pay & compensation

longobardi: governance, growth, and the pe playbook | big 4 transparency

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“i had to learn to be a political animal.”

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big 4 transparency
by dominic piscopo, cpa
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

in a candid conversation on the big 4 transparency show, former cohnreznick ceo frank longobardi offers a sweeping view of the accounting industry’s transformation, advocating for private equity investment as a necessary catalyst for modernization. speaking with host dominic piscopo, longobardi explains how traditional partnership structures have often hindered strategic decision-making, especially in large firms where a board of ten or more can slow progress. “you’ve got people on the board at different ages, different objectives, and different disciplines,” he says. “a smaller circle with clear strategic goals allows partners to do what they do best: serve clients and lead people.” 

more dominic piscopo

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longobardi also highlights how the profession’s talent model is out of step with the expectations of today’s workforce.

“you hire a top student and tell them they’ll make partner in 16 years,” he notes. “meanwhile, their friends in finance are seeing returns now—when they’re raising kids and buying houses.”

private equity, longobardi argues, can address this by offering earlier equity opportunities and aligning incentives across generations. “we need to make accounting a profession of choice again,” he says, pointing to declining enrollment in accounting programs and the deterrent of the fifth-year requirement for cpa licensure. 

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higher wages, fewer jobs: a new era for cpa staffing

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ai and india replace u.s. staff in cpa industry shakeup.

the great restructuring: after the pandemic rebound, hiring gradually slows, finally going negative this year.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the nation’s tax and accounting firms are cutting job rosters even as they’re aggressively raising wages, signifying a structural retrenchment redefining how firms produce and deliver services, according to a new study by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.

more tax and accounting wages hit record highs | show us the money! accountants are making more | chris vanover: audit, now with 100% less misery | the disruptors | gen ai in accounting: epic transformation, or overheated hype? | ai will steal your job. and that’s a good thing | accounting arc | steve evans: why traditional hiring methods fail | the disruptors

u.s. firms are scaling back staff-level roles, favoring automation and offshore operations. generative ai and cloud platforms now perform tasks once handled by entry-level staff, including reconciliations, bookkeeping, and basic tax prep. simultaneously, more firms are offloading transactional services to overseas teams, particularly in india, in response to domestic labor shortages and cost containment efforts.

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struggling to keep up with market salaries?

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portrait of dominic piscopo
piscopo

three common misconceptions and how you can compete.

by dominic piscopo, cpa
founder of big 4 transparency and
host of the big 4 transparency podcast

i can’t tell you how many firm owners complain to me about the talent shortage and how it’s holding back their growth. in truth, plenty of talent exists. it just may not be out there at the prices you’re willing to pay.

more: tax and accounting wages hit record highs | panel: radical changes coming in pay and ai | accounting influencers
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when firms come to us to source an open position, they usually share a job description that looks solid. but when we get to the salary range they have in mind, it’s often way below what’s being paid in today’s market. that’s usually why they’re not generating as many good candidates as they hope.
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dominic piscopo: clear pay=bargaining power | the disruptors

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“if you can’t afford fair salaries, it’s time to fix your machine—not squeeze your people.”

this is a preview. the complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members | go pro here
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the disruptors
with liz farr

like many accountants, dominic piscopo, the founder of big4transparency.com, was frustrated by the lack of transparency in salary data. “i’d found it really, really frustrating trying to get good quality data on what to expect, looking ahead for my salary,” piscopo explains. before creating the platform, piscopo discovered his firm offered the lowest starting salaries in his city. by gathering compensation data from peers and presenting it to leadership, he secured “a little bit under a 10% pay bump” for his entire cohort.

more podcasts and videos: debbie kilsheimer: stop thinking small | dave kersting: collaborate with co-firming | ashley francis: ai’s a partner, not a replacement | richard roppa-roberts: collaboration over competition | ira rosenbloom: m&a numbers are easy – culture fit is hard | roman villard: ditch the suit & shine | monique swansen: align firm values with services | tina mcgill: how to create lasting client impact | stefan van duyvendijk: develop operational mindset | steve evans: why traditional hiring methods fail | roger knecht: can you be an accountrepreneur? | beth whitworth: focus on outcomes not hours |mike sylvester: learn to say no | salim omar: identify your client’s $100,000 problem | jackie meyer: earn more with fewer clients | jack fleherty: don’t be a ‘yes’ person | greg adams: from finance to storytelling | the disruptors | jody padar: make radical changes now if you want to be relevant in 2030 | rebecca driscoll: amplify reach by helping other firm owners | rory henry: create the return on relationships | mike maksymiw: be the leader you wish you had |

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“data is so powerful,” he says. “if you can advocate for yourself and show real objective numbers, then it becomes a real conversation, versus just like, ‘oh, my employee is throwing a fit.’”

what began as a simple spreadsheet shared on reddit “went really, really viral, kind of right away,” confirming a significant need in the accounting community.

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accounting profession sees some job losses

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line chart
overall accounting profession employment

 

payroll earnings up 11 percent.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a bit up here, a bit down there is the story for january employment figures, the most recent data available. professional and business services saw little change, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 143,000 and the national unemployment rate ticked down to 4.0 percent.

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there are 1,144,700 people employed in the accounting profession as of january, up 600 for the month but down 9,500 or 0.8 percent for the year. they average 35 hours, down 6 minutes for the month and 1 hour or 2.8 percent for the year. they earn $42.79, up 12 cents for the month and $1.58 or 3.8 percent for the year.
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kristen rampe: accountability and simplicity in partner comp drive success | gear up for growth

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“compensation is one tool, not the tool, to change behaviors and outcomes.”

