Loopholes

Campaign Promises and the OBBBA: Always Read the Fine Print

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes good on several promises President Trump made on the campaign trail. Of course, tax legislation, unlike campaign sloganeering, rarely lends itself to sound bites. It is the opposite of pithy and the opposite of memorable. Even the bill’s title pushes the boundaries of memorability. If you’re looking for the tax promises section of the OBBBA it is in Title VII–Finance, Subtitle A–Tax, Chapter 2–Delivering on Presidential Priorities To Provide New Middle-Class Tax Relief. We take a closer look in this article.

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CURRENT EDITION

Is It Time to Hire in Your Firm?

Timalyn Bowens, EA

After my second busy season as a solo practitioner, I made a terrible mistake within my firm. I hired my first employee. As a matter of fact, I hired someone who also had tax and accounting experience. You may be thinking, “What? Hiring is the solution if you were feeling overwhelmed.” That is true, if you are assuming that I had the proper systems in place. The mistake I made was hiring an employee before I was ready. The money was there and ready. The work was there and ready. It only took a few weeks to realize that I didn’t have a capacity issue. I had a systems and processes issue. I am not suggesting that you should work yourself to full capacity, absolutely not. I am suggesting that before you attempt to pass along a task to someone else or put in place automation that you have a written-out process.

You Don’t Need a Bigger Stack — You Need a Better Portfolio

Joshua Youngblood, EA, CTRS, CRETS, NTPI Fellow

In every tax Facebook group or conference session, there’s always that one pro excitedly talking about the latest app they’ve added to their “tech stack.” But here’s the dirty little secret: most of us aren’t running integrated tech stacks. We’re juggling a mix of disconnected tools that may or may not play nicely together. Let’s stop pretending we’re all building perfectly integrated ecosystems. What we really need is a tech portfolio—a curated collection of tools that serve our actual needs, reflect how we really work, and support the kind of client experience we want to deliver. A portfolio recognizes reality: tools don’t have to talk to each other perfectly. They just need to work for you. So let’s explore how to build a smart, efficient, and secure tech portfolio that helps you thrive whether you’re a solo professional or managing a growing team.

Tracking and Measuring Your Business Development Efforts: KPIs for CPAs

Marie Torossian, CPA

As CPAs, we were trained to work with precision, accuracy, and strategy in everything we do. However, business development has not been part of our standard training; therefore, many accounting professionals not only struggle with business development tactics but also shy away from tracking and measuring the impact of their efforts. But here’s the truth: Just as we track and measure other financial data, it is essential to measure business development efforts in order to improve. You can unlock significant growth in your firm by understanding which key performance indicators (KPIs) to track, how you manage your practice, how you acquire new clients, and how to increase your revenue.