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trust is the primary ingredient

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portrait of julie johnson
johnson
 julie johnson, cima, cfp,  is the founder and chief engagement officer of xy communication and a former senior vice president with ubs. she helps financial professionals to increase engagement with existing clients, prospects and peers by improving their ability to communicate, connect, and build trust and loyalty.

it drives retention, loyalty and growth.

by julie s. johnson
the holistic guide to wealth management

the insurance network for fiduciary advisors reported that 96 percent of clients are looking for wealth transfer advice from their advisors while they’re still alive, but fewer than one in four (25%) of financial professionals provided it to their clients.

why is there such a disconnect?

more: use goodwill to maximize exit readiness | an accountant’s role in exit planning | trust and estate planning is for clients of all ages | help clients manage and embrace investment risk | tax advisory services: a pathway to greater financial freedom | leverage ai to grow and protect revenue: six steps | four ways to provide wealth management in your accounting practice | what multiples mean to accounting firms | how wealth management has evolved | why now is the time for cpas to embrace wealth management
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

so many financial professionals have told me it’s not their job to hold clients’ hands during the emotional challenges of death, divorce, inheritance. “they hire us to take care of their financial goals and challenges, not be their therapist,” advisors tell me again and again. this comment, and multiple variations of it, are what i hear often after speaking or writing on this topic.

that disconnect is your opportunity as a cpa!
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is your staff truly empowered?

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three people having discussion at table over document and water glasses

this doesn’t overlook accountability. quite the opposite.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

i don’t know if it was luck or by design, but when i started out at mcgladrey, i landed on a team that was already doing the kinds of innovative work that i coach teams today to try out. i’ve never been a status quo type of person, so that resonated with me. i was always trying to find a better way to do things.

in my first six months, we were already working with data, using the primitive data software tools available back then, or, more likely, that we built ourselves. i was in an environment that created the art of what’s possible. we were willing to try new things. i didn’t have mentors or co-workers who would tell me “that’s not the way we do it here,” so i was able to actually do the things i thought about.

more by alan anderson
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

audit has become an exercise in filling out forms

back then, at the beginning of my career, we weren’t under fee or time pressure. we were encouraged to talk to the client, to ask questions and to understand their business. but as fixed fee and fee pressures started to grow, the mindset of audit became focused on getting the work done quickly, not on providing insights or value to the clients. the empowerment mindset that i got from my team in those early days began to fade.
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brace yourself: irs 25% staff cuts mean big trouble for tax pros and clients

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a hobbled agency could have trouble meeting revenue goals and basic taxpayer services.

taxpayer advocate collins: “significant challenges.”

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the internal revenue service is reeling from massive trump administration staffing cuts, which have left the agency knee-capped with nearly 26,500 fewer employees, raising red flags for tax professionals about service quality, enforcement consistency and case resolution delays.

more tax | what to watch in the one big beautiful bill | quick tax tip | irs’s big annual report: already out of date as agency grapples with chaos and cuts | busy season barometer stats: who’s responding and how they’re doing | accountants reporting a pretty good year | tax season faceplant: accountants overrun by late chaos

the irs has lost 25.9 percent of its workforce since jan. 25, 2025, with headcount dropping from 102,113 to 75,702 as of june 4, 2025. most of the cuts come from voluntary separation incentives rather than layoffs, according to the national taxpayer advocate 2026 objectives report to congress.

yet, the result is the same: fewer agents, auditors, and call center staff, just as tax complexity and demand for support are expected to increase.

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johnston: private equity, shady vendors, and broken software | accounting influencers

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“we’ve got a real problem. and no easy fix.”

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accounting influencers
with rob brown

the accounting profession is undergoing a seismic shift—and not all of it bodes well for those who value independence, innovation, or client service. in this episode of accounting influencers, veteran tech strategist randy johnston, shareholder at k2 enterprises, reveals the hard truths behind the changing operational and technological landscape of accounting firms.

more accounting influencers with rob brown

johnston, who has advised thousands of firms across four decades, shares what he’s hearing behind closed doors at events like aicpa engage. from ai hysteria to private equity overreach, the most alarming trend is clear: “we’re seeing the erosion of what made accounting firms trusted advisors in the first place.”

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