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gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

kristen rampe, managing partner of rosenberg associates, spotlights two key drivers for cpa firm success: accountability and simplicity in partner compensation systems. 

gear up for growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. more gear up for growth every friday here | more capstone conversations with jean caragher every monday | more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 videos and podcasts here

rampe shares insights from rosenberg associates’ recent report, “partner compensation: why accountability matters,” revealing a strong correlation between accountability and firm profitability. according to the report, firms with high accountability systems reported an average income per partner of $617,000, compared to $411,000 in firms with low accountability. 

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show us the money! accountants are making more

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young woman holding giant dollar sign in modern office

want to retain employees? here’s one way.

by beth bellor

more money. that’s what the latest data show for the accounting profession.

the final jobs report of 2024 saw the accounting profession’s numbers slip a bit, but the bodies in those seats were pulling down record earnings. employees in the profession overall, at cpa firms and non-staff in payroll services saw their highest hourly wages ever.

more: survey says 57% of firms are raising prices next year | how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | despite staffing crunch, firms freeze pay raises
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and about time! we heard the call for better compensation in the most recent rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics.
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battling the staffing crisis: is a little-known, but controversial, visa program the answer for 2025 hiring?

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cornerstone report: h-1b hiring and salary trends in tax, accounting and finance

  • the jobs outlook, salary trends, and election year politics.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research estimates and illustration

what it is. how it works. and what cpa firms are doing.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the h-1b visa program is vital for u.s. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations, including tax, finance, and accounting.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research estimates that as many as 46,000 tax, accounting and finance professionals work at u.s. firms under the h-1b program. this figure has received scant attention in the profession but is critical to its infrastructure. to the extent that it has received attention, critics say the program holds down salaries for u.s. workers.

in 2024, the biden administration eased restrictions on the h-1b visa program while clamping down on abuses. by 2025, with the trump administration, it had become a lightning rod of controversy.

the nation’s tech industry has a huge stake in the outcome. despite fluctuations in the number of h-1b workers requested and approved, the demand for h-1b workers in computer-related occupations remains strong, and h-1b workers play a critical role in the workforce.

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twelve years and out: seasoned accountants join the exodus.

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no longer a problem confined to just new talent or middle managers.

where they go: the biggest slice, 19 percent, goes into finance, followed by business and operations. (via live data)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

in a startling shift, thousands of highly experienced top-level accountants are leaving the field mid-career, challenging the long-held view that the staffing crisis is limited to new graduates or middle managers.

related: middle managers getting squeezed | explaining the talent shortage in one big chart | salary and compensation outlook for small cpa firms | gen ai in accounting: epic transformation, or overheated hype? | more: the talent crisis | download the national pipeline advisory group report

for many accountants on the edge of transition, the coming years will determine whether the profession can reinvent itself to retain the trust of its workforce or continue to lose ground as one of america’s fundamental professions.

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salary guides for accountants vary widely: whom do you believe?

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three people in office disagreeing

recruiters atrium, lhh and randstad don’t agree.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

so, how much does, say, a tax manager pull down these days?

well, it depends whom you ask.

more: are you earning what you deserve? | the slow, painful death of the 150-hour rule | partner comp earnings gap: what’s the right spread? | main street accountants see turbulence ahead for small business | partners: your middle managers are getting squeezed | the joys of firing bad clients | gear up for growth | how future-proof is the accounting profession? | accounting influencers | in-person conferences still essential | accounting arc | risky business: the art and science of startup company valuation | innovation through wellness: you can’t grow without a “well” firm | non-accountants in accounting: a game-changer for the profession
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the recruiting firm atrium says the average tax manager takes home between $100,000 and $142,000.

but another recruiter, lhh, says the same person typically earns $158,750 to $172,850, depending on the size of the company.

another firm, randstad, gives tax managers an average of $104,424 to $170,767, depending on experience.
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are you earning what you deserve?

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young woman seated at laptop counting money

plus some predictions about where the job market is headed.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

here’s a statistic you can probably sympathize with. according to new salary data, 99 percent of finance professionals report experiencing some level of burnout in the past year.

research: partners: your middle managers are getting burnout

more: the slow, painful death of the 150-hour rule | partner comp earnings gap: what’s the right spread? | main street accountants see turbulence ahead for small business | partners: your middle managers are getting squeezed | gear up for growth |
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unless you’re in that other 1 percent, you know how it feels. and who could blame you for feeling that feeling and then looking at your paycheck?

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partner comp earnings gap: what’s the right spread?

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people standing on stacks of coins, representing income gaps

how do you get it right at your firm?

by kristen rampe
partner comp: art & science

there are many reasons for a sizeable spread in partner income at a cpa firm. for example, at a firm with both a founder nearing retirement and a first-year partner, the spread would be wide. some firms are the opposite, with two to four founding partners agreeing to share all profits equally. there is no spread there.

more on partners: thirteen traits of partners you’ll want to keep | six rules for keeping partners happy and productive | five keys in compensating new managing partners | top 20 tough choices for the partner comp committee | voting on ownership basis? three better methods | what partners do and don’t deserve | tell potentials what partnership takes | five steps to transition to partnership
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for most multipartner and multigeneration accounting firms, the situation gets more complicated. you’ll have some high performers and some who are on cruise control. you’ll have ones contributing notably more dollars to the bottom line and more to future leaders’ development.

but what about two partners who contribute relatively the same? should their income allocation be similar? how similar?
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