Accountable David R. Peters

With heavy workloads, looming deadlines and the daunting task of trying to appease bosses, peers, staff and clients, it may seem impossible to maintain a positive work environment. 
Not so, says Gretchen Pisano -- a positive leadership expert, speaker, CEO, Master Coach, and co-founder of pLink Leadership -- who has worked with a wide range of clients, from Amazon executives to the U.S. Air Force. This week, she joins Dave with a host of strategies to serve as an antidote to toxic work environments. 
Episode Highlights
Overcoming our hard-wired negativity bias (03:19)Leading with hope, drive — and rest (05:00)Balancing your life —  and the science behind positivity’s benefits (18:50)Being intentional about self-care and making that a part of workplace culture (24:34)The importance of an Adaptive Mindsets (28:03)‘Healthy Skepticism’ and vulnerability: The CPAs’ dilemma (31:01)Momentum v. Achievement (35:11)Gretchen’s three nuggets of wisdom for CPAs entering busy season (40:00)

Buckle up: It’s tax season. So what better time to explore all things tax? 
On this episode, David is joined by Bill Harden, Associate Professor at the Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. With over 30 years of experience, he’s become an expert on individual and corporate tax — and so much more.

Episode Highlights
Is 2023 really what some people are calling a ‘light tax season’? (06:30)Secure 2 and confusing start dates (09:20)The 4-1-1 on Green Energy and Green Vehicle Credits (11:28)Required Minimum Distributions (23:17)Virtual currency (33:10)Employee Retention Credit (42:00)Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (54:50)

Are innovations threatening accounting, finance and business — or shoring them up?  Samantha Bowling, CPA, CFE, CGMA, joins host David Peters to offer her perspective. She tells the story of how she harnessed the power of technology and general innovative thinking to ascend from a public accounting staff person to a managing partner, all the while collecting a host of other accolades including chairing her state’s CPA society, winning the Innovative Practices Award and being named among Maryland’s Top 100 Women in Business.  Now, she is overseeing a series of tech and procedural innovations that stand to propel her firm far ahead of the competition.
Episode Highlights
Why do CPA firms generally fear innovation? (08:18)How do you go about implementing value-based billing? (12:06)Bringing clients along on business transformation journeys (17:01)‘Fast Food’ tax prep (22:00)How do we address the fear of innovation failure?(29:56)Artificial Intelligence (35:35)

Whether you're a financial services professional or one of the business owners they serve, you may have some outdated processes and procedures to revisit -- especially given the hyperspeed at which technologies like ChatGPT are transforming business automation. But where should you start?

In this episode of Accountable, entrepreneur, CEO, CFO and founder of JCG CPA Firm Cory Gayman joins David to discuss simple ways you can improve workplace efficiencies -- not only by leveraging technology but also through challenging your assumptions and shifting your mindset. 

Episode Highlights
Compartmentalizing your calendar and getting clear on REAL priorities (05:00) Technology (a double-edged sword) and implementing AI  (11:50)How small businesses can stay on top of tech (21:23) Change management (24:57)Improving efficiencies: Where to begin? (28:30)Tips before starting a business (31:10)

Unfortunately, it's not a question of whether  cyber criminals will impact our lives but when. Are you and those you serve prepared?

As CEO of  ISC2, the world's leading membership association for cybersecurity professionals, Clar Rosso is eager to share ways we can all improve our cyber literacy and posture. Clar also has thoughts about the intersection between accounting and cybersecurity — and how CPAs may reinforce the integral roles they play for small business by growing and flexing their cybersecurity advisory muscles.

Episode Highlights


What do we really mean when we say ‘cybersecurity’ and what's the 'C.I.A. Triangle'? (03:00)Why Security & Privacy should have a voice in crafting business strategy  (05:51)The risks for small-to-medium-sized businesses  and getting them up-to-speed and certified in cybersecurity risk management (10:31)Cybersecurity: An issue for our entire society  -- and forging a national cybersecurity strategy to address it  (15:40)Free cybersecurity certifications and other launching points for improving cyber literacy, posture and security  (19:00)New research exposes how 95% of businesses with 100 or fewer employees  have NO information security professionals on staff -- and how CPAs can help (30:30)You and your business clients can find additional free cybersecurity resources at CISA.org. 

When it comes to unclogging the CPA pipeline, Karl Ahlrichs (an HR professional and thought leader who's also bilingual in accounting) doesn't believe you  should emulate tried-and-true best practices. In a world that's seemingly evolving at the speed of light, you should instead point your attention to what's next -- from hiring practices to upskilling the staff you have.

Episode Highlights
Defining 'Best' vs. 'Next' practices (03:33)'Next' practices as they relate to hiring (15:03)Halting high-performer turnover (22:47)How hiring the wrong people harms morale (32:02)Given recent Great Recession data, does organizational loyalty still exist? (37:20)To learn more about Karl and his work, visit ExpertSpeaks.