to explain why her newest venture, Xcel Labs, is focused on training CPAs to think and lead differently in an AI-first world. Xcel Labs’ Navi aims to build empathy and leadership at scale.
PE Deal Tracker for Feb. 2026: 57 deals in 60 days
The accounting profession’s private equity wave shows no sign of cresting.
By CPA Trendlines Research
The 57 private-equity-backed accounting transactions recorded in the CPA Trendlines PE Deal Tracker™ through the first two months of 2026 represent more than three times the 18 deals logged in the same period a year ago, as the PE phenomenon continues to gather speed.
MORE Private Equity
February didn’t beat January’s record pace but it came in second, even if down 42%. Still, the underlying rate remains roughly double the 2025 monthly average of 12.1 deals. READ MORE →
PE Deal Tracker Update: Alan Whitman Plants a Flag in the Private Equity Landscape
Top Trends, Benchmarks, and Deal Points.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Cornerstone Report
Alan Whitman: Breaking the Mold with PE Backing | Holistic Guide
Ex-Baker Tilly CEO takes helm at a new “category” of CPA firm.
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By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™
For CPA Trendlines
When CPA firms talk about growth, the conversation often centers on acquisitions, headcount, or revenue targets.
But Alan Whitman, the ex-Baker Tilly CEO and newly named CEO of a private-equity-backed hybrid, says sustainable growth requires something deeper: clarity of strategy, shared language, and systems that enable people to perform at scale.
MORE Alan Whitman Plants a Flag in the Private Equity Landscape | Whitman: Build Culture on ‘Progress,’ Not Change | Moss Adams-Baker Tilly Merger: Bigger Isn’t Better. Better Is Better. | Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management | The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management |
5 Advis-ROR® Takeaways
- Growth requires a mindset before metrics. Sustainable scale comes from changing how a firm thinks and operates, not just from chasing revenue, headcount, or deal volume.
- Strategy is about direction, not activity. Conferences, outreach, and initiatives only matter when they clearly support how the firm wants to be seen and who it is built to serve.
- Systems enable people to scale. Communication, sales, and talent engines allow firms to grow without relying on individual effort or burnout.
- Language creates alignment. Clarity about who the firm is and what it does helps teams make consistent decisions and reduces confusion as the organization expands.
- Leadership demands clarity over hope. Early success may come from hustle and hope, but long-term growth requires intentional structure, accountability, and shared understanding.
This episode of AFO Wealth Management Forward was recorded shortly before the public announcement of a new professional services platform that combines accounting and advisory firm Nichols Cauley with insurance brokerage Partners Risk Services and transaction advisory firm JGH Consulting. The new platform is supported by a strategic investment from private equity investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners. Whitman was named CEO of the combined platform. Widely known for his role in helping scale Baker Tilly into a national firm, Whitman says his leadership mindset is focused less on outcomes and more on the conditions that enabled growth.