Deduct This With Carrie and Lexi

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Listen to tax and accounting professionals sharing proven methods, useful tips, and practical experiences to help you succeed more at your firm. Each episode provides clear insights designed to help you handle client work more effectively, simplify tax preparation, and better deliver advisory services. You'll gain: Practical tips for efficient client interactions.Proven ways to transition confidently into advisory work.Effective methods to increase success without hiring additional staff.Useful lessons from experienced tax professionals focused on improving outcomes.Together, we're helping tax professionals perform better, achieve more, and simplify success.

  1. From Reactive to Proactive: Building a Tax-Minded CAS Practice with Hope Brown

    4D AGO

    From Reactive to Proactive: Building a Tax-Minded CAS Practice with Hope Brown

    Ever get that sinking feeling when tax season is about to start, and you are already behind? The cleanup. The missing information. The last-minute surprises you promised yourself would not happen again. Hope Brown built her firm so you do not have to live in that cycle. In this episode of Deduct This, Hope Brown, 2025 AICPA and CIMA Global Women to Watch Honoree and Founder and CEO of The Tax Minded Bookkeeper, shares how she created a proactive system that keeps both her team and her clients out of reactive mode. She explains what tax-minded bookkeeping really means: building books with tax planning in mind from day one, rather than categorizing transactions after the fact. You will hear how she runs proactive Q3 and Q4 check-ins, collaborates with client bookkeepers with permission, and uses a Client Advisory Services model to connect bookkeeping, advisory services, tax planning, and tax preparation into one continuous client partnership. Hope also shares why she transitioned from Lacerte to ProConnect Tax, how Intuit Tax Advisor enables real-time analysis throughout the year, and how connected workflow integration increases workflow efficiency and reduces manual workarounds. From bottleneck analysis to peer benchmarking to AI-driven firm operations, she walks through the structure that supports a sustainable CAS practice without sacrificing client experience. What you will learn: • How to shift from tax season only compliance to proactive tax planning using structured Q3 and Q4 check-ins • How tax-minded bookkeeping reduces cleanup, supports accurate month-end close, and prevents downstream tax issues • How a CAS practice model connects bookkeeping, advisory services, and tax preparation into recurring advisory revenue • How to evaluate tax technology through bottleneck analysis, workflow efficiency review, and post-season lessons learned • How to use AI for firm operations, marketing systems, proposals, and strategic decision support If you want a sustainable CAS practice built on proactive tax planning, structured workflow integration, and fewer surprises, this episode gives you a clear blueprint you can apply immediately. Explore ProConnect Tax to streamline tax preparation: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow Hope Brown: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hope-brown-msa-afsp-463a44239/ Website: https://bbizsolution.com/how-to-work-with-us #TaxPro #IntuitTax #ProConnectTax #DeductThisPodcast #TaxPlanning #ClientAdvisoryServices #CASPractice #TaxPracticeManagement #WorkflowEfficiency #AIinAccounting #Bookkeeping #MonthEndClose

    28 min
  2. From Spreadsheet Chaos to Advisory Clarity: How Michael Chapman Built a Multi-Entity CAS Practice That Actually Scales

    MAR 5

    From Spreadsheet Chaos to Advisory Clarity: How Michael Chapman Built a Multi-Entity CAS Practice That Actually Scales

