Mary Ellen Biery

Everywhere these days, news headlines scream that automation stands to eliminate many of the traditional jobs in the U.S.

Every time Tom Hood, who is executive director and CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs, gives a speech (and he gives a lot of speeches), he asks his audiences of accountants about the top challenges they face.

Once a client sees how your strategic or business advice will help them make money, they are more willing to part with their hard-earned dollars for a new engagement.

Ask your business clients how they know whether their business is successful, and many of them are likely to answer, “I check my bank balance.”

Many accountants could make a full-time job out of simply trying to understand the various types of technology that can make their personal lives easier and their practices more profitable and secure.

According to Doug Sleeter, taking steps to ramp up your tech know-how is good for your firm’s current business and for the value of your firm in the future.

Accountants understand the importance of good cybersecurity practices in their own offices, given recent reports of attacks by identity thieves targeting client names and IDs.

Accountants who want to grow revenue by adding new services should look to the cookie for a few lessons, according to Katie Tolin, a member of the Association for Accounting Marketing’s Hall of Fame and founder of CPA Growth Guides.

Many firms are offering estate planning or wealth management services, but ironically, a lot of CPAs aren’t necessarily ready for their own retirement.

Accountants know all too well that tax prep services have become commoditized, with intense pricing pressure and clients who aren’t firm-loyal. Is it possible to turn around the trend and differentiate your tax prep services?