The Accounting Podcast | #AccountexUSA: What do accountants care about? We ask the editors

#AccountexUSA: What do accountants care about? We ask the editors

October 31, 2019 / 27:47/E125

What is top of mind for accountants these days? How do they view automation and the endless entreaties by influencers in the profession to dump compliance and shift to advisory services? To find out, we sat down at Accountex USA in Boston with editors of three of the top publications in the accounting industry: Daniel Hood, Editor-in-Chief of Accounting Today, Seth Fineberg, Managing Editor of AccountingWEB, and Jess Scheer, Executive Editor of Accountex Network. Put on your headphones or stick in your earbuds and join us for an entertaining, informative, and wide-ranging discussion.

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Show Notes

00:13 – We managed to get three editors from the top competing accounting media properties together in one spot!
00:35 – We asked the panel - what is top of mind in the accounting industry?
01:13 – For Accounting Today, Dan says tax and tech is at the top of readers' minds
02:00 – Dan reveals a bit about AccountingWEB's approach to sharing relevant accounting news
03:04 – Jess says tax law changes are what keep accountants employed
03:48 – Dan says hyper-focusing too much on one specific topic, like tax, means you're missing out on the bigger and more important accounting-industry picture
05:15 – Like it or not, Jess says advisory is in your future,
06:39 – Dan says accountants need to realize that they're much more comfortable with change than they believe
07:47 – Don't forget that small and mid-sized firm owners are entrepreneurs, combining that perceived conservatism with a huge amount of risk
08:43 – Jess says the constant barrage of "Do Advisory" advice started with vendors
10:53 – Seth notes that there's a dark tech and automated cloud looming over the billable hour
11:38 – The concept of killing the billable hour isn't a new one
13:42 – Turn and face the change - The gentleman talk about the transformation from paper to digital in accounting media
14:20 – If you want to stay on top, you've got to be willing to meet your clients where they are
15:53 – Seth talks about the art of fine-tuning the accounting content to stay connected to readers
17:08 – Who's gonna drive you home? The data is - in media, and the accounting industry
18:35 – The guys talk "A" words - automation and advisory
20:49 – As advisory services start to play a bigger role, the bigger firms are starting to be more selective about their client lists
22:32 – Dan's theory - AI and advisory are going to position the smaller accounting firms for bigger success
23:41 – Jess says there are three levels, when it comes to the evolution of accounting - Let's do it, Help Me do it, and Leave Me Alone!
26:11 – Seth's conclusion - Automation enables greater profitability

Connect with our guests

Dan Hood, Editor-in-Chief of Accounting Today: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-hood-3494ab49/
Seth Fineberg, Managing Editor of AccountingWEB: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-fineberg-86aa8663/
Jess Scheer, Executive Editor of Accountex Network:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-scheer-43038610/

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