    You know that satisfying moment when everything just works? When a complex client's books close without your team buried in Excel for a week? Michael Chapman decided that feeling should not be rare. It should be the default. After 12 years of building client relationships at Wolf & Company that go well beyond month-end close, Michael watched too many firms confuse data management with advisory work. Spreadsheet reconciliations passed off as strategy. Teams spending hours on intercompany splits instead of client conversations. Manual workarounds held together by hope. When multi-entity clients with complex structures started coming to his CAS practice, he refused to scale the chaos. He rebuilt the foundation instead. The turning point came when Michael's team implemented Intuit Enterprise Suite for a client with tangled intercompany transactions. Work that once required Excel breakdowns and cross-entity reconciliation now posts and flows automatically. The transition was so smooth, Michael says he is not sure there was a transition at all. What you will learn in this episode: The multi-entity onboarding strategy Wolf & Company uses to set clients up for success from day oneHow Michael evaluates new technology without getting paralyzed by the optionsWhat his team actually does with the time that automation gives backWhy a piece of advice he received early in his career about perspective and staying above the work still shapes how he leads todayMichael proves that scaling a CAS practice is not about adding more people to a broken process. It is about building the right foundation so your team can do the work clients actually hired you for. Explore Intuit Enterprise Suite to streamline intercompany workflows and give your team more time for real client advisory work: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow our guest: 💼 Michael Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-chapman-cpa-0956972b/  🔗 Website:https://www.wolfandco.com/  #TaxPro #IntuitTax #IntuitEnterpriseSuite #DeductThisPodcast #CASAccounting #ClientAdvisoryServices #OutsourcedAccounting #WorkflowEfficiency #MultiEntityAccounting #IntercompanyAccounting #AdvisoryServices #CloudAccounting

    20 min
  3. People Before Processes: How Two Founding Principals Built a Modern Firm Without Burning Out Their Team

    FEB 26

    People Before Processes: How Two Founding Principals Built a Modern Firm Without Burning Out Their Team

    Their team has not worked overtime during tax season. Not once since their launch. After a combined 60 years in traditional accounting firms, Anna Hergenrader and Gwen Hodges launched Hodges and Hergenrader, LLP in 2023 with one rule: people come first. They watched talented staff burn out under the old model of more hours, more people, more chaos. They decided their firm would be different. Here is what they did that most firm owners get backwards: they documented workflows before things broke, not after. They set client cutoff dates and actually enforce them. March 15 means March 15. Clients call ahead now because they know the boundaries are real. They built a team of seven, including three staff members who have worked with them for 10 to 20 years, because they hire for values first and teach the technical skills later. What you will learn in this episode: The workflow documentation strategy that lets their team work without waiting for answersHow to set and enforce client boundaries that clients actually respectWhy they focus on advisory relationships with small and medium business owners instead of standalone compliance workHow cloud-based tax software like ProConnect enables their fully remote, no-overtime firm structureAnna and Gwen prove that sustainable tax practice management is not a dream. It is a decision. Their firm runs remote, their clients show up prepared, and their team goes home on time. Stop running your firm on memory and sticky notes. Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to build workflows that scale without burning out your team: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow our guests: 💼 Anna Hergenrader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annahergenrader/ 💼 Gwen Hodges: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwen-hodges/ #PeopleFirstFirm #NoOvertimePolicy #TaxPracticeManagement #WorkflowDocumentation #ClientBoundaries #AccountingFirmCulture #RemoteAccounting #AdvisoryServices #TaxPro #IntuitTax #ProConnectTax #DeductThisPodcast

    36 min
  4. Why Tax Software Is Still Stuck in the 90s (And How One Firm Finally Escaped)

    FEB 11

    Why Tax Software Is Still Stuck in the 90s (And How One Firm Finally Escaped)

    You're using tax software for CPAs that hasn't had a significant update since the 1990s. While bookkeeping and advisory tools have transformed with AI and automation, tax software is still making you retype data from QuickBooks, still sending 800-page PDF organizers clients won't read, still operating like it's 1995. You can't sync with modern tools when your software can't interact with other platforms. Your data stays siloed, while firms using integrated platforms automatically pull data and generate smart organizers with AI. Nancy McClelland, CPA and founder of The Dancing Accountant, with over 30 years of experience, got tired of being stuck in legacy software. After 20 years on ATX, switching tax software to ProConnect wasn't easy but staying meant falling behind. Because staying meant falling behind. In 2013, she tried switching to different software and failed spectacularly. She and her senior accountant worked until 3 AM fixing conversion errors. She gave up mid-season and went back to ATX, paying for both systems. This time, she prepared early, tested thoroughly, involved her team, and kept her sense of humor. Her clients now get AI-powered organizers from Sanford Tax that ask only relevant questions, documents that OCR automatically, and work papers that build themselves. The QuickBooks tax preparation integration means data flows instead of being retyped. Stop giving yourself one more season with software from the 90s. Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to see how ProConnect integrates with QuickBooks Online and automates client organizers: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow Nancy McClelland: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpa/ 🔗 Blog: https://www.thedancingaccountant.com/blog/ Website: https://www.thedancingaccountant.com/ 🎙 Podcast: https://shecounts.show/ #TaxSoftwareModernization #ProConnectTax #QuickBooksIntegration #ATXtoProConnect #TaxTechUpgrade #AIOrganizers #SanfordTax #LegacySoftware #TaxAutomation #TaxPro #IntuitTax #DeductThisPodcast

