EY Put Agentic AI Into 160,000 Audits: What That Means for Mid-Market Firms
On April 7, 2026, EY announced the global rollout of enterprise-scale agentic AI across its assurance practice, embedding a multi-agent framework...
Accounting
The Best Time to Plan for Next Year Is Right Now
Most mid-market firms wait until Q4 to begin strategic planning, and that timing is precisely why most strategic plans do not produce results. By the...
M&A Without Strategic Fit Is Just Expensive Chaos
Why accounting firm acquisitions succeed, or stall, and how to manage the pace of change. The accounting profession is in the middle of one of the...
Talent Strategy is The Threat, Not AI
Accounting Firms Should Embrace AI Generative AI has produced a predictable reaction across the professional workforce: anxiety. Employees are...
The Modern Operating Model: Fixing Partner Bottlenecks Without Burning Out Managers
Growth is exciting until the foundational operating model begins to crack.
Growth by Capability: Why Specialty Practices Are Becoming the New Currency in Accounting Firm M&A
When AAFCPAs announced its acquisition of McLaren & Associates CPAs, the headline was not simply about growth in size. The more meaningful shift was...
AI Adoption Without Governance Is a Brand Risk
If you lead an accounting, advisory, or M&A practice, you have probably felt the shift: AI went from “interesting” to “everywhere” in about a year....
How Accounting Firms Gained a Path into Law Firm Ownership
In early 2025, a quiet but consequential regulatory decision in Arizona signaled a meaningful shift in the professional services landscape. The...
Accounting Firm M&A Trends 2026: What January Deals Reveal
January 2026 delivered a revealing snapshot of the accounting firm M&A market. Not because of a single blockbuster transaction, but because of the...
Clients Will Pay More for AI-First Audits
Several years ago, when cloud workpapers first entered the mainstream, most audit leaders treated them as an internal upgrade - something that made...
When the Acquiring Firm Leaves You Out: A Warning Sign for Your Transition
Acquisitions often start with a sense of optimism and anticipation. The initial discussions resemble a courtship, each side eager to impress. The...
Platform or Bolt-On? Understanding PE Growth Models and What They Mean for You
Private Equity is Coming for Your Firm The accounting industry is in play. With private equity sitting on billions, investors are pouring into the...
Specialize to Scale: Why Niche Expertise Drives Faster, Smarter Growth
Professional services leaders have long debated whether it is better to be a generalist or to carve out a niche. Generalist firms cast the widest net...
Organic Growth for Accounting Firms: Modern Tactics That Work
Organic growth has always been the most sustainable way for accounting firms to thrive. While mergers and acquisitions can catapult a firm’s size...
The Real Work Begins After the Deal: Navigating M&A and Private Equity Integration
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity (PE) investments are powerful accelerators of growth. They can provide access to new markets, bring...
From Frozen Peas to AI-Powered Audit: What the Food That Built America Teaches Accounting Firms
In the early 1900s, Clarence Birdseye wasn’t trying to invent a new food. He was trying to solve a problem: how to keep food fresh and make it...