Help Wanted: Looking for a CPA Firm Managing Partner

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One of my favorite words is “apocryphal.” An apocryphal statement is one that probably didn’t happen, but it’s so believable that it’s wildly believed to be true. Here’s one of my favorite examples. Clark Clifford was a super-lawyer and a cabinet-level advisor to four presidents in the 20th century. Fortune 500 companies pleaded with him…

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AI Successfully Completes Busy Season, Two Weeks Early

AI symbol

A satirical blog post in celebration of April Fool’s Day, as featured in Accounting Today.   New technology from progressive generative AI firm C.P.A.AI has been put to the test this year. In January, their AI Busy Season Bot was launched to an audience of CPAs eager to get their hands on the advanced technology.…

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Truth is Never Disrespectful

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To non-sports people, forgive me for telling a sports story I heard on a radio program. Our local basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, have a player named Zach Levine, who has been an all-star and is in the prime of his career. But he missed a month due to injury. Prior to his injury, the Bulls…

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How Partner Meetings Waste Time (and How to Avoid It)

meeting in progress

Well-intentioned and passionate partners have a lot to say about matters at your CPA firm. Often, these contributions are critical to leadership and strategic direction. Your firm wouldn’t be where it is today without hearing the perspectives from those who lead and run your practice. And, sometimes, your partners get stuck on a less important…

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Should the Managing Partner Position Be Rotated?

Wooden cogs with one piece raised by a hand

QUESTION FROM A READER: Should the managing partner be a permanent position or rotated among partners? ROSENBERG RESPONSE: Important first question Current and future MPs need to ask themselves if they will commit to being a permanent MP (assuming the other partners are okay with this). There are lots of positives to this. Leaders like…

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From Achilles’ Heel to Midas Touch: Five Keys That Will Transform Your Partner Accountability

Accountability

Partner accountability: partners know they need it but often don’t know how to create it. We talked with managing partners around the country to learn what they saw as their biggest challenges in creating more partner accountability: Excuses for everything! Lack of motivation –some people aren’t motivated by rewards and are comfortable where they are…

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A Morning with the MP of Aprio, Richard Kopelman

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Our Chicago large-firm roundtable brings in premier MPs from across the country to share their management practices with us. Our most recent visitor was Richard Kopelman, MP of Atlanta-based Aprio, the twenty-fifth largest CPA firm in the U.S., with revenue of $340M, 80 equity partners, 80 non-equity partners, and 1,500 total personnel.  One would be…

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What MPs Can Learn From General Eisenhower

Eisenhower stamp

One of the saddest things about history is how much of it is forgotten as the years move on. About 15 years ago, a survey asked high school students if Germany was an ally or enemy of the US in WW2. Most responded “ally.” How unfortunate. But it proves how major historical events are shuttered…

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Critical Insights from a Top 100 Firm Managing Partner

Our Chicago large firm roundtable has brought in premier MPs from across the country for 15 years to share with us their management practices. Our most recent visitor was Steve Wasserman, MP of Los Angeles-based Gursey Schneider. GS ranks as #96 on Accounting Today’s Top 100 list, with revenue of $51M, 7 equity partners, 9…

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