    42 min
  5. How Advisory-First Firms Can Work Fewer Hours, Charge More, and Keep Clients Longer

    FEB 4

    How Advisory-First Firms Can Work Fewer Hours, Charge More, and Keep Clients Longer

    Your clients are learning tax strategies from TikTok influencers before hearing them from you. They're coming back asking why you didn't tell them about deductions they discovered on Instagram. You have the expertise, but you're buried in compliance work with an auto-responder promising callbacks in 48 hours. Meanwhile, firms offering tax advisory services are charging more, working normal hours, and building relationships so strong they get invited to clients' kids' birthday parties. The firms still focused on transaction categorization and bank feed review are falling behind. When you're stuck doing repetitive tasks that AI can handle, you don't have time to communicate proactive strategies. Your clients need answers today, not next week. They're getting tax advice from social media because you're too busy with data entry to have strategic conversations. Kedron Hilario, CPA and firm advisor with 15 years of experience, explains why compliance work is dead and why accounting advisory services are the only survival strategy. His firm was AI-shy at first, worried about security and whether AI-powered accounting would render their value obsolete. The opposite happened. The use of AI in accounting transformed their workflows, as processes that took multiple days, such as mailing depreciation schedules to 200 facilities on CDs, now take seconds. AI learns client patterns and automatically handles repetitive work. Now his team teaches clients how to read income statements, interpret KPIs, and make strategic decisions in real time. One client told him, "I can tell we're playing chess while our competitors play checkers." That's the difference. Compliance reports what happened. Advisory helps clients scale and strategize for what's next. Stop letting compliance work consume your week while advisory first firms build the client relationships that drive retention and referrals. Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to automate repetitive tasks so you can focus on strategic client conversations: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙  Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow Kedron Hilario: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kedron-hilario-cpa-a187109a/ 🔗 Website: https://www.cpaforsyth.com/ #ComplianceToAdvisory #AIinAccounting #AccountingAutomation #AdvisoryFirst #TaxAdvisoryServices #ClientRelationships #AIforCPAs #ProcessAutomation #ChessVsCheckers #TaxPro #IntuitTax #ProConnectTax #DeductThisPodcast

    26 min
  6. Why Your IRS Letters Keep Getting Denied (Even When You're Right)

    JAN 28

    Why Your IRS Letters Keep Getting Denied (Even When You're Right)

