The weird new playbook for CPAs

Ever wish the accounting profession came with a user manual? This edition might be the closest thing we get. From Excel tricks that save your sanity to AI quietly becoming your newest referral partner, there's plenty here to make your coffee break feel productive.

And because the profession keeps getting...creative...with talent development, we had to share this gem: a firm is sending young accountants to work in pubs to learn people skills. Truly, you can't make this stuff up.

Micro habits: Small daily shifts that make leadership a lot less chaotic.

Real-world Accounting 101: Could this be the accounting class that finally teaches what the job actually feels like?

Making Excel magic: Try these underrated Excel features to save time (and maybe your sanity).

AI as a pricing tool? Finally kick guesswork to the curb and price with purpose. 

Lead smarter by looking ahead

When the ground keeps shifting under your feet, agility becomes a competitive advantage. Most successful firms aren't the ones waiting for stability to return. They're the ones curious enough to challenge old assumptions and flexible enough to change direction without drama. Jim Boomer breaks down why curiosity fuels better decision-making, why agility belongs in every leader's toolkit and how a future-focused mindset helps firms navigate uncertainty with less hand-wringing.

Why this matters: The firms that adapt fastest will outpace the ones still polishing last year's playbook. Curiosity pays dividends. (Boomer Consulting)

Mind the readiness gap

If it feels like your firm's new hires and their managers are living in parallel universes, this episode of The Unique CPA explains why. Geof Brown, president and CEO of the Illinois CPA Society, shares fresh research from his organization that maps the profession's "readiness divide," and let's just say both sides have some blind spots. Early-career accountants think their communication skills are stellar, managers aren't great at giving feedback that's actually useful and everyone seems mildly confused about workplace tech despite being "digitally fluent." 

Generational quirks, mixed signals and mismatched expectations abound, but the data also points to solutions that don't require a magic wand. Just better mentorship, clearer onboarding and a little more empathy.

Why this matters: When teams stop guessing what the other side needs, everything from performance to retention gets better. This research gives firms a roadmap for getting there. (The Unique CPA)

20

The number of SEC enforcement actions in 2025—a steep drop from the roughly 79 such actions it averaged annually starting in 2017. (Bloomberg Tax)

• Audit finds chaotic accounting mess helped shutter an Ohio community college
• Blind resume reviews reveal talented women step up when bias steps back
• AI-generated errors in Deloitte report highlight tech's limits in real consulting
• Companies quietly rebranding ESG language while keeping climate work intact
• Fact-checking Trump's claims that tariffs can replace federal income taxes

Your newest referral source might be a chatbot

Move over, word of mouth. AI is muscling its way into the referral game, and it's bringing some surprisingly qualified leads with it. As tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude become unofficial research assistants for millions of people, they're also quietly steering prospects toward firms whose content actually answers specific, niche questions. Crypto accountants get crypto clients. Healthcare consultants get healthcare inquiries. Software specialists get people who'd rather not fight with QuickBooks alone at 11 p.m. It's less "find me a CPA" and more "help me structure physician compensation," and the firms showing up with credible, useful content are winning the click-through. 

Why this matters: Once a novelty, AI-driven referrals are becoming a legitimate pipeline that rewards firms with strong, accessible and SEO-friendly expertise. If you want to show up in the conversations, you need content that speaks clearly to specific problems. In other words, the bots are watching, so make sure you're worth recommending. (Accounting Today)

The Net Gains is your one-stop shop for fresh, FREE accounting insights. You can reach the newsletter team at thenetgains@mynewsletter.co. We enjoy hearing from you.

Interested in advertising? Email us at newslettersales@mvfglobal.com

 If you've been enjoying the newsletter, don't keep it a secret. Share it with an industry colleague. (Copy the link here.)

The Net Gains is curated and written by Janet Berry-Johnson and edited by Bianca Prieto.