One day, you won’t want to work anymore, at least not at your current firm. How do you pass on your firm for the best chances of success for everyone? That day when you step out the door for the last time may still seem far off, but when it comes – and it will – you’ll be thankful for an orderly departure. That many accounting firms never make it to a second generation indicates that a lot goes into successful succession plans: impressions of senior staff; the bottom line on your firm’s value and future; and, trickiest of all, just admitting that you need a succession plan. Hammer out details beforehand, especially if you, rather than merging your firm into another or selling your firm, want to groom your firm’s next leaders from within. How and when to start?

As the accounting industry progresses, staying up-to-date with the latest marketing trends is crucial for us accountants as we aim to attract and retain clients. The marketing landscape is witnessing a significant transformation through major technological advances and continuous changes in consumer purchase behavior, affecting how we attract clients as accountants and business owners. Therefore, to thrive in this dynamic environment, as accountants, we must embrace these innovative marketing strategies that resonate with modern clients. In this article, I'll discuss ten groundbreaking marketing techniques and how you can use them in your firm's marketing strategy.

A really neat thing happens when you turn 70 and ½. Your IRAs essentially turn into donor advised funds if you don’t need all the money in them to make ends meet. Rather than withdraw money from your IRA to make charitable contributions, you can make them out of the IRA. So instead of an itemized deduction, you get an exclusion from adjusted gross income. For some people this might be a wash, but for most it probably isn’t. Besides the possibility of not being over the standard deduction threshold, there are a host of computations and thresholds that involve AGI. There are some things you need to watch out for, but first let’s go over the basics.

In the accounting field, where client relationships and personalized service are paramount, understanding and segmenting your client base must be a priority. As the accounting landscape evolves and clients diversify, a tailored approach to client segmentation becomes indispensable. Clients are no longer interested in a one-size-fits-all approach to sales and marketing. Therefore, as an accountant and a firm owner, you must adopt a targeted approach tailored to different customer segments' unique needs and characteristics. In this article, I will delve into the importance of client segmentation within accounting firms and provide insights into implementing this strategy so you can drive growth and enhance your client satisfaction.

Launched as a beta in February 2024, the Adobe AI Assistant is a generative AI-powered conversational engine feature within Adobe Acrobat. The app enables you to “chat” with PDF files in natural language and unlock new levels of document productivity. The AI Assistant can be likened to a knowledgeable librarian for digital documents. Just as a librarian assists you in finding the right books, navigating through complex archives, and answering detailed inquiries about content, the AI Assistant helps users navigate, understand, and extract key information from PDF documents. It provides summaries, clarifies content through answers and suggestions, and links to relevant sections, all designed to make your interaction with digital documents as enriching and efficient as a visit to a well-staffed library.

Some clients marry into tax trouble – and then have no clue how to get out. Others are on the cusp of a separation or divorce and want the uncoupling (at least in the eyes of tax authorities) to start ASAP. Few clients who need the IRS tool called “innocent spouse relief” to unshackle themselves from a spouse’s tax mess (either one that spouse brought to the marriage or one they racked up later) seem to know about it. Here’s what to tell such a client about what this relief does and does not cover and what your client will have to prove before they can qualify – as well as how difficult this relief can be to get.

No dramatic developments this month, but some technical inputs worth noting. A good practitioner is always learning; it's so much better to learn from other peoples' mistakes than one's own.

The concept of cost segregation began in the 1960s, when taxpayers argued specific components of real estate had a shorter life than the depreciation tables allowed (39 years for commercial property and 27.5 years for residential real estate). After decades of legal cases, the IRS provided rules and safe harbors in 1996 and 2002. Taxpayers now can use cost segregation and remain compliant with IRS regulations. The real question now is: Does a cost segregation study really reduce a taxpayer’s liability? And if so, by how much?