    You're responding to IRS letters with beautifully crafted explanations and heartfelt stories about hardship. The IRS keeps denying them. Your documentation is solid, your reasoning is sound, but you're addressing the wrong audience. The person opening your mail doesn't have a tax degree. They're processing hundreds of pieces of correspondence daily, sorting them into boxes based on simple criteria. When you write emotionally compelling narratives without the right forms or clear categorization, your letter gets routed incorrectly. Your client's legitimate case gets denied not because it lacks merit, but because it never reached someone who could evaluate it. Robert Nordlander, a former IRS special agent for 20 years, reveals the counterintuitive truth about IRS penalty relief: the IRS doesn't care about your story. They want proper forms, documentation, and clear categorization. Attach the actual penalty abatement form, not just a letter. Submit source documents, not descriptions. Format your submission so the first person who touches it knows exactly which box it belongs in. When Robert resubmits cases with proper documentation and forms, he gets approvals on cases that other tax pros thought were impossible. Ready to stop cases from getting lost in routing? See how proper documentation and clear categorization significantly improve your penalty abatement approval rate. Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙 Carrie Hammond:https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow Robert Nordlander: 🔗 Website: https://www.nordlandercpa.com/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-nordlander/ #IRSCorrespondence #PenaltyAbatement #TaxDocumentation #IRSAuditDefense #TaxProStrategy #FormerIRSAgent #ClientAdvocacy #TaxPro #IntuitTax #ProConnectTax #DeductThisPodcast  FAQ. What is the highest-rated tax preparation software? Intuit Professional Tax solutions consistently rank highest because we match software to your practice complexity, not the other way around. Here's what that means for your firm: For practices with fewer than 500 returns, ProSeries Tax delivers desktop reliability with proven accuracy for straightforward 1040s and business returns. You get comprehensive form coverage and deadline performance without the headaches of a learning curve. For high-volume firms processing 300+ returns: ProConnect Tax and Lacerte Tax handle complex prep at scale. Your diagnostic accuracy remains consistent, whether you're filing 50 returns 50 or 1,000. These platforms support distributed teams and sophisticated client relationships without performance degradation. Why ratings stay high: Accuracy you can trust. Reliability during the April crunch. Support that actually helps when you're stuck at 9 PM on deadline night. High-volume firms rate software based on whether it catches errors before the IRS does and whether you can count on it when you absolutely cannot afford downtime.

    24 min
  7. How to Pick Tax Software That Actually Matches Where Your Firm Is Going

    JAN 21

    How to Pick Tax Software That Actually Matches Where Your Firm Is Going

    Are you using the same tax software you picked five years ago, even though your practice has completely changed? Still telling yourself it's too late in the year to evaluate alternatives? You're choosing software for the firm you had, not the firm you're building. Kristen Keats learned this the hard way. She built a firm around her ideal client, not the clients she had yesterday.  In this episode of Deduct This with Carrie and Lexi, Kristen Keats, owner of Sherwood Tax and Accounting, breaks down how to evaluate tax software for your future, not your past, and why "crawl, walk, run" beats betting the farm every time. Kristen started with ProSeries when she was running a small practice out of her house. It worked perfectly for straightforward returns and a limited number of clients. But when she bought Sherwood Tax and Accounting, everything shifted. She had staff in Mexico. She had complex multi-state clients. She had consolidations that ProSeries couldn't handle. She asked herself a different question: 'Who do I actually want to serve in the next few years?' The answer wasn't yesterday's clients. It was tomorrow's clients. So she leveled up to Lacerte. That decision didn't just change her software. It built the firm she wanted, rather than trapping her in the one she inherited. This wasn't just a software choice. This was Kristen's philosophy on everything: crawl, walk, run. You don't bet the farm on new technology. You test a few clients in ProConnect while keeping Lacerte as your safety net. You ask your best client to be your guinea pig. You build confidence gradually instead of risking everything during your busiest season. The beautiful part? ProConnect's interface looks just like Lacerte, so even her most change-resistant tax manager found the transition natural. Kristen opens up about: • Her mission to bring joy to accounting by making it fulfilling for both accountants and clients • How the tax roadmap system stops April 10th panic emails and client anxiety from spiraling • The crawl, walk, run philosophy: test gradually, don't bet the farm on new technology • Her firm growth strategy: evaluate software for your ideal client three years from now, not the clients you serve today • How to let go of clients who don't value you before tax season starts, not after • Why January is when new clients are looking for preparers (not when to shut down marketing) • Being intentional about client selection creates capacity for relationships that actually matter • How diagnostics catch errors before the IRS does, letting your team focus on advisory work • Why new tax legislation is the ultimate test of whether your software keeps up with compliance • Her fully remote tech stack: Carbon, QuickBooks Online, and hosted Lacerte in Mexico • How to frame advisory work you're already doing and charge for the value you bring all year • Why intentionality in 2025 means being selective about what you take on and what you let go." Are you stuck with tax software that worked five years ago but limits where you're trying to go? See how cloud-based solutions with intuitive interfaces let you test gradually while building the practice you actually want. Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to start: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Connect with the hosts: 🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond 🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard Follow Kristen Keats: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristenkeats  #JoyToAccounting #CrawlWalkRun #IdealClientProfile #TaxRoadmap #IntentionalBusiness #ChangeManagement #FireYourClients #ClientCommunication #TaxSoftwareSelection #RemoteTaxFirm #ProConnectTax #LacerteTax #IntuitTax #DeductThisPodcast

    26 min
  8. How Advisory-First Firms Doubled Revenue While Working Half the Hours

    JAN 15

    How Advisory-First Firms Doubled Revenue While Working Half the Hours

    Are you charging $700 for a 1040 while working 70-hour weeks? Still telling yourself your market can't support higher rates? Megan Leesley's response: Stop it. The only real constraint isn't your market. It's your mindset. And when she challenged that belief, she doubled her revenue while cutting her client load in half. In this episode of Deduct This with Carrie and Lexi, Megan Leesley, Director of Tax at Dark Horse CPAs, reveals how advisory-first firms are charging $1,500 base rates, working normal hours, and proving that the only real constraint is your own mindset. At Intuit Connect, Megan met a firm owner who charged $700 and worked 60-70 hours a week, convinced that higher rates were impossible in her market. Megan's response? 'Our base rate is $1,500. And we work normal hours.' The woman's reply: 'I can never do that in my market.' Here's the truth: 76% of clients want advisory services and will pay more for them. But only a small percentage of firms actually offer it. The gap isn't demand. It's a firm positioning. Megan tested this herself. When transitioning to Tax Director, she raised rates across her entire practice, expecting significant client losses. She calculated she'd end the year at $48,000 in annual recurring revenue with her reduced client load. The actual result? $100,000 in ARR with significantly less work, tax firm profitability is also about value.. Double her target. The clients who wanted advisory services were already there. She just wasn't charging for them. She was her own bottleneck, putting constraints on clients that they never actually expressed. Dark Horse went fully advisory-first two years ago, not as a marketing position but as an existential business strategy. Here's why: AI is rapidly absorbing compliance work. The firms staying compliance-focused are building businesses with shrinking futures. The shift to advisory isn't about adding services on top. It's about recognizing that compliance is now table stakes; the software handles it. Your differentiator is what humans do: build relationships, understand goals, demonstrate impact. That's where advisory-first wins. Megan opens up about: • Why a majority of CPA time is spent gathering and inputting data adds zero client value • How Dark Horse's $1,500 base rate includes advisory touchpoints, not just compliance • Why 67% of CPA time spent on data entry adds little client value, and how to eliminate it • The "stop it" moment when she realized her market excuse wasn't real • Why only a small percentage of firms offer the advisory services most of your clients want • How ProConnect Tax and Intuit Tax Advisor eliminated context switching and SaaS soup • Why AI builds data while empathy builds impact, and how the human element is your competitive advantage in an AI-first world • Why April 15th is "false news" and how to schedule clients for actual work-life balance • Her framework for Opportunity Season, instead of busy season survival mode • How intuitive software with fast learning curves freed her team to focus on advisory work • How to reframe 'busy season' as 'opportunity season,' a mindset shift that changes your entire approach to January through April • Why the profession needs to shift perception from grind culture to a rewarding partnership Are you working 70-hour weeks for $700 returns while other advisory-first tax and accounting firms charge double and work half the hours? Stop asking if your market supports higher rates. Start asking how you can shift to advisory-first and reduce your client load while doubling your revenue. Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to start: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/ Follow Megan Leesley: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/megan-leesley-cpa-25b67a9  Website: https://darkhorse.cpa/

    35 min
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About

Listen to tax and accounting professionals sharing proven methods, useful tips, and practical experiences to help you succeed more at your firm. Each episode provides clear insights designed to help you handle client work more effectively, simplify tax preparation, and better deliver advisory services. You'll gain: Practical tips for efficient client interactions.Proven ways to transition confidently into advisory work.Effective methods to increase success without hiring additional staff.Useful lessons from experienced tax professionals focused on improving outcomes.Together, we're helping tax professionals perform better, achieve more, and simplify success.

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  • Creator
    Powered By ProConnect Tax
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Deduct This With Carrie and Lexi
  • Show Website
    Deduct This With Carrie and Lexi